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Freelancers in tech: did you say precariousness?

Freelancers in tech: did you say precariousness?
How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Accelerating the hybridisation of Careers in Tech & IT

Freelancing is the subject of much ink as the gig economy keeps on growing. Frequently portrayed as the future of work, freelancing is not always the Holy Grail of well-being … especially not in tech, an area that is so buoyant.

Whoever says freelance often implies freedom, autonomy, a passion-driven career. But make no mistake: the reality is often far from ideal. Freelance status is also synonymous with limited social protections, fluctuating activity and having to deal with a good amount of internal red tape. A mixed bag, then. A status that might not always be enviable.

What’s it like in the fields of technology, digital and data, which are particularly dynamic and hungry for talent? Are freelancers to envy or do they face the same difficulties?

Tech, a sector rather favourable to freelancers

It is quite evident that the situation of freelancers in tech is significantly better than for those in other sectors. With the same level of experience, a freelance web developer or a SAP consultant will find it easier to find assignments and will be better paid than a freelance photographer or a communications consultant.

Firstly, because the talent war is particularly intense in these areas of competence, with companies fighting to attract and retain the best profiles. Secondly, because in tech and digital companies often work in “project mode”. This operational mentality lends itself very well to freelancing, with very specific skill needs and limited time.

And this trend is accelerating — Organizations are progressively opening up to the idea of ​​collaborating with freelancers and are increasingly structured in ways that allow for greater integration of this type of employee. However, on closer inspection, the reality is more heterogeneous than it seems.

Varying career prospects

As in all sectors and areas of activity, it can be difficult for freelance consultants to make themselves visible to companies. Furthermore, the logic of supply and demand varies greatly depending on the field and the function.

If a consultant with expertise in SAP management software is in addition specialized in a specific SAP module, they will be able to expect an average daily rate of between 500 and 850 pounds. Meanwhile, an independent web designer will often be satisfied with a daily salary of 250 to 350 pounds.

Beginners can find it difficult to find a place among the experts, as companies never hire a freelancer that needs to be trained. Additionally, for assignments that require a lower level of expertise, firms are more likely to call on lower-cost, offshore services.

In contrast, some tech freelancers hold a “rockstar” status, with a very high level of experience, highly specialized and sought-after skills, and excellent references. These profiles have a particularly enviable situation because they are over-solicited by recruiters and agents, and therefore in a position to impose very high levels of remuneration and particularly advantageous contractual conditions.

These rare profiles do not endure a latency period between two gigs, often have higher salaries than they would on permanent contracts, and enjoy the luxury of being able to choose their assignments. All the advantages of being self-employed, without the constraints.

Freelancers in tech: what is the recipe for success?

No miraculous formula here: success is first reserved for those who have proven themselves in terms of results and performance in the workplace. Reliability and flawlessness are fundamental.

And that’s not all. The entrepreneurial spirit counts quite a lot. Working freelance is a lifestyle choice that does not suit everyone. You must know how to manage the relational aspect and build trust with your customers, juggling between know-how and interpersonal skills. It’s also important to know how to make the right career choices.

What does exactly mean to make the right career choices? Well, first specialize in areas of expertise and / or sectors where the demand is high. Among the highly rated profiles of the moment: SAP consultants, Microsoft technology specialists and security and infrastructure expert.

Then you must make an effort to continuously improve and develop your skillset. Build a good CV with solid experiences, keep abreast and adapt to technological developments. Finally, learn how to enhance your profile and experiences, manage your visibility and maintain and nurture your professional network. It’s not easy when you’re independent since you often tend to focus on the present or the near future.

The good news is that you’re not alone. Tech recruiters and sourcing experts are well placed to guide professionals in the management of their development, as well as in the present and future development of their skills.

In summary, if tech freelancers want to be successful in this ever-evolving market, it is vital for them to know how to seize the right opportunities while positioning themselves in the best niches of expertise.

And thus the “rockstar” is born.

