From an Article by Derek Singleton over at SoftWareAdvice.com

The explosive growth of Cloud technologies is shaking up IT departments everywhere. This technology shift is creating a new professional skills market that’s in high demand and short supply.

Maintaining a job in the age of Cloud computing requires developing a new set of skills to match evolving IT roles. Through analyst interviews and discussions with IT professionals, I’ve identified five skills IT professionals need to position themselves for a career in the Cloud.

1. Learn the C-Suite Vocabulary

For years, there’s been talk about the IT department becoming a “strategic partner” of business. In the age of Cloud computing, this means developing deep knowledge of the range of Cloud-based technologies on the market and how these technologies impact the range of C-level priorities.

Learning about the range of solutions on the market–from IaaS to SaaS technologies–is something that most IT professionals are already undertaking. These days, however, just knowing the solutions isn’t enough.

MR Rangaswami, co-Founder of Sandhill, believes IT professionals also must know how to “map Cloud systems and divide functionality between Cloud and on-premise systems.” Understanding these functional divisions drives efficiencies by ensuring the company has the right mix of technology.

Beyond that, IT professionals must convey to the C-suite (where technology expertise varies) how a recommended Cloud technology supports practical business needs. For instance, some executives may think that everything is ready to move to the Cloud while others have lingering security and privacy questions. IT professionals must be able to deftly navigate this terrain.

Read the full article here.