Is your Agency Desperately Seeking Cloud Talent?

While cloud adoption is progressing at all levels of government – federal, state, and local – there are also regular reminders of the challenges. Cloud security is frequently cited as the main cause for concern, but an overwhelming two thirds of agency staff recently surveyed by Accenture said their agency lacked the necessary skilled staff to execute the Cloud First strategy.

According to the federal managers surveyed:

• Only 10% of U.S. federal agencies have been able to migrate significant chunks of their IT portfolios to the cloud.

• 31% said they’d need to hire at least one extra employee to do.

• While 45% said that costly training is needed to develop those skills.

With more and more agencies vying for the same talent pool it has become exceptionally difficult for agencies to compete with one another (and the bigger compensation packages offered by the private sector).

What kinds of skill are in demand?

Let’s look at what’s up there in terms of skill-set demand:

• Familiarity with and certification from the big players in the space (Amazon, Google, Microsoft) is a must.

• The essential security skills that can help agencies navigate the new security model of the cloud.

• Software architect skills, such as the ability to construct multi-tenant systems and virtualized systems that serve thousands of users.

• Deployment, monitoring and management skills are also sought-after.

How to source (and retain) the best cloud talent

If your agency desperately needs cloud skills, where do you start? Finding specialist skills is an art form, and with cloud strategies and technologies still emerging, the recruitment process can test even the most skilled recruiter or hiring manager. The good news is that you can actually throw science at art.

Imagine if you could recruit top performers with the right cloud talent skills, and align them to your agency’s goals and performance indicators while developing and compensating them appropriately? Sounds like a cloud strategist’s dream! Actually, it’s very real.

Using cloud-based talent management platforms like Oracle TBE Recruiting Cloud Service, agencies can solve their toughest sourcing challenges, make better hiring decisions and onboard talent faster. (Disclaimer: The Oracle solution can help you source any talent, not just cloud skill sets, but we think it’s a great way to reach and source that skill set). If you’re looking to get more from your social recruiting efforts, Oracle Taleo Social Sourcing Cloud Service can help you harness the power of social media and reach cloud talent on social networks.

Once you’ve hired the right skills, it’s important to keep those employees engaged, productive and on-track. Oracle’s Taleo Enterprise Cloud Service is a robust suite of talent management tools that help you manage the employee’s entire lifecycle – from performance and goals management, to development and succession planning – helping you keep your cloud talent ahead of the curve and learning in an agile, social and personalized way.

Take a look at what the cloud can do for your cloud staffing needs? Request a live demo or more information by contacting us online or at 800.262.4DLT (4358).