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News Digest #4

Weekly News Digest
Weekly News Digest

Good morning! So… Thursday. Quite the week, right?

The UK is officially no longer part of the EU. The Wuhan coronavirus is spreading almost as quickly as the xenophobia it has sparked. Oh, and Trump finally managed to turn the State of the Union address into a full-blown reality TV show.

We have prepared a whole new batch of resources and interesting reads for you to explore this week. But, first things first. Let’s see what the tech world has been up to.

A week in retrospect…

In case the Iowa caucuses weren’t complicated enough, the app designed to collect and share the vote results for the US Democratic Party went absolutely bonkers. It wasn’t hackers, though.

Apparently, someone was so excited to implement new voting technologies that they went ahead with an untested app developed by the aptly named company Shadow. No training for volunteers either. Because, you know — why. They spent the rest of the week manually counting the results. Oh, blessed be paper backup.

Meanwhile, somewhere over the rainbow…

The Cloud Wars wrapped up this fiscal year’s offensive as the big players announced Q4 earnings.

AWS retains its leadership, with Microsoft on second place and narrowing the gap. In third place, Google Cloud, which released its first official cloud earnings report earlier this week.

The FY2019 revenue table for the top 3 cloud divisions stands as follows:

  1. Amazon — $35 billion (37% more than in 2018)
  2. Microsoft — $16.4 billion (39% yearly increase)
  3. Google — $8.9 billion (53% spike from last year)

Also —IBM recently changed CEOs, promoting its head of cloud to the top position in an effort to catch up with the competition.

Let the 2020 race begin.

Big news for the SAP community this week — The company is extending free ECC support throughout 2027, with optional maintenance until 2030.

Looks like SAP has finally accepted an extension as inevitable if it wants more of its customers to migrate to S/4HANA. The ERP vendor has vowed to support the new iteration until 2040.

Finally, human trials of the first AI-designed drug will soon start in Japan.

Targeted at patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the new compound represents a major technological and medical achievement. While the average drug development takes about 5 years to get to trials, AI did it in just 12 months.

Let’s hope it actually works. That would mean better, faster, and cheaper medicine for all.

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IT Decision-makers Talent strategy

Building the dream team for multi-cloud success

Building the dream team for multi-cloud success
So, what specific roles should you look for when building the core of your dream team? Nemertes Research CIO John Burke proposes the following three. And we agree with him.

What specific roles should you look for when building the core of your dream team for multi-cloud success? Nemertes Research CIO John Burke proposes the following three. And we agree with him.

About 83% of companies are expected to be in the cloud by the end of this year. Moreover, the industry is experiencing a major skills shortage. That generates a considerable level of uncertainty for those daring to venture into the cloudy unknown. Especially considering the increasing complexity of the cloud environment itself.   

The multi-cloud environment of today requires organisations to establish proper processes and talent strategies to remain on the winning side. From designing a formal workload placement process, to carefully onboarding all employees accessing the cloud, there are many matters to consider

In a recent TechRepublic survey, over 67% of respondents said they’re currently using or planning to use services from multiple cloud vendors. If you are part of this collective, you are probably aware that identifying and securing the right professionals to build your team is of crucial importance to the success of your cloud strategy.

Multi-Cloud Success Team

Cloud solution architect  

Ideally involved from the beginning in the design of a cloud strategy that suits the needs of the organisation, a cloud architect is the one with the big-picture perspective. This is a vital attribute when pondering the strengths and disadvantages of different cloud providers.

Then, a cloud solution architect is responsible for monitoring its proper functioning and for looking into ways to optimize operations by continuously upgrading tools and services.

Cloud integration specialist 

Let’s squeeze a bit more out of the architectural analogy: think of the cloud integration specialist as the construction manager. While the architect designs the building, the cloud integrator is in charge of ensuring its correct construction. This, by managing and integrating the workflows of the many parties involved. In IT terms, that means integrating the myriad of tools, dataflows and workflows that collide in a multi-cloud environment.   

