Cloud computing is coming and it is going to revolutionize the way we do business. It will change the business landscape in more ways than one. It will also affect the economy in no small measure. It is going to be one of the biggest catalysts of change in the IT industry. There is buzz in the industry that with the coming of cloud computing, conventional IT professionals will be rendered redundant. On the one hand, cloud computing seeks to provide cutting edge solutions to increase the productivity and profitability of organizations, on the other; it may render many IT professionals without a job.
There is a misconception in the industry that cloud computing will automate networks and therefore render all network professionals redundant as there will not be any networks to manage in the organization. As a result of this, most traditional IT positions would vanish and people manning them would be laid off. While some of these are mere misconceptions, some are true to a certain extent. But, here it is pertinent to mention that the introduction of cloud computing will not render traditional IT professionals jobless, but it will enhance their values for businesses.
For a start, although cloud computing like any other major technological revolution will affect the economy and the way we do business, the effects will not be as catastrophic as thought to be. Even though more than 50% of organizations today are planning to migrate to the cloud, doing so will take time and resources. They will go through several stages from operational to technological to ultimately organizational changes, before they can actually embrace the cloud. Thus, traditional IT positions will not vanish in one swoop or one shot. They will take their own time.
Additionally, it is not true that the advent of the cloud will render networks redundant. In fact, networks will still be there, but they will be elsewhere. With cloud computing effectively, the IT tasks are just being moved to a different location and therefore it will be in that new location a requirement for traditional IT positions. Although, many things will be automated, IT networking professionals will still be required to maintain the cloud network and service them. On the company side, there will still be a need for systems administrators and IT staff. Although totally automated, cloud computing networks will require IT positions to train and guide the non-tech staff on how to use them.
Some IT people will also do troubleshooting and will therefore serve as a median in case something goes wrong with the network. But, the skills required for managing and servicing such cloud based networks will be different from what normal IT professionals have. But, it is just a matter of re-skilling themselves for the new eventuality before they can start earning a decent income again. This situation is akin to when the Y2K bug had hit us and all IT professionals feared that they would lose their jobs.
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