IT Strategy for Uncertain Times

The rapid pace of technological advancement, economic volatility, and evolving cyber threats make managing IT teams and systems more complex than ever.

In this uncertain landscape, IT leaders must balance agility with stability, ensuring their teams remain skilled, resilient, and prepared for the future.

The Challenges Facing IT Leaders Today

1. Talent Shortages and Skills Gaps

The demand for cloud, cybersecurity, and AI expertise continues to outpace supply. Many organisations struggle to find and retain skilled IT professionals, leading to project delays and increased workloads on existing staff.

2. Hybrid Work and Collaboration

With remote and hybrid work models now the norm, IT teams must manage distributed infrastructures, secure remote access, and facilitate seamless collaboration. Ensuring employees have the right tools and security measures in place is a constant challenge.

3. Cost Pressures and Budget Constraints

Economic uncertainty has forced many organisations to tighten budgets, making it essential to demonstrate the ROI of IT investments. Optimising cloud spend and maximising existing resources is key to maintaining efficiency.

4. Cybersecurity and Compliance Risks

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, IT leaders must stay ahead of emerging risks while ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks. Proactive security measures, staff training, and incident response planning are crucial.

5. AI Replacing Coders and IT Jobs

The rise of AI-powered tools is reshaping IT roles, automating coding, system monitoring, and security analysis. While AI enhances efficiency, it also raises concerns about job displacement. IT professionals must focus on developing higher-order problem-solving skills, cloud architecture expertise, and AI governance knowledge to remain relevant.

Strategies for Managing IT Teams and Systems Effectively

  1. Prioritise Continuous Learning
    Investing in upskilling and certification ensures your team remains at the cutting edge of technology. Cloud platforms such as AWS and Microsoft Azure evolve rapidly, and ongoing training helps IT professionals keep pace with new capabilities.
  2. Adopt a Cloud-First Mindset
    Cloud adoption offers scalability, cost savings, and resilience in times of uncertainty. IT leaders should focus on optimising cloud environments, using cost-monitoring tools, and implementing governance frameworks to prevent overspending.
  3. Strengthen Cybersecurity Measures
    A zero-trust approach, regular security training, and incident response drills help mitigate risks. Ensuring teams are well-versed in cloud security best practices reduces vulnerabilities and enhances organisational resilience.
  4. Foster a Culture of Agility and Adaptability
    Encouraging collaboration, knowledge sharing, and flexible problem-solving equips IT teams to respond effectively to disruptions. Agile methodologies, DevOps practices, and automation can enhance operational efficiency and innovation.

Future-Proof Your IT Team with Bespoke Training

Navigating uncertainty requires a skilled and adaptable workforce. Investing in cloud skills development ensures your IT team is ready for the challenges ahead.

Bespoke Training offers a FREE Cloud Skills Assessment to identify your organisation’s strengths and gaps. We provide a personalised training plan tailored to your needs, helping you optimise cloud adoption, security, and team capabilities.

Take the first step towards a future-proof IT strategy—contact Bespoke Training today to book your Cloud Skills Assessment and empower your team with the expertise they need to thrive.

Does your tech team need a Cloud Skills Assessment?

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Today, teams need to keep their skills up to date in order to stay competitive in a fast-paced business environment. In fact, training and development is cited as a top concern for team leaders as we navigate through 2024. It’s been found that adequate training boosts team productivity by 17% —but how can you know what training your team really needs?

This is where a Cloud Skills Assessment comes into play. It’s a powerful tool to help IT team leaders understand their team’s current capabilities, identify gaps and plan ahead. That way, they’re investing in the right training, to help their team hit its goals.

What is a Cloud Skills Assessment?

A Cloud Skills Assessment is a systematic assessment of an organisation’s existing skills and knowledge related to cloud computing technologies. It involves evaluating the proficiency of team members across a range of cloud technologies, identifying areas for improvement, and determining the training requirements necessary to bridge any skill gaps effectively.

Why do organisations use Cloud Skills Assessments?

