Reference: Bernard Golden, 16th August 2016
Cloud computing has clearly, unmistakably, moved into the mainstream of enterprise IT. There’s more evidence of how embedded cloud computing is in the future of enterprise IT.
In a JP Morgan CIO survey, the shift to the cloud is accelerating: while today only 16% of all enterprise applications are deployed in the cloud, that number will grow to 41% in five short years. What these two data points tell us is that cloud computing must now be a core competency of all IT organizations. No longer can cloud computing be dismissed as the province of SMBs or startups, or denigrated as “shadow IT.” Instead, IT organizations must be ready to design, deploy, monitor, and manage cloud-based applications.
That brings with it a new challenge: cloud skills. While security has traditionally been cited by IT executives as the biggest issue holding back cloud adoption, 2016 sees a new barrier impeding adoption: organization skills.
In a recent survey conducted by cloud management company RightScale, lack of resources/expertise has emerged as the #1 challenge regarding cloud computing — 32% vs. only 29% citing security as the biggest challenge.
For organizations, cloud certifications are just as important, but for different reasons:
- First, organizations are buying, not selling skills. For them, looking for certifications is a way of determining base skill levels. While holding a certification may not indicate the holder is a domain-area genius, it does show that the certificate holder will be able to join a team and make a contribution.
- Second — and less appreciated, but perhaps more important — organizations can, with certification training, guarantee that employees draw from a single, consistent knowledge base. This ensures that people can work together, use common terminology, and perform at a given level of expertise — in short, certifications can be used to guarantee that employees across the department have a shared understanding of cloud computing, which can easily make the difference between project success and failure. Moreover, by creating a common knowledge base among employees, the systems the organization creates will share standardized designs and implementation, which will result in consistent operations which, in turn, will result in more efficiency and lower operational cost.
Now that cloud computing has hit the mainstream, one can expect to see certifications become a mainstream topic. And, as Rightscale’s survey indicates, skills are now the number one barrier to cloud adoption. Therefore, one can expect to see a huge rush over the next couple of years for cloud computing training and certifications. For individuals, obtaining a certification is a good way to improve personal marketability. For organizations, certifications will be a key action item now that cloud computing is a core competence.
Based on the reference above and the need to address the demand for cloud computing skill sets; Microsoft has launched a series of Azure training courses which is available in a self-paced, interactive online learning environment, as well as new opportunities for Azure certification with great discounts. Courses in relation to Azure will be added gradually. These courses are designed to help partners, developers, IT Pros & architects to respond to the surging demand, realize positive returns, and grow their market opportunity. These Azure offers feature MOOCs – Massively Open Online Courses – as the foundation of the training experience. MOOCs provide a free, flexible learning option delivered via the Azure cloud and are available to anyone.
To accelerate your career further; Microsoft Azure training and certification opportunities allow you to capitalize on the massive cloud opportunity and modernize your skills to build and create across multiple platforms with Microsoft Azure. These courses cover key technology concepts such as Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Core Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Deployment, Security & Messaging, and Scale & Agility, which address critical skills needed in the modern workforce and allow all learners to achieve more.
Act Fast & Accelerate Your Cloud Computing Career!
-Anand-
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