Demand for Cloud IT careers on the rise, says expert

MANILA, Philippines — Cloud computing technology is poised to revolutionize not just how businesses and the government use information technology (IT), but will also potentially shape the country’s workplace landscape.

Cyril Rocke, President and CEO of DataOne Asia, an independent provider of IT services in the Philippines, reveals that cloud computing is holding much promise for any industry and is encouraging a new breed of university or college IT graduates to handle the expected shift towards cloud computing.

“Since 2011, we have seen that the number of companies who have migrated to the Cloud has more than doubled, and this highlights the great potential of the Philippines to become a platform for cloud-based services. In effect, the demand for hires who are knowledgeable about Cloud and virtualization technologies will become even higher.”

Since cloud computing has minimized the need for businesses to acquire in-house IT infrastructure and has urged companies to rely on Cloud service providers, Rocke believes that even IT professionals will need to evolve to enable steady function of Cloud services directed at multiple users.

“Because of the Cloud, IT professionals will no longer be much involved in hardware repairs or troubleshooting of servers as in the past. They will become service-oriented, and less hardware-oriented,” Rocke said.

Rocke notes that since many employers have already learned their lessons in building their IT infrastructure, they expect IT recruits to possess three main technical qualities that will ensure sustainable operations. First, he believes that graduates should be familiar with applications and infrastructure.

“A company’s chief information officer (CIO) would expect his IT staff to know how to roll out applications and infrastructure in the most effective manner. This means that the recruits should know how to procure virtual machine providers from Cloud providers such as DataOne, instead of expecting their company to acquire more hardware.”

He adds that IT recruits should be aware of the benefits of cloud computing, especially when it comes to software deployment and management.

“IT hires should be aware of how cloud computing has made software applications readily available. The IT hire should also be aware of the wide range of software that are available on the Cloud, such as email, payroll, sales force automation, and enterprise resource planning,” Rocke says.

He also emphasizes on the need for IT graduates to be knowledgeable about security issues and the process of encryption, especially with the growing cyber-warfare and cyber-espionage directed at critical industries.

“IT hires also need to be concerned about security. As such, they are expected to devise policies to ensure that corporate data does not ever leak to the wrong parties,” Rock says.

DataOne’s Data Center and Network Operations Senior Manager Aileen Martinez added that, aside from knowledge and other technical skills, an aspiring IT staff must possess the right attitude, which should help them manage their time and work programs.

“Cloud services are very in-demand today because they are easy to deploy and to sync in a company’s processes and existing IT systems. Some of these companies have very challenging lead times to implement their Cloud projects.  This is why the IT personnel should be able to work well under extreme pressure,” she says.

Aside from the ability to handle pressure, Martinez adds that IT recruits should also have good social skills which will allow them to communicate with their co-workers as well as the clients. Having a good team of IT professionals would ensure smooth processes in delivering IT services.

“People skills remain an important attribute because these recruits will most likely work in a team of more experienced engineers. It is important for the recruit to make himself valuable to the team and avoid making any conflict,” Martinez says.

“The IT recruits will also have to talk to the end customers via phone, email, or even face-to-face meetings. They should be able to communicate in a professional manner.”

Lastly, Martinez says that employers value recruits who strive to excel in their profession. Having aspirations will also encourage an IT professional to find ways to improve themselves through the work they do.

“We at DataOne strive for excellence, that’s why we deliver 99.99% service levels. Our IT recruits should also have that attitude, the drive to excel at all costs. The same goes for other IT companies,” she says.

Rocke emphasizes that the growing use of cloud computing among all industries offers an exciting work opportunity for this school year’s batch of IT graduates.

“Cloud computing has further changed the IT landscape, and, now, it is exciting, fast-paced and ever-evolving more than ever. It opens a lot of new job opportunities for our fresh IT graduates,” he says.
Rocke is also optimistic due to a recent report from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which states that 2 out of the 10 top paying jobs in the country belong in the IT sector. Because of this, he urges aspiring IT professionals to take advantage of this opportunity.

“There are short-term employment bridging courses or skills training, some of them offered either by the government or private institutions, that will give them the necessary knowledge and experience they need before they join the IT the workforce.”

Rocke also mentioned that the recruit’s choice of school does not matter when it comes to following the IT career path. Rather, there are other formal and non-formal options for graduates and working professionals to add to their skills. In fact, the Internet is one source of non-formal learning.

“The choice of school does not ensure anything. I encourage these recruits to take free online courses and even college offerings on IT so they could educate themselves,” he says.

On a final note, Rocke gave the aspiring IT professionals some tips on how they could land “cloud jobs”.

“Keep on learning — always keep yourself updated on new technologies on cloud computing because that’s where technology is heading, and there is no way to stop it.”