These in-depth assessments provide organisations with invaluable insights into their current skill landscape, which enables them to align training initiatives with overarching strategic objectives. It means organisations are able to understand what training they truly need, helping to optimise resource allocation and ensuring that efforts are targeted and cost-effective.

Cloud Skills Assessments are important for businesses embarking on a cloud migration or adoption journey, so that leaders can see what skills are needed to effectively leverage these new technologies and platforms.

Similarly, in rapidly evolving industries where staying on the cutting-edge is imperative (such as cybersecurity or data analytics) regular ongoing training is essential. Organisations going through restructures or large shifts in strategy may also warrant a re-evaluation of training needs.

By conducting the assessment and analysis ahead of time, leaders can actively plan for ongoing training needs, map out long-term learning pathways and better align the team’s skills to the company’s needs —now and in the future.

What’s involved in a Cloud Skills Assessment?

A Cloud Skills Assessment is an in-depth audit with a lot of parts to consider. Let’s unpack a few of the key stages of conducting a training analysis in your organisation:

  1. Define your objectives: Clearly outline the goals and objectives of the analysis, and your organisational goals. When looking at what skills you need, it’s important to think about what tasks are needed to achieve your goals, and work back from there. Set an “ideal state” that clearly shows what skills are needed to achieve these key objectives.
  2. Collect data: Gather information on current skill levels, training history, and organisational requirements through surveys, interviews, and performance evaluations.
  3. Analyse the data: Evaluate the collected data to identify trends, patterns, and skill gaps within the organisation. Cross reference your team’s current capabilities with your ideal state from step one.
  4. Prioritise learning needs: Looking at the skills gaps you’ve identified, think about what skills are going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. Prioritise training needs based on urgency, relevance, and potential impact on business outcomes.
  5. Develop your cloud training plan: Design a tailored training plan that addresses identified skill gaps and aligns with organisational goals. Try to take a long term view —in one year, where would you like your team to be? Put a plan in place to get them there.
  6. Implement Training: Choose a training provider to help you execute the training plan.
  7. Evaluate its effectiveness: Continuously monitor and assess the effectiveness of your learning initiatives. Make adjustments as necessary to ensure you’re on the right track to hit your objectives.

What’s next?

To effectively undertake a Cloud Skills Assessment takes time and dedication —and the right tools to collate and analyse a large amount of data! If you think you’re ready to do a skills analysis, but don’t quite know how to get started, reach out to our team today.

If you are currently using AWS, we offer in-depth assessments to businesses looking to transform their approach to training. If you are using Microsoft Azure, we can help you look at your current capabilities, identify any gaps and build your tailored training pathway to help you get your team from where they are, to where you’d like them to be.

Don’t let skill gaps hold your team back – invest in training and pave the way for success. Start your Cloud Skills Assessment today, and a Bespoke Training Consultant will make a time with you to go through the results!

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5 ways to foster a learning culture in your organisation

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It’s a phrase that’s thrown around a lot in corporate-land: a ‘culture of continuous learning’. Heralded as the key strategy for savvy organisations looking to future-proof their workforce, it marks a shift from traditional paradigms, towards a more dynamic model, where employee growth and organisational success are intertwined.

But what does cultivating a learning culture actually entail? And why should your organisation strive to achieve it?

Why aim for a learning culture?

A learning culture ensures that your workforce remains dynamic and ever-improving. It takes note of the fact that the workplace isn’t static —the challenges and requirements of roles are shifting at an ever-growing rate— but also, the people in the workplace are living, breathing, growing individuals.

While this may sound like it’s focused around improving employee engagement, it actually goes a lot deeper than that. IBM released a report that really outlined the true value of employee training for organisations: in the best performing organisations, 84% of employees were receiving ongoing training needed for their roles. In the worst-performing companies? Only 16% of employees were receiving training.

So it’s pretty clear that building this culture of continuous learning is important, and beneficial for business success. Not only does it keep team members engaged and fulfilled, it acts as a magnet to help you attract top talent from outside your organisation too.

But best of all, it improves your capacity to keep and grow relevant, in-demand skillsets in-house —lowering the need for outside hiring of critical roles in a competitive talent market, and giving your company a competitive edge.

