IT AND TECHNOLOGY | SECTOR ESSENTIALS
Top Three Trends that IT and Technology Graduates Should Know Singapore is presently focused on the development and pervasive adoption of digital and smart technologies.
Trend #1
44
Trend #2
Cloud computing
What this means for graduates
Big data
According to Alibaba Cloud 2021, Singapore has become one of the top adopters of cloud computing in Southeast Asia, with almost nine in 10 tech decision-makers indicating their companies are already using cloudbased services. Furthermore, Alibaba Cloud’s Cloud in Asia 2020 survey found that seven in 10 companies felt that a hybrid cloud approach was instrumental in their company’s recovery following the lockdown and subsequent recession. In other words, this means that the industry can expect more intense competition, more consolidation among cloud service providers, and lower prices for small business and enterprise users. With cloud computing seen as an integral cog in Singapore’s Smart Nation plan, it’ll continue to be a central component in a majority of organisations in the coming years.
Since most jobs in the cloud have simply been taken up by employees already working in IT and technology, there hasn’t really been a huge demand for people with a cloud skill set. In addition, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have adopted cloud computing no longer need internal IT departments, as most systems come with after sales services, making companies less reliant on their own departments to maintain and fix issues. Still, this is the age of digital innovation, hence demand for graduates specialising in cloud computing is high. However, keep in mind that most roles require a profound knowledge of specific technologies, such as Open Stack or Amazon Web Services. Cloudcomputing candidates should also be adept in several programming languages and frameworks, such as Python and Java. Because it’s almost impossible to learn them all, it’s fine to focus on a couple of popular skills, such as Amazon Web Services, for instance, as it’ll likely continue to be a major cloud player over the next few years. But keep in mind that with how dynamic the industry can be, it’s possible that new entrants might cause shifts in dominances within the cloud scene.
Over the past few years, it’s evident that data has become the new oil of the digital economy – and it’s not hard to see why. By mining their millions of users’ data and utilising them to gain advertising revenues, companies like Facebook and Google have found themselves dominating the digital sphere as a result. They track the news clicked, any searches made and even how long cursors hover in a particular section of a webpage. Considering Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are now billionaires, big data’s a lucrative business if a firm knows how to make full use of it. But it’s not just about getting advertising money. With today’s digital culture generating massive amounts of data, companies also use it to gain insights into customer behaviour, learn more about their workforce, improve decision-making and drive growth.
STEM Career Guide 2022
