????近來的宕機和安全漏洞顯示，將公司的所有或部分運營轉向云端——大規模遠距離存儲數據集及應用之簡稱——并非沒有風險。然而，由于性價比極高，云計算正在快步發展。

????IT研究與咨詢公司IDC的最新調查顯示，2010年，美國公司支付了215億美元的云計算服務遷移費用。預計到2015年，這一數字會暴漲至729億美元。

????此外，IDC還預計，4年之后，在應用程序、應用開發、系統基礎軟件、基礎存儲和服務器等五大關鍵領域的IT費用開銷中，云計算服務將占據近一半（46%）的新增凈增長份額。

????乍看之下，這一趨勢對公司現有的內部技術人員并非什么好兆頭，他們中一些人的工作已經被外包給亞馬遜（Amazon）、Dropbox、Rackspace和Terremark【今年早些時候被威瑞森（Verizon）收購】等云計算供應商。

????但事實上，云技術不會導致工作崗位流失，而只不過會改變雇主對技能的需求。

????云計算供應商Hostway公司副總裁艾倫?賀羅巴夫表示：“云計算并不會取代內部技術人員現有的全部工作。而且，公司需要懂得管理云計算遷移的員工。目前擁有這些必備技術的候選人才并不充裕?！辟R羅巴夫還補充道，現在最熱門的專長是“混合技術，即能夠將公司的內部基礎設施和外部基礎設施相連接的技術。”

????技術人員編制和咨詢公司Eliassen Group的首席信息官鮑比?庫內奧對此表示贊同。他說從去年12月開始，Eliassen Group發現“對系統管理員和網絡架構師的需求以兩位數的增長率上漲?！?/p>

????庫內奧表示：“IT專業人員的失業率目前僅為3%，遠遠低于美國的平均失業率。一定程度上正是由于云計算技術的發展，我們需要增加人手?！?/p>

????他預計目前的趨勢將會持續下去，“（云計算導致的）工作崗位流失被新增就業崗位所抵消。原因之一是基于安全或執行力等因素的考慮，許多公司都希望建造和管理自己的云服務，他們因此需要掌握虛擬化技術的員工?！?/p>

????“第二，與純IT業務相比，雇主如今需要雇傭通曉項目管理、風險控制等多項技術的員工。”

????庫內奧認為，就目前來看，很難確定最合適的技術組合。理想情況下，候選人才需要在不同領域擁有多項認證。最受歡迎的六大認證如下：

? VMWare虛擬化專家認證

? 思科（Cisco）設計專家認證

? ZapThink架構師認證

? 開放群組（Open group）IT架構師認證

? 信息系統安全專家認證

? 至少獲得一項CloudSchool.com網站上的云計算服務認證

????這還不是全部。庫內奧表示，要想在云技術創造的新環境下取得成功，“技術人員需要多才多藝，而且精通公司戰略和法律責任等廣泛的商業事務。他們還需要擅長與信息技術部門之外的同事合作?！?/p>

????這個要求不低。但艾倫?賀羅巴夫表示，身兼數職能使工作更有意思。他說：“比如說，轉向云端后，技術人員就能專注于為客戶創造更好得用戶體驗，而不是整天忙著維護網站。如此，技術人員的工作更多的在于為公司的宏觀目標服務，而不是為技術而技術?！?/p>

????譯者：項航

????Putting all or part of a company's operations on the cloud -- shorthand for large, remotely hosted data sets and applications -- isn't without risk, as recent outages and security lapses have shown. Still, cloud computing is so cost-effective that its popularity is growing by leaps and bounds.

????In 2010, U.S. firms paid $21.5 billion to make the move to cloud services, a figure expected to balloon to $72.9 billion by 2015, according to a new study by IT research and advisory firm IDC.

????Moreover, IDC predicts, four years from now cloud services will account for almost half (46%) of net new growth in overall IT spending in five key areas: applications, application development, systems infrastructure software, basic storage, and servers.

????At first glance, the trend may look ominous for in-house tech staffers, some of whose duties are already being outsourced to cloud providers like Amazon (AMZN), Dropbox, Rackspace (RAX), and Terremark (acquired by Verizon (VZ) earlier this year).

????In reality, though, the cloud won't do away with jobs so much as it will change what skills employers need.

????"The cloud doesn't replace everything in-house tech people do now," notes Aaron Hollobaugh, a vice president at cloud provider Hostway. "Besides, companies need people who understand how to manage migration to the cloud. There aren't enough job candidates with the necessary skills right now." The hottest specialty, he adds, is "hybrids, or connecting a company's internal infrastructure with an external one."

????Bob Cuneo, CIO at tech staffing and consulting firm Eliassen Group, agrees. Starting last December, he says his company has seen "a double-digit increase in requests for systems administrators and network architects.

????"Unemployment among IT professionals now is only about 3%, way lower than the national average," he adds. "That's partly because of the growth of the cloud. It's allowing us to place many more people in jobs."

????A current trend he expects will continue: "Job losses [because of the cloud] are offset by job gains, first because many companies want to build and manage their own clouds, for security or compliance reasons, and they'll need people with virtualization skills to do that.

????"And second, they'll need new hires with a broad range of skills, including project management and risk management, as opposed to pure IT."

????At the moment, Cuneo says, the right combinations of skills are hard to find. Ideally, candidates should have several different certifications. The six most in demand:

? VMWare Virtualization Certified Professional

? Cisco Certified Design Expert

? Licensed ZapThink Architect

? Open group IT Architect Certification

? Certified Information System Security Professional

? At least one of the cloud certifications available through CloudSchool.com

????And that's not all. To thrive in the new environment the cloud is creating, says Cuneo, "tech people need to be versatile and well-versed in broader business issues like corporate strategy and legal liability. They also need to be adept at collaborating with colleagues outside of IT."

????It's a tall order. But, notes Aaron Hollobaugh, wearing several hats may also make for more interesting work. "For instance, moving to the cloud lets you concentrate on creating a better user experience for customers, instead of on the day-to-day nuts and bolts of maintaining the website," he says. "It's more about serving the company's larger goals than about tech for tech's sake."