The cloud is the new kid on the block, and many people are still unsure whether he’s just “playing it cool” or is in fact the real deal.
We haven’t had much time to determine if we’re comfortable with the cloud yet, we worry about costs, complexity, and most importantly security. However, one government CIO says “worry no more”, as he promotes the cloud to the masses.
In a Google for Work webcast Tony Scott, United States Chief Information Officer, gave praise to the cloud and its overall security. “I think today the better bet is get to the cloud as quick as you can because you’re guaranteed almost to have better security there than you will in any private thing you can do,” said Scott.
Scott believes the cloud is the next step for businesses and government alike to be able to scale for the future. Not only will the cloud operate as a platform for websites and app development, but also streamlining workflows and improving talent in organizations across the board.
As a CIO, Scott says breeding and molding talent is just as important as managing infrastructure, “It’s not good enough just to be somebody who’s smart about how to develop, install systems or manage applications. I think the role is evolving also to be a developer of talent…that’s one of the really big changes going on in the CIO seat these days.”
It’s an interesting concept to think of the CIO not only as a technology guru but a talent manager. Hiring and keeping talent in business is difficult, and even more so when it comes to government. Government must compete with private sector salaries and intrigue.
From what Scott has said, it seems the cloud will not only help streamline workflows but it will allow developers, engineers, and others the ability to innovate and work on projects that are more intriguing, thus allowing government agencies to keep talent around and have additional money in the budget to pay them competitively.
The cloud is undoubtedly growing in popularity, and although it hasn’t quite reached a fever pitch, it seems that it soon will as we march into a new frontier of computing and interconnection.