How Cloud Computing is Revolutionizing the Way We Manage Software

The cloud computing revolution is reaching a new stage in its evolution. CompTIA’s 2018 Trends In Cloud Computing report shares that in 2018, nearly half of companies state that between 31 percent to 60 percent of their IT operations are now cloud-based.

This means that the industry discussion about cloud computing is no longer entirely about if enterprises will adopt cloud-based solutions but, rather, what value they’re getting out of them and how. So, let’s take a more detailed look at how companies and their staff are benefitting from moving applications to the cloud, and how everyone in the channel is finding their footing in this new cloud-based computing environment.

Cloud-Based Software as the Foundation for Automation  

In the first wave of cloud adoption, the main value propositions of deploying software from the cloud was reduced infrastructure costs. An SMB using a cloud-based email solution, for instance, wouldn’t need to invest in an in-house server, nor the IT staff to maintain it.

But the quality and value of cloud-deployed enterprise software packages has increased beyond this. Vendors have begun to introduce features that streamline and automate tasks in ways that leverage, and require, the cloud’s accessibility and enhanced processing power to manage. These cloud-based tools don’t just save money, they increase effectiveness. In fact 81 percent of businesses report the cloud playing some role in enhancing automation efforts.

What Types of Cloud Apps Are Trending? 

Different rankings place different cloud-based tools at the top, but you’ve doubtlessly used a SaaS tool or two in the course of doing business. Microsoft has had great success with its cloud-based iteration of its mainstay office tools, Office 365. Then there are hugely popular CRM tools like Salesforce, smart document storage solutions like Box, cross-office collaboration tools like Slack – the list goes on. What all of these tools offer is convenience, advanced opportunities for collaboration and accessibility no matter where users are physically located or what devices they are using. 

Cloud’s New World of Value-Add Opportunities 

CompTIA’s latest research on business cloud adoption points out that cloud hasn’t replaced or rendered irrelevant the third-party selling relationships long crucial to enterprise IT. There is still plenty of room for the value-added middleman in cloud relationships. MSPs in the cloud game offer consulting, maintenance, management, education, app development and other add-ons that extend the value of the vendor relationship.

Winning with Cloud-Based Solutions 

Understanding the successes that companies are having utilizing cloud-based apps, and where third parties are coming in, can help alleviate anxiety and cut through the buzz. While it may feel like a different world, good cloud-deployed software does what good enterprise software has always done – it provides the right tool for the job.

How Apprenticeships Get IT Pros Started on the Right Foot

Long before the advent of the computer, apprenticeships were an important way of preparing aspiring tradespeople to succeed at the jobs society needed most. Imagine back when metalworking by hand was the only way to make tools. There was little room for error. Those who wanted to become blacksmiths needed someone to show them how to do things – and do them right. Apprentice blacksmiths learned not by sitting in a classroom, but by getting their hands dirty, learning the tricks of the trade and having their work guided and evaluated by someone with the breadth of knowledge garnered from a lifetime of experience.

IT may require a little less physical muscle than knocking out swords on an anvil, but it's a trade that requires a lot of mental energy, quick thinking, problem-solving skills and system-specific knowhow, some of which can best be learned on the job. And so, just like the apprentice blacksmith of the past, today's IT professional can get an unprecedented shot at job-readiness with a combination of an apprenticeship and CompTIA certification.

Apprenticeships: What Are ​Employers Looking For? 

Since its inception in 2001, cybersecurity services provider CyberDefenses has believed in the necessity of a strong cybersecurity stance for every business, organization and institution – and has sought to cultivate the skilled IT talent to make that possible. Earlier this year CyberDefenses launched its inaugural apprenticeship program with six IT pros, training them and helping them to get CompTIA certified.

Because the CyberDefenses program was bringing on apprentices as paid employees who would be working directly with clients sooner rather than later, applicants underwent a rigorous vetting process. It wasn't necessarily a matter of hard tech skills, but the capacity and desire to learn and put in the work that CyberDefenses was looking for.