Cloud security specialist 

We’ve touched on this topic in other articles: when it comes to security, specialization is key. This is particularly true in a multi-cloud environment where threats are especially difficult to detect and cauterize due to the disparities in response time and security tools that come from working with several vendors.

Moreover, and as we’ve seen in our cybersecurity predictions for 2020, the vulnerabilities and sheer amounts of data of the multi-cloud are just too many and too alluring for hackers to ignore. Attackers will be doubling their attempts to breach into company systems through the cloud. They will even leverage the cloud themselves to launch more cost-effective attacks with greater frequency. Make no mistake — Dedicated cloud security experts are a must in this evolving environment.           

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

S/4HANA Migration: A Golden Opportunity for IT Professionals

S/4HANA migration is no easy feat. With 2030 as the deadline for companies to move to the platform, talent is in high demand. Benefit from it.

A shadow looms on the horizon for organizations running SAP’s ECC. Although the ERP provider has announced this week that it will be extending support until 2030, that’s not that much more time. S/4HANA migration is no easy feat. And, as of now, it doesn’t look like many companies are rushing to be done with the migration as soon as possible.

According to a report by Resulting IT, only 8% of organisations using ECC have made the transition to the new iteration of SAP’s software suite. That is alarming, especially considering that the report estimates the current product set has over 400 million lines of code and many companies have invested millions customizing it. These will have to be re-written when moving to S/4HANA.

But that’s just the beginning of the story. And the next part has some great news for you.

Find your next assignment on our freelance and permanent IT recruitment platform, or join Mindquest so you don’t miss out on any job opportunity!

A widening skills gap

The same Resulting IT report revealed that, although 48% of respondents had worked on S/4 projects, a good chunk of these are solutions architects. That suggests that SAP experts are mostly in the early blueprinting stages of the project. Hence there’s a general lack of experience in the live or nearing go-live stages of the transition.

In other words – Not that much boots-on-the-ground experience.

Since the report also indicates that only 18% of business managers plan to develop their in-house S/4HANA expertise, SAP consultants will be in high demand in the months and years to come. If you couple that with the fact that 40% of SAP experts plan to retire within the next 10 years, we are looking at the perfect storm. And that opens up the opportunity for you to seize the moment and become the most desired SAP pro in town.

S/4 skills will pay well. Very well

Think about it. If you get involved in S/4 projects now and gain as much real-world experience as possible, your career prospects and salary expectations will increase exponentially. And that’s not only true for SAP consultants and freelancers. Permanent employees with proven S/4 skills will quickly advance ranks within their companies. The S/4-savvy consultants surveyed in the report expect to charge between £650 and £749 per day. Experienced in-house specialists estimate a yearly salary of £100,000.

So, how should you go about gaining these career-critical skills?

Should You Become a Freelance S/4HANA Consultant?

Becoming an S/4HANA migration expert

Start small. There are plenty of resources available online for you to start getting your feet wet, most of them provided directly by SAP.

If you’re an ABAP developer, for example, SAP has made available for purchase a S/4HANA development guide. The e-book encourages you to combine your skills in ABAP, SAP Fiori, core data services, and more to master the end-to-end development process for SAP S/4HANA applications.

If you are looking for a broader perspective, SAP’s training academy has a complete set of in-depth courses. They come in both self-paced and instructor-led formats. Dive into your topic of choice and get certified. Once you’ve mastered the theory, find a project or job that gives you that real-world experience.

These are golden days for SAP consultants. Take advantage of it.

Want to make the most of S/4HANA’s career potential? Check out our comprehensive S/4HANA Careers Guide.

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Press review Tech Magazine

4 Things Sci-Fi Might Still Get Right by 2029

4 Things Sci-Fi Might Still Get Right by 2029

You have probably recently seen plenty of articles examining what sci-fi movies and books set on the 2020s have to say about the decade. It’s something bloggers and journalists like to do at every turn of the century, with every new decade, at any time possible. Last year it was all about Blade Runner (1982) and Akira (1988). This time things are a bit more crowded, with nine years ahead to account for.

