Building the dream team for multi-cloud success

What specific roles should you look for when building the core of your dream team for multi-cloud success? Nemertes Research CIO John Burke proposes the following three. And we agree with him.

About 83% of companies are expected to be in the cloud by the end of this year. Moreover, the industry is experiencing a major skills shortage. That generates a considerable level of uncertainty for those daring to venture into the cloudy unknown. Especially considering the increasing complexity of the cloud environment itself.   

The multi-cloud environment of today requires organisations to establish proper processes and talent strategies to remain on the winning side. From designing a formal workload placement process, to carefully onboarding all employees accessing the cloud, there are many matters to consider

In a recent TechRepublic survey, over 67% of respondents said they’re currently using or planning to use services from multiple cloud vendors. If you are part of this collective, you are probably aware that identifying and securing the right professionals to build your team is of crucial importance to the success of your cloud strategy.

Multi-Cloud Success Team

Cloud solution architect  

Ideally involved from the beginning in the design of a cloud strategy that suits the needs of the organisation, a cloud architect is the one with the big-picture perspective. This is a vital attribute when pondering the strengths and disadvantages of different cloud providers.

Then, a cloud solution architect is responsible for monitoring its proper functioning and for looking into ways to optimize operations by continuously upgrading tools and services.

Cloud integration specialist 

Let’s squeeze a bit more out of the architectural analogy: think of the cloud integration specialist as the construction manager. While the architect designs the building, the cloud integrator is in charge of ensuring its correct construction. This, by managing and integrating the workflows of the many parties involved. In IT terms, that means integrating the myriad of tools, dataflows and workflows that collide in a multi-cloud environment.   

Cloud security specialist 

We’ve touched on this topic in other articles: when it comes to security, specialization is key. This is particularly true in a multi-cloud environment where threats are especially difficult to detect and cauterize due to the disparities in response time and security tools that come from working with several vendors.

Moreover, and as we’ve seen in our cybersecurity predictions for 2020, the vulnerabilities and sheer amounts of data of the multi-cloud are just too many and too alluring for hackers to ignore. Attackers will be doubling their attempts to breach into company systems through the cloud. They will even leverage the cloud themselves to launch more cost-effective attacks with greater frequency. Make no mistake — Dedicated cloud security experts are a must in this evolving environment.