You have heard the whole buzz about how business technology is gearing towards cloud computing in the near future. There is a lot of excitement especially on the part of small and medium sized businesses because the current cloud computing services available are already allowing them to compete with the big boys of their industry.
From cloud storage tools like Dropbox and Box, to VoIP providers like RingCentral phone systems, SMBs are reaping various benefits like lower costs, lack of expensive hardware requirements and easy installation and use. And because the service is hosted by the provider, companies do not have to hire more manpower to man it.
That last part, though, has some IT professionals concerned. Is cloud computing taking away IT jobs?
A threat to IT Jobs
Is cloud computing a threat to IT jobs? Of course it is. Cloud computing is especially a threat to internal IT positions; and high ranking personnel, like Chief Information Officers (CIO) and IT managers, are not exempt.
A couple of years ago, the trend of outsourcing the management and administration of company database to save on costs also led to a lot of pink slips being handed out. Cloud computing is basically the same thing. Instead of hosting the servers within the company, companies are now outsourcing the servers itself to third parties.
So as companies adapt more cloud computing solutions, be prepared to see fewer and fewer IT staff requirements in the future. That is just the nature of technology; as it automates tasks, it replaces the need for an actual person to do those same tasks.
And do not expect cloud computing to be the last threat to IT jobs. The outsourcing trend just started a few years ago and we already have a new trend changing the IT industry landscape in cloud computing a couple of years later. So you should not be surprised if in the near future, another development in information technology threatens IT professional’s roles again.
What to do
If you are truly an IT professional, then you know that change is something that you will always encounter in this field. From outdated programming languages to obsolete hardware, there is always something that will be replaced in IT. That is why the effects of cloud computing should no longer come as a big surprise.
But while some jobs might be affected, new roles will be established. So instead of taking care of servers and operating systems personally, you might have to find a new role once cloud computing is adapted by your company.
That role may or not be with the current company. It might even be with the cloud computing solution provider that made your role obsolete.
But that is the nature of the beast. Change is the core of information technology. It will go down to you either adapting or being left behind.
I'm Nancy Perkins. I'm a writer enthusiast. I love to learn and explore almost everything about business and technology. I'm not a geek or nerd, I just love fresh ideas.
GNAX provides cloud hosting services, colocation data center and cloud
computing
services for enterprises and companies across the globe.http://gnax.net/