Now, we didn’t want to mindlessly throw movie plots at you without assessing their relevance and potential to become true — As we’ve seen some sites doing. No, sorry. No planet ruled by apes, no mutants, no dragons. Just a few trends and predictions that proved to be accurate or might be proven right by the time the 3030s prompt us to write a similar article.

Need tips on how to find a job in IT? Check out our IT job hunting guide.

Megacities and the wealth gap

Set in 2026, Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis (1928) depicts a futuristic city powered by advanced technology and plagued with inequality. We’re already there, folks.

The UN estimates that two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050. That means the 2020s will see a constant increase in city development and population density. Cities will get bigger and merge with neighbouring ones. Buildings will get taller. Streets will get busier.

On top of that, inequality is on the rise on a global scale and has reached unprecedented levels. A recent UN report found that over 70% of the global population lives in countries where the wealth gap is expanding. Civil unrest like the recent Chilean protests is a familiar sight these days.

But Metropolis got another thing right: airborne transportation. Earlier this month we learned that Hyundai will be manufacturing Uber’s flying cars. The company’s air taxi service is expected to launch in the mid-2020s.

Robotic augmentations

Here’s another thing sci-fi accurately predicted. In the 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise relentlessly battles aliens with the help of a robotic exoskeleton.

While the story is set in 2020, exoskeletons have been changing the lives of people since the late 2010s. From helping construction workers lift heavy weights, to allowing a paralyzed man to run a full marathon, robotic exoskeletons are the real deal.  

In fact, the U.S. Military will be getting the first shipment of Sarcos Robotics Guardian XO later this year. Just like in the movie.

Climate change and fake meat

Soylent Green is a 1973 film set in 2022 that presents a world where overpopulation, pollution and the greenhouse effect are causing a global humanitarian crisis. There are severe water, food and housing shortages, and only the extremely rich can afford a spacious apartment in a dystopian New York City.

Sounds familiar?  

The movie’s title refers to an artificially produced line of meat substitutes. They are packed with protein and come in different colours. There’s Soylent Red, Soylent Yellow, and the super tasty Soylent Green. Well, it turns out that the green variant is actually made with human meat, but that’s a creepy story for another creepy day.

Interesting fact — Although plant-based burgers are all the rage in 2020, humans were producing meat substitutes as far back as 965.

Destination: Mars

Brian De Palma’s Mission to Mars (2000) tells the story of a first manned mission to Mars gone wrong. Although the movie is set in 2020 and we’re clearly not going to the red planet this year, chances are someone is before 2030.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk unveiled his plan for a SpaceX Mars mega-colony. The tech superstar wants to build 100 starships every year to send 100,000 people whenever the orbits of the two planets are aligned favourably. That amounts to 1 million people living on Mars by 2050.

Ambitious to say the least. Musk, however, has suggested that the first manned landing could be achieved by 2028. We’ll see.

Also discover our article: The IT Jobs Market of Today

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News Digest #3

A look at the week in news
A look at the week in news

A week in retrospect…

Have you ever dreamt of becoming a bestselling author? Well, get that manuscript ready, because it’s never been easier.

You just need to send a memo to your 48,000 employees encouraging them to buy your book and expense it as business material. At least that’s what Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff did. Hey — At any rate, they donated the profits to charity. Or so they say.

On a way more serious note….

The coronavirus keeps making headlines as fear of a pandemic spreads across the globe. Sadly, the death toll continues to rise, and many countries are activating their lockdown and quarantine protocols. The good news is that scientists around the world are racing to create a vaccine. Their focus? A protein responsible for identifying entry points into a cell. But the tech silver lining to this story is that the Canadian AI firm BlueDot was the first to detect the outbreak. Solid evidence of how AI can help humanity in so many critical ways.

Last but not least. Let’s talk about the UK for a second…

Remember last week’s story about the EU considering a 5-year ban on facial recognition technology? Well, the UK just went and did the opposite. It’s almost February, and Brexit is in the air.

