In most cloud adoption projects I have been on, I see organisations often focus on technology and processes, yet forget the most important factor: PEOPLE!
I often get approached by people concerned about their future roles in the cloud: How will my VMware/Storage/Networking/etc. role fit in the cloud? Will I still have a role in this new world? This is the big elephant in the room that no one seems comfortable to discuss.
So what will happen to the current employees?
The answer is just like the technology and process will go through change, so will the people element. But where to start?
Organisations need to do an inventory of their current skills in house and map it to future required skills. Identify the skills gap and create a training plan to upgrade existing skills. The upgrade could be in the shape of training, hiring new experienced resources or often a combination of both. This sounds easy but in reality it is anything but easy.
The skills upgrade path will take time and financial investment and needs to be done early in the cloud adoption process. Ignoring the people element is a certain path to failure.
Thank you for reading.
Nick
