Service as a Service: What does "the cloud" mean for IT admins?

I've been in IT and telecoms since around 2003 — relatively a baby compared to some of the tech heads I know. 

I started out imaging computers for a call centre rollout. The hours were long and the commute was gritty, but I got some real hands-on experience (when I wasn't imaging PC's!).

I worked with a retired military communications type. Major Phillips, as we knew him, spent a lot of time drinking coffee, swearing and trying to get the PBX working, desperately fiddling with email servers and storage networks. 

This was 2003: Google was only four years old, a fledgling start up who did “search” better than anybody. We didn’t really have a working concept of cloud computing how it works today. Imagine the stress Major Phillips could have avoided with a hosted VOIP solution, if he’d been able to put Exchange into the cloud, kick the file storage out of the server room and not worry about replacing disks in arrays, leaving him free to run his IT department in a much cleaner manner.

Fast forward a number of years: I have worked in IT security (secure data disposal) over a good few years. Since then I've been a "cloud administrator" for a couple of MSP's. All using virtualization and in the cloud. Migrating customers to the cloud, then looking after them in cloud. (Did I say "cloud" enough?) 

Cloud anxiety
A lot of people, who are used to their on-prem solutions are getting itchy, cloud anxiety. 

Naturally, working for a cloud-based service provider, I felt it would help me to read up on how the cloud can cause even (and especially) seasoned IT professionals to feel anxious about their skill set and where they fit within the cloud. 

I ask myself: Should I sit still and hope my older skill set will carry me through? Definitely not. In the time since I’ve put my head in the clouds, I’ve learned how to use PowerShell to interact with Office 365 and make some funky backup scripts, learned how to work with AirWatch MDM and learned how to work with a hosted VOIP solution, modifying hunt groups and other assorted telephony requests.

It is unfortunate to know that there will be (and has been!)  job erosion by cloud services. Some of that is unavoidable. I'm an outsourced sysadmin for a whole host of companies. We look after their MDM, VOIP and IT systems so they don't have to hire their own sysadmin, rather than making an existing one redundant.

I believe outsourcing can be a genuinely good thing. Without it, my customers wouldn't be able to progress and move like they have.

Two examples spring to mind. First, I project managed and  migrated a company whose technology director was meant to look after internal customers and oversee the tech they sell. But, he was so bogged down in looking after their own IT systems, he was stuck working after hours trying to keep up — or just running out of time completely. Allowing outsourced IT meant he can focus on his actual responsibilities. 

Second, an office of around 10 employees was leaning on the operations manager for IT support, meaning instead of him being able to look after ops and their drivers on the road, his time was being swallowed. He can now focus on his work and the responsibility of IT is elsewhere.

So, where does the traditional sys admin fit in? You tend to hear people telling you to get your head out of the clouds and back into reality, but in this instance, I believe one would do well to get your head firmly in the cloud. Consider just how much work this will take off your hands: the server builds, patches, checking network loads, etc... You don’t want to be Major Phillips. Nobody wants to be that guy who has their time lost to headaches, excessive coffee and swearing. It’s a vicious circle.

As a cloud administrator, I'm still an incredibly busy man as I'm between the company and the cloud. You almost likely will find yourself doing some 1st/2nd line support to kick out the kinks and teething issues, but the time you will have freed up will allow you to study up, learn some great things and figure out really how to exploit the cloud and make the most of it. 

And, who knows? With the money people save on hardware, software and support — they could spend on desktop/laptop upgrades, and who doesn’t want a nice new admin machine?

If you're in education, Microsoft provide Office 365 for free, if you want an awesome partner to work with, drop me a line and I can get somebody to get in touch with you.

This article was originally published on Spiceworks Community (by me) last year.