As the cloud and technical skills gap continues to be a challenge, it is increasingly important for companies to take a serious look at defining the job roles, skills and technologies necessary for cloud adoption and ongoing competitiveness.
Today, every company is (or should be) thinking of itself as a technology company. The speed and variety of change that accompanies making this shift in mindset represent a challenge for most large organizations. Those organizations that understand the essential ingredients for innovation are the ones that have a chance to prosper in the digital era. Leadership must take a proactive approach to defining, managing, and measuring the programs that support digital initiatives.
A shocking number of organizations kick off digital transformation projects without properly addressing the human side of the equation. Those who have been through the process know that these initiatives are as cultural as they are technical. The staff making technology decisions play a critical role in success. One important place to start is job role definition.
There are several resources out there to help. At Cloud Academy, we built one such resource to empower the broader community to visualize the impressive changes brought about by increased cloud adoption, the evolution of technical job roles and the dynamic nature of skill demand. Cloud Academy has built benchmarking tools designed to guide and accelerate enterprise transformation by leveraging aggregated and trended market data.
The ability to adapt is easier in concept than in practice. It requires a certain aptitude and toughness to truly learn new techniques, technologies, and integrations. Not everyone is cut out for it. Making several strategic new hires can help smooth the transition, but with the increasing demand for qualified technical talent on an international radar, hiring is not a panacea.
There is an urgent need to clearly define the critical roles required for making the most out of a cloud investment. The best companies turn the technical talent gap into a business opportunity by creating transparency and using data to quantify progress in a way that is meaningful and objective.
So, what roles and skills matter? The answer changes over time and by role. To address this, we’ve published a freely available job roles matrix that provides an objective, current view of the technical skills in-demand for cloud job roles.
There is a virtuous cycle between the emergence of new technologies and having an adaptable, trained workforce. Teams need to gain knowledge and experience around modern technologies — and organizations should further contextualize training so that employees understand why what they’re learning matters in their day jobs.
If companies cannot plan ahead and create resilient programs that prepare staff for a world of ongoing change, they risk forfeiting market share and revenue growth. There is no such thing as an overly aggressive program that addresses the human side of digital transformation. Investing in your people is the key to ongoing competitiveness. 
