The speed of digital transformation is leaving no room for us but to review whether the current people management policies are sufficient to support the digital transformation journey.

One of the most common digital transformation is migration from server to cloud. While cloud adoption by organisations worldwide has been gradual over the last decade, research has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated that shift. In 2020, companies quickly learned that they had to depend on cloud technologies to enable staffs to work from home, propel electronic commerce, display products and provide services, and more.

In Malaysia, the 2020 Cloud Market Survey¹ showed that:

• 77% of the respondents have adopted Cloud Infrastructure to facilitate their businesses;
• 8% are on Public Cloud, followed by 37.5% who are using both Public and Private Clouds (Hybrid Cloud), and 16.7% are using Private Cloud.

However, adopting cloud infrastructure doesn’t mean the company is cloud ready. One of the common challenges from the migration from on-site server to cloud computing is the lack of skill sets to manage the post-cloud adoption environment. This could be the obstacle for company to benefit from the cloud adoption. Are your people doing enough for the company to realise the benefits of cloud technology? Does the existing IT people have the necessary skillset to enable the smooth migration process to cloud and ensure that performance can be sustained?

Drought of Cloud Talent

Do not let the people factor be the showstopper in unleashing cloud performance, but the reality is we are facing the drought.

According to a recent 2020 Challenges in Cloud Transformation survey report, the IT talent shortage is a leading corporate concern with 86%  of respondents believing it will continue to slow down cloud projects. Now and in the future, there are two types of changes across the workforce: upskilling, where employees gain new skills to help in their current roles, and reskilling, in which staff need the capabilities to take on different or entirely new roles.

The advent of cloud computing at the onset of Industry 4.0 presents opportunities in the form of sharing knowledge and information among employees. This can enhance teamwork, productivity and performance. However, cloud technology brings with it multiple challenges such as data management and protection, cybersecurity, as well as trust, integrity and communication issues.

Growing Trend Towards Cloud

Recently, New Horizon Malaysia found out there’s a surge of requests for upskilling courses on cloud computing, in the magnitude of 10%, compared to the period before the Covid-19 pandemic. We expect this trend to continue from now onwards due to the high demand for using cloud services, because of the dramatic increase in home-based and remote working arrangements.

Major cloud trends³ include:

• Fifth generation (5G) technology will enable more enterprises to use edge computing as part of their hybrid cloud strategy;
• Automation will dominate the next phase of hybrid multi-cloud;
• More adoption of industry-optimised clouds, beyond the banking sector;
• Security centres will multiply as part of hybrid cloud strategy.

Malaysian companies and their employees need to take cognisance of these developments, and learn or acquire the relevant skills in cloud technology. Effective cloud adoption will unleash the potential of businesses and industries, raising productivity and organisational performance to a much higher level.

Upskilling today to reach the Cloud

Having enough skilled people to support any form of digital transformation continues to be the challenge in the coming years. Constantly monitoring the performance of existing people and closing the skill gap, which results in greater productivity should be on the priority list of any people management plan.

People Management can start to draft the people development plan with inputs from the IT department,  and identify the key skillset which contributes to the digital transformation process. Then, the training and development needs must be communicated and entrusted to professional skill development partners to prepare a complete skill development plan.

Having said that, soft skills shouldn’t be ignored. Apart from the requisite technical knowledge, employees must strengthen their interpersonal skills, self-mastery and problem-solving abilities to build stronger team dynamics. The reasons why soft skills have to be developed are:

• Boost productivity, employee performance, cultivate self-confidence, and improve communication;
• Raise the level of quality of customer service and increase sales from satisfied customers;
• Build well-rounded cohesive teams, reducing stress at the workplace;
• Improve employee retention.

Sources:

1. Business Today news article on 2 October 2020, titled “MCO: Are Malaysian companies ready for cloud adoption” – https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2020/10/02/mco-are-malaysian-companies-ready-for-cloud-adoption/.

2. Forbes news article on 2 March 2020, titled “The Cloud Talent Drought Continues (And Is Even Larger Than You Thought)” – https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilsayegh/2020/03/02/the-2020-cloud-talent-drought-is-even-larger-than-you-thought/?sh=4b3b6d6658c0.

3. Blog on 30 January 2020, titled “The Future Next Door for Cloud Computing in Malaysia” – https://datastorageasean.com/blogs/future-next-door-cloud-computing-malaysia.

New Horizons is the authorised learning partner to the top technology providers, offering an array of courses ranging from Cybersecurity and Big Data to Productivity and Programming. These programmes have been specifically designed to cater to the training requirements of businesses and individuals.

We have certified more than 30 million individuals over the past 35 years with industry-leading technical training. Kindly visit www.newhorizons.my to find out more about our Industry 4.0 certification and experience our online learning and development solutions.