Demand for ‘Cloud skills’ rise the Middle East, Africa

As Middle East and Africa moves into the mobile first, cloud first world at an increasingly fast pace, Microsoft is encouraging those in the field of IT to gain skills in cloud and data architecture.

Oluyomi Alarape, Director, Cloud and Enterprise, Microsoft Nigeria

According to Oluyomi Alarape, Director, Cloud & Enterprise, Microsoft Nigeria, “As more enterprises, consumers and cities embrace the cloud and it becomes part of everyday life, the demand for cloud architects is obviously growing. It’s an exciting industry to be in, with lots of areas of specialisation, and more jobs being created each year,” he said.

Microsoft Azure, the company’s growing collection of integrated cloud services, is welcoming more than 93, 000 new subscriptions a month. At the recent global AzureCon and Strata summits, Microsoft unveiled a series of new offerings across cloud, big data and the Internet of Things.

One of the new products will unleash big data productivity with Azure Data Lake. This will make big data processing and analytics simpler and more accessible for developers, data scientists and analysts to store data of any size, shape and speed, across platforms and languages.

Michael Ayeni, a cloud solution architect in Nigeria says, “Microsoft has backed up its commitment to improving customer success by hiring 560 new Cloud Solution Architects worldwide. Being an indigenous Cloud Solution Architect means I am able to develop and implement architectural designs that are cognizant of the local landscape, which in turn drives IT value realization,” he disclosed.

Eric Ballnath, who joined Microsoft as a cloud solutions architect from Amazon in April 2015 and is based in the UAE, supports his position.

He foresees a future where each person on the planet will have a representation of themselves as a virtual identity stored in the cloud, together with their private and business data.

“Strong cryptography will ensure our data can only be accessed with our knowledge and consent. We will interact with technology seamlessly across a multitude of different devices,” he said.

Cloud architects like Michael and Eric are key to helping Microsoft achieve its vision, according to Oluyomi Alarape “They are the ones who are building secure and robust cloud-powered experiences for our customers and setting us apart from our competitors.”

Microsoft’s unique approach to the cloud spans three areas. Hyper-scale infrastructure to assist organisations to reach their customers; hybrid differentiation, which allows organisations to combine cloud and on-premise servers; and enterprise grade to ensure security and compliance, as well as flexibility and choice.

Microsoft’s Azure Trust Centre also gives customers peace of mind that they are protected by the world’s leading security measures and certificates. These measures mean more people across the Middle East and Africa are moving to the cloud to enjoy features that enhance productivity and security.

As a result, Cloud security specialists are also in demand. Often a deterrent for new customers of the cloud is data security and lack of education around data protection and privacy laws. Microsoft’s hybrid approach helps those who are hesitant, to be guided into the cloud, not pushed. The company’s international experience and expertise means the latest security measures are automatically updated. With its partner network across the region, there will always be back-up support and education for customers within their local legislative context.

“Cloud computing will see immense growth when countries across the Middle East and Africa have strong legislation in place to ensure data protection. Governments can gain by prioritising this because cloud provides the most affordable and scalable way for businesses to be competitive, and this is what’s most exciting. Cloud drives innovation,” says Oluyomi Alarape.