Opinion There’s no denying that firms out there are experiencing a cloud skills gap.

Of course, with new technology, there logically follows a learning curve for the workforce at the coalface and the future workforce in training to traverse. But what I am suggesting is that this skills gap is not being found across the board. In fact, many firms were poised to move with the curve and are already benefiting from this thriving new market.

In the telecoms sector, for example, we’re seeing a different picture from elsewhere – and the cloud phenomenon has been a very positive movement.

For starters, due to the surge in demand for skilled workers, a whole new stream of opportunities for firms like ours to work with cloud providers has opened up. And our engineers are perfectly placed to transfer their skills into this new arena as the fundamental skillsets required of them remain in the cloud era.

We have always prioritised continuous learning at Exchange Communications as a matter of course and, as such, any peripheral training which supports our cloud partnerships is also being carried out as a matter of course. Thanks, then, to our adaptability and desire to explore this exciting new field, we’ve successfully diversified our services and positioned ourselves as an expert partner for the delivery of third party cloud solutions like ACS Select.

We’re very much moving with the curve and we’re proud to be working with global leaders Avaya and BT Wholesale on delivering innovative cloud-based solutions.

ACS Select represents the next generation of Avaya cloud solutions and will optimise communications for a range of leading business entities throughout the UK. And with such exciting projects out there, our teams are energised and eager to grow our cloud business streams. The cloud is very much the future for telecoms too.

It is important to remember that technology by its very nature is always evolving and with all major technological developments, there are nuances to consider.

Matters of cloud security and compliance have been very much in the spotlight, especially in the shadow of GDPR. However, I believe in every challenge there lies an opportunity. I dispute that there is a universal skills gap and where firms do experience gaps which is negatively impacting their bottom line, there are third party solutions out there that are worth considering to reduce the deficit. Firms can also take positive steps to retrain existing staff, recruit new people with new cloud skills, or use external partners to ease the burden to take action to close the gap quickly.