UK organisations are distinctly lacking in cloud-specific competencies and training, a Databarracks study has revealed.
The latest annual Data Health Check report revealed that 43% of UK IT professionals rate their current competence in cloud implementation and management as either poor or very poor, with only 7% rating it as excellent, despite the fact that 64% of organisations questioned are currently using at least one cloud based service.
Despite the obvious lack of confidence in their cloud competency, 54% of respondents have received no cloud training in the past 12 months and an even more worrying statistic is that 53% have made no plans for training in 2014.
Peter Groucutt, managing director at Databarracks, says this is an issue we need to address: "These results paint a worrying picture. The survey doesn’t suggest an immediate threat to jobs as a direct result of cloud computing but as businesses continue to use more cloud services there is clearly a new skillset required to manage them.
"The myth that cloud services will eventually replace in-house IT teams is largely unfounded. What we can expect to see instead is a change in the shape of the job market. Our data shows a significant reduction in tape-based backup and continued growth in general cloud adoption, with minimal job losses. IT departments are evolving. In the past, the majority of their time was spent managing internal systems and a smaller portion was spent on using those systems to support the business.
Groucutt said that these results should act as a warning sign, and need to be addressed in order for organisations to use cloud services successfully in the long term:
"Cloud services have evolved rapidly over the past decade, and their adoption is likely to continue to grow. Our report suggests that the number of organisations who have adopted at least one cloud-based service has risen to 64% in the last 12 months.
"There is no reason cloud computing should be something for the IT department to fear, but employees must ensure that they remain relevant in today’s changing market by gaining the appropriate skills and qualifications."