How to build a culture of continuous learning

Provide training and development opportunities

This one may seem obvious, but it’s also foundational. It all starts with actually providing your team with training and development opportunities. This might look like providing them with access to online resources to learn autonomously, or PD budgets —or booking courses for your team to attend.

Whatever your option, a culture of learning starts with making learning accessible.

Give employees time to commit to training

It’s not just about the training itself; employees need the time and mental space to dedicate to learning. This is known as psychological safety in the workplace. People can’t (and won’t) seek out new skills when their to-do list is never-ending, their lunch breaks are spent catching up on emails, or their calendar is back-to-back meetings from 8-5.

To truly engage with learning, it needs to be prioritised —and the company needs to help employees to create time and space to prioritise it.

Build internal knowledge sharing platforms

A great way to build a culture of learning is to take a look at all the skills you’ve got in-house already —and encourage subject matter experts to share the love!

From company lunch-and-learns to impromptu tips and tricks, build platforms and ways for your people to share their ideas, skills and knowledge.

Facilitate cross-functional teams and projects

One of the best ways to help teams stay engaged and upskilling is to foster collaboration between teams and team members with different skill sets. Cross-functional projects allow employees to step out of their usual roles and gain new perspectives, building a broader understanding of the organisation’s operations. This exposure to diverse skill sets and problem-solving approaches promotes innovative thinking and continuous learning.

By breaking down silos and promoting a collaborative spirit, you create an environment where knowledge is shared freely, and learning becomes an integral part of everyday work life.

Make it core competency, and a top priority

Learning, like anything else, is a skill. To truly foster a culture of continuous learning, it’s essential to prioritise learning as a core competency within your organisation. This means making it a fundamental part of your hiring process and a key expectation for both new hires and existing team members.

When recruiting, look for candidates who demonstrate a commitment to personal and professional growth. For current employees, emphasise the importance of ongoing education and skill development as critical components of their roles. By embedding learning into your company’s core values and performance metrics, you signal its importance and ensure that it remains a consistent focus.

What role do team leaders play?

In short: a big one. Without the buy-in and direction from top management, these tips and this learning culture won’t be able to seed into the culture and grow in the long term. Outside of the obvious and tactile elements like ensuring adequate resourcing is allocated for training and development, leaders also need to help drive this change culturally.

Team leaders need to lead from the front. By actively keeping their own skills up to date, and engaging with professional development themselves, and showing it to be a business priority, team leaders can show their team what it looks like to prioritise learning.

What’s more, leaders can help to reinforce this transformation by embedding learning into rewards and recognition programs. Monthly learning goals or friendly team learning competitions can help to make learning fun and feel like a core competency of people’s jobs —as opposed to ‘just another thing to be done’ in a busy schedule.

By putting fun and friendly goals around learning and development, it sends the signal that learning is important —just like sales targets, quotas and other performance measures.

Want to give your team a leg up on learning?

At Bespoke, we’re ready to help you make cloud learning a core component of your team’s day-to-day. From cloud fundamentals to advanced specialities, we’ve got options for both individual and team-wide training, as well as a friendly team on hand to help you build the right learning path for your organisation’s goals.

If you’re ready to take the first step towards a culture of continuous learning, get in touch with our team today or browse our training directory. Build future-ready skills in-house and increase your team engagement —train your team in cloud today.

Harnessing the Power of a Multi-Cloud Strategy

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With growing demands and increasingly complex cloud environments, more and more businesses are turning to multi-cloud strategies —to enhance the agility of their infrastructure, and mitigate risks. Savvy organisations engage with multiple cloud providers to better meet their diverse and evolving needs. Let’s take a look at the rising trend of multi-cloud adoption: its benefits, its challenges, and best practices for flawless implementation and ongoing optimisation.

Understanding multi-cloud strategy

Multi-cloud strategy involves the use of multiple cloud computing services from different providers, in order to build a custom solution tailored to the unique requirements of your business. Rather than relying on a single cloud provider, organisations can leverage a combination of public, private, or hybrid clouds to optimise performance, resilience, and cost-effectiveness. By distributing workloads across multiple environments and technology types, businesses gain greater flexibility, scalability —and better in-built redundancy.

