ICT network architect to cloud architect
An ICT network architect already meets 35% of what the cloud architect role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.1/ 100
1 How much of what a cloud architect is expected to do is already part of an ICT network architect’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cloud architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cloud architect role treats 2 of its required skills as things an ICT network architect already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- design cloud architecture
- design cloud networks
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cloud architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT network architect background worth leading with.
- already held design cloud networks communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop with cloud services working with computers
- already held automate cloud tasks communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design for organisational complexity communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design cloud architecture communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held Agile project management business, administration and law
All 6 carried skills, including the 2 the cloud architect role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn deploy cloud resource required
- still to learn plan migration to cloud required
- optional, not held do cloud refactoring optional
- still to learn cloud technologies required
- optional, not held Agile development optional
- optional, not held DevOps optional
- optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
- optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
- still to learn collaborate with engineers required
- optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
- optional, not held coordinate engineering teams optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cloud architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cloud technologies study this
- 02 deploy cloud resource practise this
- 03 plan migration to cloud practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held design cloud architecture skill
- already held design cloud networks skill
- already held Agile project management knowledge
- already held automate cloud tasks skill
- already held design for organisational complexity skill
- already held develop with cloud services skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held Agile development optional
- optional, not held DevOps optional
- optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
- optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
- optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
- optional, not held do cloud refactoring optional
- optional, not held coordinate engineering teams optional
49 held skills the cloud architect role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Cisco knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT network routing knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT network security risks knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT network simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT networking hardware knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT security legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT security standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role Process-based management knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust ICT system capacity skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
- not needed by the target role analyse network bandwidth requirements skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess ICT knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role attack vectors knowledge
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role define ICT network design policies skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role design ICT hardware placement skill
- not needed by the target role design computer network skill
- not needed by the target role design process skill
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role forecast future ICT network needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT network diagnostic tools skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT security policies skill
- not needed by the target role implement a firewall skill
- not needed by the target role implement a virtual private network skill
- not needed by the target role implement spam protection skill
- not needed by the target role internet governance knowledge
- not needed by the target role lean project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain information network hardware skill
- not needed by the target role maintain internet protocol configuration skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role monitor communication channels' performance skill
- not needed by the target role network engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role network management system tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role network standards knowledge
9 further entries not listed here
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cloud technologies required
- optional, not held Agile development optional
- optional, not held DevOps optional
- optional, not held ICT architectural frameworks optional
- optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT network architect become a cloud architect?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT network architect already covers 35% of what a cloud architect is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 2 of which the cloud architect role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT network architect need to become a cloud architect?
4 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is cloud technologies.
How hard is the move from ICT network architect to cloud architect?
Its learning distance is 55.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.