Cloud experts get paid big bucks, but there’s still a role for generalists

As the world moves to the cloud, so does the need for engineers, AI specialists, and operations people who can keep things connected, secure, and running. While there is less or less need for a cloud “generalist” — who handles everything from procurement to configuration and data uploading — organizations still need big-picture thinking.

that’s the word david linthicumDeloitte Consulting’s Chief Cloud Strategy Officer and author of the recently published book, An insider’s guide to cloud computing, It’s fair to suggest that Linthicum is the ultimate insider on all things cloud, having consulted with a number of companies, and authored several books and articles.

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Just as IT itself has traditionally been a broad discipline requiring multiple specialties, so has the world of cloud computing now. “A few years ago, a cloud certification with a focus on a popular cloud provider was enough to get you a ‘cloud job,’” says Linthikam. “These days, there is a focus on specialization, such as (name the public cloud brand) security engineer, or (brand) developer, or (brand) architect. Broadly focused on very specific skills versus narrow vs general skills is done. “

The road to rising rates is clear, even for laypeople: “In 2010, the cost of a cloud-computing specialist or an experienced consultant was approximately $35-$45 USD per hour, or approximately $80,000 per year if salaried. -Computing. Generalists in 2023, you’ll earn at least $75 USD per hour, or approximately $140,000 per year.”

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Importantly, says Linthicum, specific cloud skills carry an even bigger premium: “If you are a specialist and focus on specific technologies, such as data analytics, AI, or machine learning in the cloud, or if If you’re a cloud-computing architect, then salaries and hourly rates carry a much higher premium. It’s not uncommon for a cloud-technology specialist with specialized certification to command $200 an hour, with salaries in excess of $275,000 at the top end. Are.”

While generalists, including good cloud architects, are still in demand, cloud has become increasingly sophisticated. The cloud is so essential to today’s complex enterprise needs that relying on one type of person would be unrealistic. Importantly, says Linthicum, specific cloud skills carry a very heavy premium: “This can cause problems if only some employees are looking at the more holistic issues within the cloud architecture.”

Over the next five to 10 years, Linthicum expects to see a huge increase in demand for cloud operations skills, including AIOps, Observability and FinOps. AIOps is the employment of AI to monitor and improve technology deployment. FinOps (financial operations) is an emerging practice that involves managing and automating cloud spending.

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The demand for CloudOps skills, meanwhile, is “based on the need to combine multiple similar or related operations functions within a single technology stack,” says Linthicum and to deal with “the growing overlap in operations such as performance, backup, recovery, and for “reliability,”

Security — while always being in play — “will increase slightly, but not as much as many would predict,” he says. “Development automation will reduce the need for development and deployment skills, just as infrastructure automation will reduce the need for infrastructure skills.”

Still, while the era of cloud expertise is upon us, Linthicum issues a word of caution: Businesses will still need leadership — generalists — to provide the scope and context of cloud services.

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“Cloud providers provide certification for narrow skill sets and then convince enterprises that they need these specific skill sets to survive,” he says. “It will take time for enterprises to realize that they also need cloud generalist skill sets.”

Importantly, Linthicum says the unintended consequence of specialization is that IT often misses big-picture issues that would only be caught by experts with extensive knowledge of all solutions, both cloud and non-cloud.

“Thus, IT staff will often lack the ability to take a more strategic look at the big picture of cloud technology. I suspect that this inability to see the big picture will have some negative effects, including the fact that many viable solutions Will win.” It shouldn’t be considered because no one in the organization understands how they work, or why they should benefit from it as an alternative to the current path.”