The key benefits of a multi-cloud approach

Flexibility is a core pillar of multi-cloud strategy. With the ability to blend services from various providers, organisations can build their cloud infrastructure to suit specific workloads and applications. This malleability also extends to geographic diversity — for example businesses are able to use multi-cloud to deploy resources closer to end-users for improved performance and compliance.

Many organisations today are also seeking the resilience of a multi-cloud approach. By distributing workloads across multiple cloud environments, companies can mitigate the risk of downtime and data loss. In the event of a service outage or disruption, redundancy across multiple clouds ensures business continuity and minimises the impact on operations.

Finally, vendor diversification is another key driver behind multi-cloud adoption. By avoiding vendor lock-in, organisations maintain leverage over pricing negotiations —and service quality. Additionally, spreading workloads across multiple providers reduces dependency on any single vendor, mitigating the risk of service disruptions or counterproductive contractual disputes.

What are the challenges in multi-cloud adoption?

While the benefits of multi-cloud strategy are undeniable, actually making the shift is a challenge in itself. Navigating the complexities of a multi-cloud environment means overcoming hurdles like: cross-compatibility issues, complex data integration and operational management of multiple vendors and technologies.

Cross-compatibility (or interoperability) challenges arise from differences in cloud platforms, APIs, and management tools. Achieving seamless integration and interoperability between disparate cloud environments requires careful planning and the right expertise. Data integration complexities can emerge when dealing with distributed data across multiple clouds. Businesses need to ensure data consistency, security, and compliance across disparate cloud environments —which necessitates robust data management practices and governance frameworks.

What’s more, with each cloud provider offering its own set of management tools and interfaces, organisations must know how to best manage resources, monitor performance, and enforce their security policies across multiple platforms.

Best Practices for Implementing Multi-Cloud Strategy

Successful implementation of a multi-cloud approach hinges on proper planning, and the right know-how. Here are a few top tips to get you started:

  1. Start with comprehensive planning: Start by conducting a thorough assessment of your organisation’s business and technical requirements. Define clear objectives, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different cloud providers to develop an actionable roadmap for multi-cloud adoption.
  2. Build robust governance frameworks: Establish robust governance frameworks to ensure consistency, compliance, and security across multiple cloud environments. Define policies, procedures, and controls for resource provisioning, access management, and data protection.
  3. Use automation: Leverage automation tools and DevOps practices to streamline provisioning, configuration management, and deployment across heterogeneous cloud environments. Automation reduces manual overhead, improves efficiency, and ensures consistency in operations.
  4. Deploy continuous monitoring and optimisation: Implement comprehensive monitoring and analytics solutions to gain visibility into cloud performance, security, and costs.
  5. Prioritise skills development: Perhaps most importantly, companies need to invest in employee training and skills development to build expertise in managing multi-cloud environments. Equip your team with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively navigate the complexities of multi-cloud architecture.

Make multi-cloud manageable: train your team with Bespoke

Multi-cloud adoption offers businesses a compelling path towards agility, resilience, and innovation. But, the successful implementation of a multi-cloud strategy hinges not only on robust planning and governance but also on equipping your team with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Investing in comprehensive training ensures that your team can effectively manage and optimise multi-cloud environments, turning potential challenges into opportunities for growth.

At Bespoke, we specialise in cloud training programs designed to empower your workforce with the expertise required to navigate complex cloud landscapes. Are you ready to empower your team with the skills they need to thrive? Get in touch with us today to start your team’s cloud learning journey!

Top 5 business gaps bridged by training

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Amidst the whirlwind of today’s rapidly transforming business landscape, it’s easy to focus on revenue spikes, ground-breaking products, or market expansion as indicators of success. However, there is one vital element that often goes unnoticed: training.

In reality, lasting success lies in a commitment to the training and development of your team and employees.

Let’s unpack the impactful role of training in organisational success. We’ll explore the top five gaps businesses can bridge with a strong commitment to learning and development —and how these factors can fuel sustainable growth and innovation.

