The APAC region needs 5.7 billion people to be digitally skilled by 2025 to meet technological demands. Adam Beavis, Managing Director, Stax, tells us how ‘cloud literacy’ can help make that happen.
Research shows that the APAC region will require 5.7 billion people to be digitally skilled by 2025 to meet technological demands. Yet, it remains difficult to find talent with the right cloud skills, given region-widespread talent shortages.
One of the most important areas of training in enterprises should be ‘cloud literacy’ or the knowledge and ability to leverage and manage cloud-based tools. This also includes the knowledge of newer technologies like AI, ML, data analytics and security that leverage the cloud – as well as solutions that are now predominantly cloud-native, like CRM and ERP systems. While it’s natural for organizations to rely on IT staff to be the cloud experts, technical cloud-related skills should also be extended to staff in more customer and client-facing roles.
Adopting new technologies or creating them in a way that ensures they’re compliant and evergreen (for example through a cloud management platform) can help save precious staff time that often gets consumed by lower value, repetitive tasks. To do this, organizations need to build greater collective knowledge of cloud technologies and their various applications across their teams. There are several ways to achieve this.
Firstly, organizations need to prioritize investment in tools and resources that support upskilling in the cloud. Improving cloud enablement and offering the relevant training tools not only creates a healthy learning environment for current staff but also makes an organization a lot more attractive to prospective talent. Such tools and training programs can be provided with the help of partners or delivered in consultation with your IT team and technical experts from across your business.
Increasing the number of cloud-literate employees requires a culture that promotes innovation and growth. This needs to be driven from the top-down endorsing creativity and innovation as corporate values – giving employees space to experiment with new technologies.
Mechanisms need to be put in place that give people the space and opportunity to equip themselves with the most important cloud skills such as those contributing towards development of new customer solutions, managing of the sales pipeline or navigating enterprise resource planning.
It can be equally important to know when to outsource by investing in technologies that take away the unnecessary heavy lifting from your team.
With a solution like a cloud management platform in place, staff will have time to focus on growing the business through innovation and value-added work.
While there are numerous ways to improve cloud literacy and create a roadmap for ongoing skill development, businesses need to create the right mechanisms for such growth. In a hybrid world, and particularly one challenged by tumultuous macro-economic conditions, organizations that offer the right opportunities and platforms for their employees to upskill in the cloud are well-placed to succeed.
