You're diving into cloud computing for IT Strategy. Which key skills should you prioritize?

For performing businesses that need 24/7 presence online and provide uninterrupted services, there is no better choice than Cloud. They need to have a competent team to look after their assets and presence on cloud in terms of selecting the right model they need, services they deploy for their clients and above all timely add-ons and more. To make sure that the cloud management is effective and it should be ensured that the team has requisite knowledge of the cloud and experience of handling clouds like AWS or Google or other private or hybrid clouds.

Understanding the environment and architecture is pivotal in cloud computing. Standing in current year, most of the businesses have already gone to at least one cloud for few, or all of their business processes. Most cases I've seen was moving from one cloud to another or changing their service/deployment models as per new business requirement. In such cases, one should be well informed about the cost structure, service details, support plans and responsibility matrix for the new cloud they are entering. That would help them choose which cloud service provider would be the best as per their requirement. This would also work for any business newly entering cloud from on-premises and provide them knowledge of cloud computing functionalities.

First things first, you gotta understand the cloud basics. Think of it like ordering food. IaaS is like getting raw ingredients, PaaS is like getting a meal kit, and SaaS is like ordering takeout. Then, figure out where you want to set up your cloud kitchen - public, private, or a mix of both. Knowing your options is key to picking the right cloud menu for your business. Check my recent feature post about various service model for more clarity.

Cloud security is a big deal. You need to know how to protect your stuff in the cloud. Learn about IAM, encryption, and all those security rules. Make sure your cloud setup follows the right guidelines. It's like locking your digital doors and windows.

Security is one of the most important pillars of cloud computing. The handling and storage of confidential data, satisfying all applicable regulations and compliances gets uber complex in larger scenarios. Thankfully all major cloud service providers offer in-house security centers where you can add, tweak and customize security requirements for your cloud workloads. Some major examples would be AWS Security Hub or Azure Security Center. All required technical security settings for your cloud environment like IAM, encryption, patching, logging and monitoring can be easily managed through them. Manually, you need to perform periodic risk assessments and health checks to find any kind of deviations and fix it within time to stay secure.

DevOps is like supercharging your cloud journey. It's about breaking down walls between developers and IT ops. Learn to automate everything, from coding to deployment. Imagine building software like baking a cake - mix the ingredients (code), bake it (test), and serve it hot (deploy) – all on autopilot. That's DevOps in a nutshell.

Data is the new oil in the cloud. It's essential. You need skills to wrangle that data. Understand data lakes, warehouses, and how to move data around. Learn about data governance, privacy, and security. You'll be turning data into gold if you master these skills.

Choosing the right cloud partner is like picking a strategic business partner. You want someone reliable, affordable, and who offers the services you need. Learn to negotiate, read the fine print, and understand what you're paying for. A good cloud strategic business partner can make all the difference.