1. Address Skills Shortages in Emerging Technologies

As technology continues to advance, businesses often find themselves grappling with skills shortages in emerging fields —areas like artificial intelligence or machine learning. Investing in training in these areas gives your current employees the opportunity to upskill or reskill, giving them the expertise needed to leverage these cutting-edge technologies effectively. This means less battling for talent in these hyper-competitive talent markets —while ensuring your organisation has the skills it needs in-house.

With your team up to date on the latest emerging trends, your organisation can stay ahead of the curve. By closing the skills gap, your company can remain competitive and capitalise on emerging opportunities —and get the best in engagement and productivity from the talent you’ve already invested in.

2. Ensure Compliance with Regulatory Requirements

It may not be the most exciting topic, but compliance is core to business success. And the thing is: good training keeps companies compliant.

Of course, compliance with regulatory standards and industry-specific regulations is non-negotiable for businesses operating in highly regulated sectors. But it’s also one of the areas where, without training, things can slip through the cracks.

Ongoing training programs play a pivotal role in ensuring that employees understand and adhere to these requirements, reducing the risk of legal issues, fines, and reputational damage. From data privacy regulations like GDPR to industry-specific certifications, comprehensive training empowers employees to navigate complex compliance landscapes with confidence and integrity.

3. Develop Leadership and Management Capabilities

Strong leadership and effective management are key pillars of organisational success. Training programs focused on leadership development and management skills equip team members with the tools and strategies needed to inspire others, drive performance, and navigate challenges with resilience. What’s more, it’s also a great way to aid in succession planning and show employees that you’re invested in their career development.

This could look like training in management skills, or even deepening your employees knowledge in speciality or focus areas —to help them transition from junior to senior, or senior individual to leading a team themselves.

By investing in leadership training, or the advancement of your employees skills into specialties or certifications, businesses can cultivate a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement, laying the groundwork for long-term growth and sustainability.

4. Enhance Employee Engagement and Retention

It’s widely accepted that employee engagement and retention are paramount for maintaining a motivated and high-performing workforce. But how does training relate back to employee retention?

Employees are more likely to stay with companies that invest in their development. Training programs demonstrate a commitment to employee development and growth, fostering a sense of value and investment in individual career paths. Moreover, offering opportunities for advancement through training can significantly reduce turnover rates and associated costs.

What’s more, when employees feel supported and empowered to enhance their skills and knowledge, they are more likely to be engaged, productive, and loyal to the organisation —so not only will they stay for longer, but they’ll often produce better work.

5. Facilitate change management and agility

Today’s organisations (and their employees) need to be agile — to adapt to evolving technologies, market dynamics, and customer expectations, faster than ever before. Training programs play a crucial role in facilitating this transformation by preparing employees to embrace change, adopt new tools and processes, and seek out innovation within their roles.

Building a culture of continuous learning helps to build resilience, and increases employee adaptability and flexibility —essentially, this training gives them the tools they need to be ready to embrace change. By proactively addressing this change-readiness through targeted training initiatives, companies can minimise disruption, increase agility, and position themselves for long-term success in a rapidly evolving landscape.

It all starts starts with a plan

So how can you embrace training and get the best outcomes for your business and your employees?

Unfortunately, addressing business gaps through training is not just about signing up for a few courses or giving your team access to a self-paced video library and calling it a day. A true commitment to long-term and successful training and development requires a strategic approach.

Begin by outlining clear training goals aligned with your business objectives. Assess your team’s current capabilities to identify areas for improvement and determine which skills are essential for achieving your long-term vision. A learning needs analysis is a great way to get started with this. From there, engage a training partner to help you along the rest of your journey.

Your partner in long-term learning and development success

At Bespoke, we understand the importance of strategic training initiatives in driving long-term success. Whether you’re looking for short-term courses to upskill your team as needed or seeking to implement a comprehensive, long-term training plan, we’re here to help. Our training solutions are designed to meet your unique business needs, empowering your team to bridge any gaps —and thrive.

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help set your team up for success. Browse our training directory or talk to the team for a tailored learning pathway.