I’d say we’re actually experiencing somewhat of a repeat of the days before the referendum. Trump and Nigel Farage are again teaming up, this time to stop the British government from allowing Huawei to build part of its 5G network. Oh, well. Too late — Or maybe not? Ironically, this is all unfolding at the same time that the UK has announced a very comprehensive set of IoT security regulations to protect connected devices and spur innovation.

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ERP & SAP Job Descriptions

IoT Consultant : Job Description

IOT consultant: job description
An IoT consultant is involved in the development of IoT projects in all types of companies. Explore the role with our job description.

Use our template to create a compelling and comprehensive IoT Consultant job description to attract top talent.

IoT is undoubtedly a rapidly expanding field. Accordingly, the IoT consultant role is on the rise. An IoT consultant is involved in the development of IoT projects in all types of companies. They can also help a company transform its existing products into connected objects as part of a global innovation process.

Also discover the role of the IT Business Analyst

What is the role of the IoT Consultant?

Support and advise the company before, during and after making the decision to enter the IoT space.

The first step in the IoT consultant’s mission is often to analyse the situation and understand the level of stakeholder awareness. The world of connected objects is complex, therefore the consultant must ensure that the project is coherent and beneficial for the company.

They must also assess the opportunities and risks that connected objects can offer in relation to the specific context of a company (sector, products, customer uses, internal organization, etc.). They then estimate the investment required, in terms of time and costs for a given project.

Identify customer needs and define a strategy

Further, the IoT consultant must make recommendations that take into account the capabilities and constraints of the company. For example, it can perform an IT and technology audit, design a business plan, and design an implementation plan.

Develop complex analytical solutions

In addition, the IoT consultant often plays a key role in drafting the project’s specifications, all in coordination with the other departments of the company. They can then subsequently manage the implementation of the project, playing a coordinating role to ensure the correct deployment and monitoring of the projects concerned. This process covers the implementation of IoT products and services, as wells as of user training and support procedures.

Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of SAP

Required Skills

Listening skills and excellent analytical skills

The IoT consultant must also demonstrate great listening skills to best meet the expectations of their client. Their adaptability must also allow them to interact with any type of interlocutor, regardless of their level of seniority or their knowledge of IoT technologies.

Advanced technical knowledge

The IoT consultant must obviously have a deep and broad knowledge of information and communication technologies and, in particular, of the latest technologies developed in terms of connected objects. They must also be able to work with technical experts whose language they must understand and have mastered.

The soul of a leader

Moreover, to lead a team and convince them to embark on often profound changes, IoT consultants must be able to assert their ideas, as well as to get their clients to trust them, despite possible resistance from certain stakeholders.

Great responsiveness and curiosity

Dynamic, lively, reactive, they must learn how to continuously evolve in an often-complex customer context, be creative and keep strengthening their proposal skills.

Education

To access this profession, one must go to engineering school (some have IoT-focused programmes or specializations).

Dual management skills in a business school are also highly appreciated.

And, remember — An IoT consultant is an expert. Access to this role is therefore not possible right after graduation. Job seekers must first have experience in business and in project management related to the Internet of Things.

Deeping on the difference between Big Data and Business Intelligence

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IT Decision-makers Tips & errors to avoid

5 experts to hire to strengthen an IT team

5 experts to hire to strengthen an IT team
We at Club Freelance have prepared a shortlist of experts to hire to and incorporate to strengthen an IT team if you haven’t done so yet.

Beyond your department’s immediate needs, it is important that you keep in mind the mid- and long-term needs of your company. As your organization’s IT leader, you must ensure that you’re building a team capable of staying aligned with the technology and business trends that are most likely to emerge in the following years. That means not only promoting continuous education among your already existing team, but also looking for new talent that will bring in those skills and ways of thinking that will future-proof it. It’s often hard to identify the right candidate or profile in all the clutter, so we at Mindquest have prepared a shortlist of experts to hire to and incorporate to strengthen an IT team if you haven’t done so yet.

