Cloud Computing: Threat to IT Tech Jobs, Great For Business Analysis Jobs

Infoworld ran an interesting article about Cloud Computing and how this type of computing
could put more focus on more non-tech, business analysis type of jobs.

The tech jobs that the cloud will eliminate | Adventures in IT - InfoWorld

Currently where I work, the management is experimenting with virtualized desktops and streaming applications, which changes the way I work on a day-to-day basis.

Was wondering if this is happening where other people work and what people feel about cloud computing.

thanks

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astorrs

I wouldn't start worrying that much right now about getting outsourced to "the cloud". Cloud Computing is for the most part nothing more than marketing "fog" right now.

The virtualization of servers has been going on for years and has even become mainstream in the past couple; while virtualized desktops aren't new either, I've been supporting thin clients and server based computing for 10 years. Application virtualization is an area that has seen slow adoption (I remember back in 2004 thinking Softricity was the holy grail) but is starting to pick up.

Will the more intermediate roles in IT change as a result of continued growth in those areas? Of course, but as everyone in IT for at least a couple of years should realize by now, the field is always evolving and you need to evolve along with it or you will be left behind.

the_Grinch

I could be wrong, but I see it as a gray area. Companies have to worry more then ever about the security of their information. Takes a lot to entrust a company with the protection of your information. A battle is brewing in LA because the city government is looking at plans to move a lot of their IT to Google's Cloud. The police department is putting up the biggest fight because they don't want case sensitive information out of their control. Who knows though, I really had to laugh at the article when they said "look at skills that will be in demand 5 years from now." Yeah that is very simple...not! How many of us have backed a technology that didn't win (I backed HD-DVD)? Plus the government sector (school districts, government agencies) tend to not be on the forefront of technology, but are some of the biggest consumers of technology. Last school district I was in was hard pressed to get new machines to get rid of the Windows 98 machines they had. Might have equaled out with the licenses they were paying for some software that was used to help administer and protect those machines.

Ashenwelt

You know, where ever they move systems... they still need systems administrators and systems engineers. Wherever there are networks they need network engineers. So you may work at an office at a fortune 500 company one year, a mom and pop shop the next and a cloud provider the year afterward. All of us who survived dot com... we know things are never going to be the same again, and that no job is truly secure.

Nothing really different to me.

unx777

Forrester and Gartner have been predicting doom and gloom in IT for quite some time. Take a look at this article from 2004, where they are predicting that by 2008 we will be more or less all business analysts. I don't know about you, but most of my days are spent dealing mostly with technology.

"Gartner said by 2008 IT shops will focus on brokering services and shaping business demands, rather than technology."

Gartner: IT shops to face major transformation | ITworld

I am sure Cloud Computing will change IT departments in some way, but take it with a grain of salt. I doubt that Cloud Computing will put most of us system/network administrators out of work.

pipemajor

the_Grinch wrote: »

Plus the government sector (school districts, government agencies) tend to not be on the forefront of technology, but are some of the biggest consumers of technology. Last school district I was in was hard pressed to get new machines to get rid of the Windows 98 machines they had. Might have equaled out with the licenses they were paying for some software that was used to help administer and protect those machines.

I too, have K-12 IT experience. I worked at my state's 2nd largest K-12 district as their mainframe operations manager, then moved into their PC/LAN dept also as the manager. All this in the early 1990s.

We'd pull out an ancient IBM 5151 (no hard drive) out the front office of a school building for upgrade to a 386 or 486 class PC and there'd be 5-8 teachers watching to try to get the old relic.

I had a project to rip out all of their old ARCNet cabling and transitioned them to Cat5 stuff. We had no Internet access at the time.

JockVSJock

Well if that is the case, I'm out the door. I tried to be a Business Analysis, didn't work.

unx777 wrote: »

Forrester and Gartner have been predicting doom and gloom in IT for quite some time. Take a look at this article from 2004, where they are predicting that by 2008 we will be more or less all business analysts. I don't know about you, but most of my days are spent dealing mostly with technology.

"Gartner said by 2008 IT shops will focus on brokering services and shaping business demands, rather than technology."

Gartner: IT shops to face major transformation | ITworld

I am sure Cloud Computing will change IT departments in some way, but take it with a grain of salt. I doubt that Cloud Computing will put most of us system/network administrators out of work.

blargoe

Metal, power, server farm real estate is being outsourced. The systems running inside the cloud are still going to need admins. I could see consolidation and off shoring, but not as much as some might think.