Reskilling for 2030 and the Future of Work

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The future of work is a constant —hotly debated— topic amongst business leaders, with leaders all weighing in with their predictions on what the world of work will look like in 5 or 10 years time.

If we look ahead to 2030, business strategist and futurist Dion Hinchcliffe predicts that profound shifts are on the horizon —around how businesses operate and what employees expect from their workplaces. It may sound distant, but it is critical to start preparing now for the inevitable changes.

The transformations are not just about technology; they encompass people, processes, and organisational culture: fundamentally altering the landscape of employment.

Macro changes to the work environment

According to the World Economic Forum, 50% of all employees will require reskilling by 2025. The pace of technological advancement and the disruption caused by automation and new business models mean that skills that are in demand today may be obsolete tomorrow. Organisations need to look at reskilling not just as an optional extra, but as an essential pillar of their strategy —to maintain their competitive edge and ensure their workforce is adaptable and capable now and in the future.

What’s more, a staggering prediction suggests that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet! As a result, corporate training programs need to pivot away from traditional learning and towards fostering skills like critical thinking, creativity, and digital fluency—to prepare their team to be agile and upskill as required.

Five trends predicted to reshape the workplace by 2030

The future workplace must evolve into a more agile and responsive environment, where the focus shifts from profits to people.

This includes rethinking processes to make them more inclusive and building a culture that promotes continuous growth and learning. The ability to adapt to change will be a significant differentiator for success —not only for individuals but for entire organisations.

1. Flexible, hybrid, and remote work

The future office will have no fixed address. While this isn’t a new phenomenon, by 2030, companies will have proven the success of remote work and businesses will continue to embrace hybrid models that allow employees to blend work-from-home and office-based environments.

With greater investment in remote-first technology, processes and set up, by 2030 organisations will be in the perfect position to reap the rewards associated with flexible working. With flexibility comes increased productivity and job satisfaction —meaning better outcomes for companies and employees alike.

2. Spatial computing and new ways of working

As virtual and augmented reality technology matures, spatial computing will become a standard tool in the workplace. This will enable more immersive and interactive ways of working — especially for remote teams— enhancing collaboration across geographical boundaries.

Spatial working - the future of work

One of the biggest criticisms and challenges associated with remote working, is the lack of face-to-face collaboration. With greater access and integration of spatial computing in workplaces, companies can harness the power and creativity of in-person collaboration, with the efficiency and employee satisfaction of remote or hybrid teams.

3. AI as a supportive co-worker

It’s predicted that by 2030, AI’s role in the workplace will not only include the automation of routine tasks but also extend into more complex domains of problem-solving. It will increasingly provide decision-making support, helping employees by analysing large sets of data quickly to offer insights that would be time-consuming for human workers to generate.

AI as a supportive worker - the future of work

This evolution will transform AI into a collaborative partner, not merely a tool, enabling employees to focus more on creative and strategic initiatives that require human intuition and emotional intelligence. In doing so, AI will become integral in workplaces, acting as a supportive ‘co-worker’ that complements the skills of the human workforce.

4. Viewing employees as people, not pawns

The employee experience will take centre stage, with a significant shift towards employee satisfaction. Organisations will need to treat employees as key stakeholders whose insights and needs drive the corporate agenda, not just as resources to be optimised.

Investing in team training - the future of work

This means investing in their development, their careers and giving them pathways to learn and grow.

5. Embedding continuous learning into corporate culture

Continuous learning will transition from a perk to a fundamental requirement within the workplace. Companies will be compelled to integrate learning deeply into their daily operations, making it an indispensable part of every employee’s role. To stay competitive and adapt to rapid technological advancements, businesses must provide diverse learning resources and robust tools that facilitate self-paced, personalised upskilling.

Embedding continuous learning into corporate culture

This emphasis on continuous education ensures that employees can keep pace with industry changes and apply new skills immediately, enhancing their personal growth and professional viability.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning will be non-negotiable: the backbone of corporate success.

