Businesses of all sizes are increasingly making use of cloud technology and consequently the demand for cloud skills is growing. The adoption of public cloud has grown significantly in the last year and is expected to accelerate over the next 3 years with spend exceeding £200 billion in the UK.

However as emerging technologies like machine learning continue to change the IT job landscape, a skills gap widens across the industry. With over 350,000 specialists required to perform cloud roles in the near future there’s a massive opportunity for professionals with the right skills.

So if you are new to cloud or you want to make yourself more marketable, now is the time to expand your cloud skill set.

Cloud Security

These days most businesses are comfortable storing their data with public cloud providers. It’s a dated mindset that data isn’t secure in the cloud. The truth is that most companies can’t complete with the level of security and expertise offered by leading cloud providers such as Microsoft who are investing over a $billion each year on cyber security.

However this doesn’t mean companies can forget about security, they and their staff still need to have and adhere to their security policies to ensure their data and services remain secure, because Cloud providers use a shared responsibility model which draws a line between the responsibilities between the vendor and the business.

Therefore it is still vital that IT Professionals keep their security skills up to date with an understanding of how to use cloud security tools offered by platforms such as AWS (Amazon Web Services & Microsoft Azure, despite the fact that a significant portion of this work is performed by the cloud provider.

For those that wish to specialise in cloud security, certifications always help to underpin experience and make you more attractive to companies. The most popular being CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional) which piggy backs on the syllabus taught on the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification.

Machine Learning & AI

Skills like machine learning, big data and AI were seen as jargon in the past, but not anymore, these are now at the forefront of many IT projects and will become more prevalent as time progresses. Analysts predict a 50% increase in these skills over the next 3 years and as a result cloud vendors are now developing expanding services to assist companies in the use of these technologies in their applications.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, who are the two largest cloud platforms both provide their own machine leaning tools. These tools are said to be intuitive and therefore easy to set up and there are many online tutorials available to assist. However to gain true value from these tools you’ll need strong data science skills. To support this Microsoft is attempting to become the first to offer data science training and certification in the form of the Professional Program for Data Science along with a new MCSA in machine learning that aligns with their expert level MCSE (Data Management & Analytics certification).

Serverless Architecture

Deploying applications to a server is fast becoming a legacy approach. With serverless architecture there is no need for developers to manage physical infrastructure anymore when they want to launch or build an application. Serverless architecture will normally be cheaper than the physical alternative and means developers can build scalable services that are easier to upgrade or patch.

Being locked in to a particular vendor’s serverless architecture is also becoming a thing of the past. Previously vendors could increase their prices effectively locking companies into their bespoke services at increased cost. These days the major cloud platforms use industry standard programming languages, so migrating serverless applications to a new vendor is not a problem.

If you want to pursue a career in serverless application development, select your preferred platform such as AWS and follow their tutorials and webinars online to get started.

Cloud Migration & Multi-cloud deployment

Larger enterprises are increasingly opting for multi-cloud environments. They require the flexibility to select different platforms based on performance and cost. So to appeal to these enterprises you should consider skilling up in all the major platforms (Azure, AWS and Google Cloud Platform).

Some businesses are struggling to scale resources to match demand or they are trying to save time on low-level tasks like database backup or maintenance. These businesses will benefit from moving to the cloud. However, migrating to cloud isn’t a fast process and poses its own risks. Businesses require skilled professionals to limit downtime on critical applications and poor implementation may result in security vulnerability.

As public cloud migration is accelerating, so is the need for IT professionals knowledgeable in cloud to support their applications and services.

Automation

There is currently a move to 3rd party services that allow businesses to automate across multiple platforms using the same tool set, and therefore automation is key to providing cloud services for businesses. Auto-scaling, Infrastructure as code, automated monitoring and reporting are all part of good cloud design.

Popular tools such as Chef, Jenkins and Terraform allow automation across multiple platforms and IT professionals wanting to increase their marketability should consider adding these skills to their cv.

In summary

Gaining cross platform skills is key to increasing your marketability in today’s cloud job market. If you’ve already obtained your MCSE in Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, it’s worth considering widening your skillset to include certifications from AWS and Google Cloud Platform. By transferring your knowledge between cloud platforms you’ll boost your employability.