Cloud solutions are undeniably mainstream. In fact, 85% of businesses are already invested in a multi-cloud strategy. However, whether or not their combination of cloud solutions ends up as a bargain bin variety pack or an ecosystem of integrated tools depends on the cloud architects behind the scenes. If you want your cloud computing strategy to increase your company’s performance and surpass the competition, watch for these three key traits in the cloud professionals you’re hiring.
Configuration Management Skills
For a multi-cloud infrastructure to thrive, you need to recruit a skilled cloud professional who can effectively wrangle and setup an arsenal of different SaaS platforms. If this system isn’t running efficiently, your cloud tools might push and pull your business in opposing directions like quarreling brothers in a three-legged race. How do you avoid that dysfunction? Find a cloud architect with proven configuration management experience.
Configuration management tools like Puppet, Chef, and Ansible help businesses in a number of ways:
- Wasteful redundancies are faster to spot and eliminate.
- User performance increases as improper configurations are corrected.
- Outages are avoided as cloud systems are tracked.
Basically, these tools keep tabs on your SaaS platforms to ensure your system is always performing at its best.
A Commitment to Innovation
The cloud market has evolved fast, and we might be seeing some incredible innovations in short time. Forbes is already predicting that quantum computing might soon impact the cloud (and everything, for that matter). Hybrid solutions will continue to expand. Even established cloud brands will continue to advance their features, performance speeds, and security. With these ongoing changes, businesses need an experienced cloud architect who counts innovation among their values. Otherwise, they’ll be no more advanced than the head of a herd of turtles.
How can you tell whether your cloud candidates are committed to innovation? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Look for current certifications. The latest versions of CompTIA Cloud+, AWS, Microsoft MCSA, or others show candidates will be committed to getting the most from your cloud setup.
- Check the Dice 2018 Tech Salary Report for the highest paying cloud skills. These will be the skills in highest demand and more likely to be cutting edge.
- See how involved your candidates are in the local tech community. If they’re regularly attending conventions or meetups, then they’re trying to push beyond their boundaries.
A Tech Agnostic Perspective
There is a colossal range of SaaS platforms and applications out on the market. Everything from data storage and hosting to collaboration and accounting can run more efficiently and cost-effectively on remote servers. That said, no single vendor is going to hit the bullseye for every single one of your challenges, and your business needs technical talent objective and flexible enough to implement the most practical and impactful solutions.
Think of it this way. I’m a diehard Texas A&M fan, but I’d never let my love of the Aggies govern a business decision. In the tech world, you do get Azure and AWS buffs, but the best talent can put their biases aside to give you the most customized (and highest performing) solution. Technology agonistic professionals see the big picture, and with the rate at which the tech world evolves, you need that perspective.
The Trick to Hiring the Right Talent
Though these skills and qualities are important, they aren’t the whole enchilada. Depending on your business, a range of other skills are essential. Regardless, it’s important to find cloud architects who think holistically and work to stay aware of the latest innovations – even if it can be a challenge given the current economy. Bottom line: if your business is able to access a thorough talent pipeline, your cloud computing capabilities will be miles above the competition.
Want to find top cloud professionals? Our consultative approach helps businesses find top technical talent who can transform their cloud computing strategy. Contact us today to connect with excellence.
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