Demand for cloud IT careers on the rise – DataOne exec

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, a leading independent provider of IT services in the Philippines, said 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 toward cloud computing.

“Since 2011, we have seen that the number of companies that 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,” Rocke said.

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,” he said. Rocke noted that since many employers have 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 said.

Rocke added 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 available on the cloud, such as e-mail, payroll, sales force automation, and enterprise resource planning,” he said.

Rocke also emphasized 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,” he said.

DataOne’s data center and network operations senior manager Aileen Martinez added that aside from knowledge and other technical skills, aspiring IT staffers 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 said.

Aside from the ability to handle pressure, Martinez added 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 said.

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

Lastly, Martinez said 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 percent 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 said.

Rocke said 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 said.

Rocke is also optimistic due to a recent report from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that two out of the 10 top-paying jobs in the country are in the IT sector. Because of this, he urged aspiring IT professionals to take advantage of this opportunity.

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,” he said.