Need advice on how to start or develop your freelance consulting business in tech or IT? Need to start a new permanent or freelance assignment? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.

The top 5 experts to hire to strengthen an IT team

A business-savvy data scientist

First of the experts to hire to strengthen an IT team: the data scientist. It’s no secret that a solid data strategy is one of the key components of any respectable CIO’s digital transformation plan. Organisations all over the globe are ramping up their efforts to leverage their data in deeper, more impactful ways, from business intelligence to predictive and prescriptive analytics.

It is no surprise, then, that the data scientist role was in the top 5 of LinkedIn’s latest emerging jobs study. According to the company, data scientist jobs have experienced a 37% hiring growth over the past three years.

The key skills you should also look for when hiring a good data scientist include machine learning. Also data science, Python, R and Apache Spark. However, as data analysis and predictive analytics are increasingly being incorporated into the decision-making process of companies, there is a growing need for data scientists themselves to understand the business.

A business-savvy data scientist eliminates the need for a middleman to translate data insights into business advice and transformation. Furthermore, as someone who can see both sides of the story, they can use data in more efficient and business-critical ways.

If you don’t have such a profile in your team, consider adding it.   

Also read our article: HR Managers: How to Assess the Technical Skills of IT Candidates

A true AI specialist

Often, data scientists are the ones taking over AI and machine learning duties within IT departments. Or at least being one of the main components of the AI team. That’s fine. A data scientist can, of course, become an expert in Ai through training and experience, but it’s not always the case. A true AI expert goes a bit further than the traditional data scientist, having mastered skills such as deep learning and natural language processing.

According to the same LinkedIn report, the AI specialist role has experienced a 74% hiring growth in the last 4 years. That is because hiring a true expert in AI can result in great benefits across several departments and processes within the organisation. AI can optimize operations, help with cybersecurity, come up with valuable customer insights and help you communicate better with your stakeholders by eliminating the lower levels of customer service. But it can do much more. If you have yet to explore this area, we recommend that you do.

A cloud cybersecurity expert

For some time, IT leaders were after all-terrain cybersecurity experts that understood the company’s whole IT ecosystem and could deal with a wide array of cyber threats and vulnerabilities. Then, as the digital environment has grown more complex and cyber-attacks more sophisticated, that figure is no longer the ideal gatekeeper. As it happens with everything else in our economy, specialization is key.

Then, with more and more companies moving their business-critical operations to the cloud ­­ —and with hybrid, public and private cloud models becoming more intertwined— attacks via cloud infrastructure are poised to hit a new high this year. Therefore, it is of vital importance that you look into hiring a cybersecurity expert that is exclusively dedicated to protecting your cloud real estate.

Also read ou discover our interview: Cybersecurity Career Tips From a Ballerina Turned Pentester

A DevOps engineer

Moreover, a DevOps engineer is a team addition you should consider if you’re looking to optimize and speed up the software development lifecycle. With a silo-breaking mentality, DevOps engineers work to get different IT teams and processes integrated and create a workflow that’s beneficial for everybody.

They achieve so by using their deep understanding of automation tools to develop digital pipelines comprising all stages in the production cycle — From concept and testing to deployment and monitoring.

Their wholistic mindset also makes them great evangelists of DevOps philosophy across your whole team. Greater awareness of process integration and collaboration across teams can only be beneficial for everyone in the longer run.  

Interested in DevOps profiles? Read about this expert’s DevOps career story.

An RPA automation engineer

Not to be confused with the kind of automation implemented by a DevOps specialist, RPA automation deals with processes internal to the IT team, like ticket generation, and to the overall company. An RPA expert can be of tremendous help anywhere where time-consuming, repetitive tasks can be automated.

In conclusion, think of all the time you could save across your organization by hiring an automation engineer that would lighten your employee’s workload so that they could dedicate themselves to more productive tasks. Definitely worth it.

