Kevin Derman MSc MBA

The saddest thing about buying a new car is that the moment it rolls off the dealership floor, you are stuck with that technology for the duration of your ownership. Inevitably, a new model will come out within the next 12 months. Not so, with cloud technology! By hosting your datacenter on one of the hyperscalers (AWS, MSFT, Google) you will always have access to the latest and greatest technology. This is regardless of your business size. If you chose a particular server instance today, and a better one comes out tomorrow, with very little effort, you can switch. Want to test AI, go for it. Don't feel it's adding value, shut it down. Innovation is what the cloud was designed for. Technology will never be obsolete in the hyperscaler cloud

Every year I set a goal to learn 3 things: 1. Something for my current role. This can be a certification in a certain technology e.g. GenAI, or it can be a skill that will progress your effectiveness in your current role e.g. emotional intelligence. 2. Lean something for a future role. Here you must have a view of what role you want to do next. Perhaps you are a developer who wants to move into sales. Then you can take a selling course. 3. Something not related to your job or future job. I suggest something completely different like learning to play an instrument or play a new sport. This has a great effect on the brain, providing stimulation to grow new neurons (https://ce.ccsu.edu/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-new-skill/).

Each year I wait excitedly for Gartner's Emerging Technology Hype Cycle to come out (https://www.gartner.com/en/research/methodologies/gartner-hype-cycle). By paying close attention to the tech at the "Peak of Inflated Expectation" I then pick a few of these technologies for micro learning sessions (Youtube, reading web articles etc.) basically getting the broad outline of what this technology does. For the ones that have a 1-2 year outlook of reaching the "Plateau of Productivity" I dig into deeper by signing up to a few courses and trying to gain some practical experience in.

Embracing learning is probably the best attitude that you can nurture not only for the cloud industry, but the IT industry in general. We are so fortunate to work in an industry vertical that is constantly changing and evolving. Provided you keep up to date and constantly learn, you will always have something to offer and therefore be valued. My advice is to set aside time each week to learn. Prioritize your learning and don't leave it to "if I have time".

One of the key methods of dealing with a sceptical stakeholder is to not rush the client and offer ways that they can engage at a slower rate. Workshops, Proof of Concepts (POC), and Minimum Viable Products (MVP) are great ways of minimizing their risk while allowing them to see and experience the new technology at a non-threatening pace. Once you have proven the viability of the approach, they will then usually be happy to accelerate the development to production.

The deployment of technology usually has two main benefits for companies: either it will save them money, or it will make them money. AI has the potential to do both. One of the best ways to show this is by a live demonstration where the person who is sceptical can actually experience this for themselves. Don't just do a demo for a team. Send a link to the demo system so the sceptical individual can spend time experiencing the system. After a few days, one should follow up with the individual to capture their experience and ensure they felt heard. If you have deployed AI systems with this company previously, provide the data that will prove the benefits to the company.