To succeed in the cloud, organizations need a holistic approach to training that covers
all the skills necessary, from process to tools. They need programs targeted and tailored
to their institutions’ individual requirements, providing assessments, guided learning
paths based on roles, active measurements and plans designed to continually improve
operations in the future.
In short, one-size training does not fit all when it comes to cloud. There are three critical
success factors that have been identified for helping organizations to successfully
upskill their teams: 1) find effective methods to assess the current skills of employees;
2) define and assign tailored, role-based learning
paths which effectively and efficiently help individuals
to progress in their skills; and 3) establish metrics and
reporting that enable team leaders and decision-mak-
ers to know whether the training program is having
the appropriate, needed effect.
To succeed in the
cloud, organizations
need a holistic
approach to training
that covers all the
skills necessary, from
process to tools.
A Different Kind of Training
Back when on-premises data centers managed every-
body’s IT needs, training was important, but it was less
of a challenge. To manage a server, router or network, a
data center professional had to be trained on how to
operate that particular piece of hardware. Hardware
providers typically offered support packages that
included free training for whoever needed it.
Training in data centers was like mathematics – learning sets of skills that build on each
other. Just like in math, where you master arithmetic and then move on to advanced top-
ics like trigonometry and calculus, managing servers and software tools required IT
leaders to learn technologies from the ground up.
Things are different in the cloud. There are no products to pick up and look at. In the
cloud, IT pros need to know how to provision an environment to handle applications.
They need to understand scripting languages and tools associated with whatever is
being done with specific applications. There are many more moving parts in a cloud
environment, and many more skills which need to be sharpened.
In the public cloud you have to learn the particular cloud platform – AWS, Microsoft
Azure, Google – and then each tool that goes with that platform. Tools on one platform
do not necessarily work on other platforms. The tools themselves that perform import-
ant functions – configuration management, logging, monitoring, security, administration
– all work very differently on different cloud platforms.
12 | THE DOPPLER |
SPRING 2019