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Cybersecurity Tech Magazine

What to expect from cybersecurity in 2020

What to expect from cybersecurity in 2020
One thing’s clear about what will happen with online threats in 2020: cybersecurity is not getting any easier. What to expect from cybersecurity in 2020?

One thing’s clear about what will happen with online threats in 2020: cybersecurity is not getting any easier. The good news is that it’s the early months of the year and all predictions are in, so there’s still some time to get ready. What to expect from cybersecurity in 2020?

And so, we went on a quest through the vastness of cyberspace in search of the best and finest predictions out there. Then we added our own expertise to the mix. The result is a shortlist of considerations we suggest you keep in mind when designing or implementing your cybersecurity strategy for the year ahead.

On history and its annoying tendency to repeat itself

Remember WannaCry? The National Health Service surely does after almost £100m in losses and the cancellation of 19.000 appointments. But the NHS was not alone. Around 230,000 computers in over 150 countries were infected in a matter of hours, leading to an estimated $4 billion in total losses. The culprit? An NSA-devised exploit of Windows’ EternalBlue vulnerability, for which Microsoft released a patch shortly after the liability was made public.

The problem with software updates, however, is that not everybody installs them. Furthermore, some users cannot even install the patch since they’re running older software versions that are no longer offered support — Rings a bell?

Microsoft’s Windows 7 service cut is bound to follow the same path. Sure — the company is extending its support to businesses until 2023, so those running business-critical applications that only work on the old OS should be fine. But, that’s only if they are willing and able to pay. Add those who can’t to the forgetful types who won’t be upgrading out of plain carelessness, and you have 2017 all over again.

Be ready for the very real possibility of a massive attack that infects unpatched users and spreads laterally from one organization to another, from one country to the next. It only takes one sloppy third party for disaster to unfold.    

Dark clouds on the horizon

As everyone and their mother moves their infrastructure and business-critical workloads to the cloud, the potential for a massive data breach affecting all the nodes in the network is skyrocketing.

Perhaps the strike comes from a company or cloud provider that didn’t carry out due diligence and didn’t effectively protect their data during transmission, storage or processing. Or, maybe, as Kaspersky Lab suggests, attackers will leverage the cloud themselves to increase the frequency of their attacks until one breaks through.

What is obvious at this point, is that you should tread very carefully when navigating the multi-cloud ecosystem. Make sure all the involved stakeholders understand the extent of your cloud ramifications. Hire a robust security team. Partner with the right providers.   

Cybersecurity in 2020: The advent of 5G

The more connections in a network, the greater the benefit for those who manage to break into it.  As Forescout points out, enterprise 5G adoption is expected to reach critical mass in 2020. The sheer number of connected devices and the amounts of data they hold should be attractive enough for attackers to try to exploit the vulnerabilities of cellular networks.

If you’re betting big on IoT and 5G, make sure your team is prepared for, or at least aware of, these vulnerabilities and is monitoring for potential attacks. The industry as a whole will need to reevaluate 5G security post-deployment, but, in the meantime, response time is key.

Oh, my — AI

Here’s some good and bad news.

The good news first: AI and Machine Learning will be instrumental in helping cybersecurity experts detect attacks and protect data and infrastructure. The benefits are more than evident. Security tools and protocols that can learn and have increased autonomy are great allies for defending your virtual castle. According to Capgemini, 63% of organizations will have AI-based solutions in place by the end of 2020. Most of these applications will have a security focus.  

The bad news? Hackers can do that too. Expect AI-powered hackbots coming to your neighbourhood very soon. Certainly, an eerie thought to entertain.  

Corrupting the root

In the art of sabotage, simplicity is key. Why bother trying to compromise the finished product when you can alter one of its key components right at the factory line? As Enterprise SpA CTO Pierluigi Paganini notes, supply chain attacks are only going to increase with time. Although they still pose a relatively low threat, it can’t hurt to be a bit more cautious with the vetting of third-party suppliers.

