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IT skills in cloud


Johannesburg, 06 Sep 2011

A new survey of 2 000 CIOs by analysis giant Gartner found that, although budgets are not growing yet as the recession recedes, they are looking hard at technologies such as cloud computing and virtualisation to reduce IT costs and help to drive revenue growth.

The move towards cloud computing and virtualisation has brought about innovative ideas and has become one of the most prominent trends in IT today. What does cloud computing and virtualisation mean for the future of IT skills?

Gartner estimates that, over the course of the next five years, enterprises will spend $112 billion (about R800 billion) cumulatively on software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), combined.

Compuways CEO Arnold Graff says Compuways has re-engineered its processes to incorporate Internet and automation technology in the changing roles of the recruiter, employer and job seeker in the recruitment process. “We have adopted technology trends and our success is attributed to nurturing loyal clients and candidates, using the Internet to complement the recruitment process. It helps us to assess and supply the right level of skill at the right time.”

Gartner maintains that cloud computing is very much an evolving concept that will take many years to fully mature. It also underlined the fact that the cloud computing model is not simply the next generation of the Internet.

Cloud computing is driving discontinuity that introduces exciting opportunities and costly challenges. Organisations need to understand these changes and develop realistic cloud sourcing strategies and contracts that can reduce risk.

“For infrastructure needs, companies can now even obtain hardware functionality by subscribing to such services over the Internet. This means they no longer have to buy and maintain servers, they can get this via a service provider on the Internet. It also allows one to grow systematically as the need arises,” says Graaff.

He says for software applications the model is similar. “Businesses can now replace their in-house software packages with subscribed software services from the same vendors. For example, an accounting package that was previously used in a company and installed on an in-house server is now available on the Internet by subscription on a monthly or usage-base by the same company.”

This reduces the need for SMEs to maintain servers and network infrastructures; they can rather get the same functionality over the Internet on a 'pay-as-you-use' basis.

“What does this hold for the future of the in-house technical infrastructure specialists and for the in-house software developer?” he asks. “Infrastructure specialists will now be needed more to work in vendor environments. Their job skills will be the same as always, although virtualisation skills and certifications will be more in demand. In such vendor companies, there will be an added need to equip these technicians with people and sales skills because of the business model of supplying the services to clients.”

He says as for in-house software developers, they will now need to customise and extract data from online software services. “These programmers will need to skill themselves up more on the front-end with Web and scripting software skills to enable in-house applications with Web front-ends; and use or extract data from online software services companies for in-house customisations.”

“In brief, technical skills will never become obsolete, there will be more of a shift to where they will be employed. At Compuways we are ready to supply the right kind of candidate for every position in an IT environment, whether it is with an IT vendor or with and an IT user. Software application developers for in-house systems or for vendors supplying Web services, we are able to ensure the right person is matched to the right position in the right company,” he says.

“Over the past 20 years in the IT industry, we have seen a major shift, from mainframes to PCs, from procedural software programming languages to fourth generation programming languages to object oriented programming languages. From mainframe to mini computers and then to servers, from servers to virtualised servers. There was never a point where good solutions-oriented IT skills were not in demand,” he concludes.

For more information, visit http://www.compuways.com or http://www.getcertified.co.za.

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Compuways (www.compuways.com)

Compuways was founded in 1990 by the owner Arnold Graaff. The company supplies IT skills across the spectrum of skills from technical to managerial, permanent or contracting staff. Compuways is BEE Level 4 compliant, which means 100% of clients' procurement spend will count towards their BEE qualification.

Compuways has established alliances with various IT recruiters on a national and international basis and networks with other agencies and also has partners in India, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to supply the most sought-after skills. This enables it to share its resources using the power of the Internet. Compuways is a member of APSO and abides by its ethics and guidelines in all its procedures. The company also promotes the use of its successful database and recruitment procedures within its client companies as an in-house recruitment system.

Compuways has re-engineered its processes to incorporate Internet and automation technology in the changing roles of the recruiter, employer and job seeker in the recruitment process. Its success is attributed to nurturing loyal clients and candidates, using the Internet to complement the recruitment process. It is able to assess and supply the right level of skill at the right time.

Clients include Fujitsu, IBM, Integrated Business Consultancy, SAP Consulting, EDS ERP, Oracle, Toyota, Caltex Oil, United Pharmaceutical, Standard Bank, Standard Merchant Bank, First National Bank and Rand Merchant Bank.

Editorial contacts

Ivor van Rensburg
IT Public Relations
(082) 652 8050
ivor@itpr.co.za