Prospective apprentices had to perform  the following:

• Display a natural interest in the world of cybersecurity and the issues surrounding it by giving a presentation on the topic of their choosing
• Demonstrate general problem-solving skills through a non-technical route (in one instance, a Sudoku game)
• Show, through various rounds of interviews, a willingness and desire to learn, eat, breathe and sleep cybersecurity and to work in a focused, rigorous fashion to understand the material and reach goals
• Apprenticeships: How Do They Really Help?
• Once they were up to speed, the six apprentices who were invited to take part in the CyberDefenses apprenticeship program were put to work securing the networks of real CyberDefenses clients overseen by their supervisors.

The hands-on, guided element of the program gave the apprentices the following types of real-world experience:

• Seeing the types of cybersecurity problems that arise in an actual day on the job
• Receiving guidance on how to act in response to real unfolding cybersecurity scenarios
• Understanding how to work together with other cybersecurity professionals
• Certifications and Apprenticeships: Two Sides of the Employment Coin

Throughout the program, apprentices studied for their CompTIA A+ Certification and CompTIA Security+ certifications and took the exams as their in-the-field responsibilities continued to increase. And they found a significant synergy between the information they were learning in their trainings and what they were seeing as they worked on client networks.

Not only did CompTIA certifications provide a foundation of knowledge for what was happening on the systems, it also gave them a basis for effective communication with their supervisors and coworkers. Learning the massive amount of tech-specific vocabulary, acronyms and the like through their IT certification training allowed the apprentices to better understand what other IT pros were saying and how to explain, clearly and concisely, what they were seeing.

CompTIA certifications test on the most current, up-to-date skills necessary to do any IT job correctly. Apprenticeships give hands-on experience, detailed training and insight into the types of real-life situations an IT pro faces every day. Combining them gives apprentices the full picture of what they need to know to thrive in an IT role.

But there are even more practical advantages that come with a successful apprenticeship.  

Apprenticeships: Supercharging Employment Opportunities

Nobody knows the specifics of a network better than someone who has worked on it, and as is the case with the first set of CyberDefenses apprentices, those who succeed in the program are shoe-ins for an ongoing cybersecurity job. After all, they're already doing the work. 

And apprenticeships that include IT certifications are likewise preparing job seekers for a role in cybersecurity with more than just the knowledge they impart. For example, IT pros who work for government agencies or contractors are required to hold certain IT certifications, and many CompTIA certifications meet those requirements. So, a CompTIA-certified apprentice is set up to take on the cybersecurity employment landscape in more ways than one.

CompTIA Supports 'Artificial Intelligence in Government Act'

WASHINGTON — CompTIA, the leading trade association for the global technology industry, released the following statement from CompTIA Executive Vice President for Public Advocacy Elizabeth Hyman regarding the introduction of the “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Act” by Senators Brian Schatz, Cory Gardner, Rob Portman, and Kamala Harris.

“The proposed legislation encourages broader use of artificial intelligence technologies across the entire federal government through, among other things, development of a strategy for investing and using AI.  Such an emphasis will spur agencies to explore the potential these emerging technologies will certainly deliver to improve the vital work of the government. In addition, this legislation brings together industry and government to explore the opportunities and challenges AI presents. We applaud the leadership of Senators Schatz, Gardner, Portman and Harris.

“CompTIA supports these forward-looking efforts by lawmakers. AI offers governments and businesses an unprecedented opportunity to improve how products and services are delivered to all people. We look forward to working with Congress as they craft smart policies that support and drive America’s leadership in developing innovative technologies.”

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $1.5 trillion U.S. information technology ecosystem; and the 11.5 million technology and business professionals who design, implement, manage, market, and safeguard the technology that powers the U.S. economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce.

Through its Advocacy arm, CompTIA champions member-driven business and IT priorities that impact all information technology companies – from small managed solutions providers and software developers to large equipment manufacturers and communications service providers. CompTIA gives eyes, ears and a voice to technology companies, informing them of policy developments – and providing the means to do something about it.