Cybersecurity in 2020: Final reflections on the fallibility of the human mind

We often focus solely on the might of technology, its great potential for good and evil. The truth is that people have been duping each other since ancient times. As many of the biggest cyberattacks of the past years remind us, it is usually a human error that starts it all.

An employee that inadvertently exposes vital information. Someone clicking on a link that their boss allegedly sent them. An infected thumb drive. A computer that wasn’t updated.

The human element is a decisive factor in the world of cybersecurity. Organisations need to implement better security training for their employees, as well as improved data hygiene and BYOD policies.

The scary part, however, is that, no matter how many precautions you take, someone can still be tricked – or paid — into letting in the attackers. Kasperky alerts of these perils. As the costs of breaking into a network raise due to improved security, hackers are going to increasingly target employees ­— whether it is through phishing attacks and very convincing deepfake calls, or by paying them money or extorting them.      

Read our article: How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Accelerating the hybridisation of Careers in Tech & IT

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

The 3 cloud specialists companies will chase

The 3 cloud specialists companies will chase
Let's discover what are the 3 cloud specialists companies will chase. What specific roles are going to be the most sought after?

Let’s discover what are the 3 cloud specialists companies will chase.  

Are you working in cloud or thinking of redirecting your career towards this rapidly expanding field? Well, you’re on the right track. About 83% of companies are expected to be in the cloud by the end of this year. That, coupled with the fact that the industry is experiencing a major skills shortage, means that greatness awaits those daring to venture into the cloudy unknown. Especially if you consider the increasing complexity of the cloud environment itself.

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Public, private and hybrid cloud

In the dawn of time, there was either the public or the private cloud. Then came the hybrid cloud, a mix of both public and private cloud that takes the best of both worlds.

Then, 2023 will be all about multi-cloud, the use of different cloud service providers to optimize business operations, lower costs and avoid vendor lock-in.  

Top 3 – Cloud specialists companies will chase

In a recent TechRepublic survey, over 67% of respondents said they’re currently using or planning to use services from multiple cloud vendors. If these stats hold true, the need for highly qualified cloud experts that can navigate the growing complexity will only increase.

So, what specific roles are going to be the most sought after? Nemertes Research CIO John Burke proposes the following three.

Cloud solution architect  

Firstly, ideally involved from the beginning in the design of a cloud strategy that suits the needs of the organization, a cloud architect is the one with the big-picture perspective. This is a vital attribute when pondering the strengths and disadvantages of different cloud providers and what workloads should be assigned to each one.    

Once the architecture is deployed, a cloud solution architect is responsible for monitoring its proper functioning and for looking into ways to optimize operations by continuously upgrading tools and services.

Cloud integration specialist 

Then, just to squeeze a bit more out of the architectural analogy, think of the cloud integration specialist as the construction manager. While the architect designs the building, the cloud integrator is in charge of ensuring its correct construction by managing and integrating the workflows of the many parties involved. In IT terms, that means integrating the myriad of tools, dataflows and workflows that collide in a multi-cloud environment.   

If you prefer being down in the trenches, involved in everyday operations, this might be the right role for you.     

Also read our article about Building the dream team for multi-cloud success

Cloud security specialist 

We’ve touched on this topic in other articles: when it comes to security, specialization is key. This is particularly true in a multi-cloud environment, where threats are especially difficult to detect and cauterize due to the disparities in response time and security tools that come from working with several vendors.

On top of that, and as we’ve seen in our cybersecurity predictions for 2020, the vulnerabilities and sheer amounts of data of the multi-cloud are just too many and too alluring for hackers to ignore. Attackers will be doubling their attempts to breach into company systems through the cloud. They will even leverage the cloud themselves to launch more cost-effective attacks with greater frequency. Rest assured — Cloud security experts will be in high demand.           

All in all, no matter what path you have chosen, or end up choosing in the world of cloud, this will be a land of opportunity for years to come.  

Also read ou articles: Data security : Is your cloud data secure? and Cybersecurity Careers Overview