Very interesting article in SearchCloudComputing - How cloud computing is transforming the IT department.

For example, it used to be mainly CFO's who were pushing for cloud, now CTOs are often initiating the discussion.

There is a shift to email and storage administrators to move outside the organization. More networking skills kept within the organization. Shift to cloud admins and cloud architects from systems admins and systems architects.

Cheryl

Thanks for this - that is an interesting article! Both for what it says, and what it implies.

First, what it says: "The cloud means IT roles will shift from hands-on work with hardware and installations to resource management, integration, capacity planning and technical architecture. As a result, IT roles will evolve from "systems admins" and "systems architects" to "cloud admins" and "cloud architects." This change creates new opportunities for IT professionals to learn new skills and grow within their organizations." I hear this kind of thing a lot, and yet, I don't see a lot of formal transition plans (from suppliers, or from within the IT department itself) helping IT staff to move from one role to the next - and absent that, is there any real doubt that IT staff will push back against wholesale changes that jeopardize their positions?

As to what the article doesn't say - it uses, twice, a single example (moving order entry to the cloud so that a power outage, like those "have occurred in Boston recently") to categorize reasons for adopting cloud. It's pretty clear that the TechTarget "expert" has limited real-world experience with these kinds of migrations. And I don't say that to pick on TechTarget, or the expert - there really isn't a well-defined formula that connects business motivations to specific cloud tactics, and defines the steps, outcomes, and metrics that should be applied. Cloud is transforming the IT department (and its clients and suppliers) - and in ways that aren't yet fully understood!