Why IT professionals shouldn’t be afraid of cloud computing IT professionals and cloud computing
Cloud computing is popping up everywhere, people. Whether private or public, personal or business, there are cloud computing apps and services delivering data and in effect, running nearly everything around us. You’d think that most IT professionals would be stoked by the incredible potential of the cloud, but there seems to be just as much fear as there is approval.
Groups like Anonymous, or malicious hacktivists are still the biggest sources of dread and anxiety for most people of the business-minded IT crowd (absolutely no question there), but cloud computing is also provoking panic for some reason. For some reason a large cross-section of IT pros tend to think that their career and livelihood is going to be undermined via cloud computing. While it is true that cloud computing will require most IT employees to adapt in some way or another, the fact is, only those who are in direct opposition to cloud computing have anything to fear (in terms of their career). Likewise, those who are prone to procrastinate or put-off familiarizing themselves with cloud technology and infrastructure may soon find that they aren’t quite as effective in their daily duties as they once were.
One of the great things about cloud computing is that once you understand the basics of how it works in terms of infrastructure, you can easily adapt to any advancements as they emerge. In other words, if a new app is released every month (something that adds new potential and / or functionality to the way your company does business), the cloud infrastructure allows you to seamlessly incorporate it into a familiar environment. Moreover, as an IT worker, you only have to concentrate on understanding how these emerging components / capabilities actually work and how you might fine-tune them for your organization. Cloud computing is a very stable form of infrastructure; you can deploy new technologies in a cloud without having to worry about it leading to system instability, crashes or other risk factors. Non-cloud forms of IT infrastructure however can be somewhat finicky when it comes to incorporating new software / hardware; quite simply, you have much more to fear without (cloud computing) as opposed to with.
Getting certified in cloud computing is not at all difficult or expensive either. If you elect to continue your professional development with an online (e-learning) course, you can actually learn / retain more information at only a fraction of the cost of college classes (where you have to physically sit in a classroom). Aside from the fact that e-learning is just the all-around better choice, it is also one of the only ways to get a quality cloud education (and certificate) without severely disrupting your busy work schedule. This is to say that if you have to try to squeeze classes that require physical attendance into your agenda, your career will probably suffer greatly. The end result of these schedule conflicts will be increased stress and poor performance while on the job, which obviously runs counter to your original objective of improving your career options, right? At the same time that these negative consequences are manifesting, you are not going to be able to concentrate on your cloud computing class either.
Basically, trying to fit classes which require physical attendance into a situation where you are already working full time is a recipe for disaster. The great thing about e-learning is that it takes place entirely online. After you purchase your course, you gain access to digital textbooks as well as interactive lessons and practice examinations. You can study at your own pace, at any time or place. Likewise, quality e-learning programs are accessible through virtually all devices, including tablets and smartphones. Once you have completed your course, absorbed the necessary information, and are ready to move on, you can take the exam and attain your certification.
Whether or not you like it, cloud computing is slowly replacing traditional IT (in nearly every way imaginable). The question is; how do you shed your fear of the cloud so that you can move on and grow with your industry? IT professionals who actually have some form of accredited cloud computing certification are among the most well prepared individuals in their field. In short, any fears that you might have about cloud computing will be eliminated once you complete a training / cert course. Through a more intensive study of cloud computing most IT professionals discover a wealth of new potentials which they never even knew existed. Basically, anything that can be done with traditional IT can be done faster and more efficiently via cloud computing. Additionally, any critical applications, services or systems can easily be adapted for deployment in a cloud (pretty much anything’s possible). So, don’t fear the cloud, embrace it, and open your mind up to a whole new set of possibilities with regards to your career (and future).