The key to long term success? Training your team

The bottom line? To be future-ready, you need to train your team to be ready. With a future so dynamic, investing in your team’s ability to adapt and learn new skills is essential. As we navigate the uncharted waters of emerging job roles and technologies, a proactive approach to training ensures that your workforce remains relevant and able to adapt and grow as things change.

By fostering a learning culture today, your organisation can secure its place in the competitive landscape of tomorrow —ready to capitalise on new opportunities, embrace new technologies and overcome challenges quickly and efficiently.

Prepare today for tomorrow’s opportunities

The future is not just about responding to changes but about anticipating them. As we look towards 2030, businesses that invest in their people, embrace new technologies, and build resilient and adaptable cultures will thrive.

Ready to get ahead? Bespoke can help you acquire the skills you need for the evolving world of work. Contact us today or explore our training directory to start your journey toward future readiness.

How to create a long-term cloud training plan for your team

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If there’s one thing all organisations have in common, it’s the need to optimise productivity in their tech teams. IT leaders are constantly seeking ways to boost performance, bridge skills gaps and retain top talent.

One proven way to hit these goals is through cloud training. But, training can’t be approached with a ‘tick and flick’ mentality. To be effective, employee development needs to be informed by a comprehensive, strategic and long-term cloud training plan for your team. This equips IT employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles, while giving organisations the ability to map out a pathway from current state, to future state.

In today’s competitive talent market, it’s essential for businesses to commit time and resources to upskilling their teams —or risk being left behind.

Let’s dive deeper into why training for your tech team is an essential investment, and unpack the tangible steps you can take to create a strategic training plan tailored to your organisation’s goals.

What is a cloud team training plan?

A cloud team training plan is a structured framework that outlines the learning outcomes, strategies, curriculum, and methods for training IT employees. Think of it like a roadmap for employee IT development: one which helps to align individual learning goals with long-term organisational objectives.

By clearly defining the training pathway and identifying the skills and competencies that IT employees need to acquire, a training plan sets the stage for effective learning and development —and also creates a template that can be easily scaled and replicated.

Why use a cloud training plan?

When you break it down, a cloud training plan helps organisations to get more from their teams.

When businesses are undertaking large-scale digital transformation projects, or establishing new cloud environments, it’s essential to feel confident that you’ve got the skills needed to make these transitions happen.

They can also help with things like:

Increased IT employee retention

Organisations that offer continuous training opportunities are more likely to retain their IT employees. 41% of people have reported quitting their jobs due to a lack of career development —by offering ongoing training, you’re more likely to hold onto the talent you’ve got. And in today’s competitive talent market, it’s harder to hire in new skills —which makes retention a strategic imperative for leaders.

More engaged IT employees

Investing in learning and development not only benefits IT employees but also leads to more engaged employees. 89% of employees have said that people enablement positively impacts the workplace, fostering a greater sense of engagement and commitment.

Enhanced Productivity and Growth

Investing in cloud training leads to improved performance, and increased productivity. Happier, engaged team members, and regular upskilling, enable organisations to achieve their big goals faster —and with more consistency.

How can you create a long-term cloud training plan?

  • Set your objectives: Define the specific goals and objectives you aim to achieve through the cloud training plan. Are you trying to set up new infrastructure or advance your cloud architecture? Identify the key business objectives for the next 12 months minimum —and start to reverse engineer the steps and skills needed to achieve these goals.
  • Conduct a Cloud Learning Needs Analysis: As part of reverse-engineering your objectives, you should conduct a cloud learning needs analysis. Take stock of what skillsets you’ve currently got, and identify the skill sets you need more of: are you focused on security, development or architecture? Identify the tech knowledge and skills gaps within your organisation through a thorough assessment of IT employee competencies and job requirements —and compare between your current state and ideal future state so you can see where extra focus is needed.
  • Seek input from your IT team: It’s essential to involve employees in the cloud training planning process. That way, you can align their goals with the organisation’s goals wherever possible. By taking onboard their suggestions and input, you’ll get greater buy-in, which leads to better training outcomes.
  • Find a cloud training partner: Creating, evaluating and executing a long term training plan takes time and dedicated resources to do it well. By partnering with an experienced training provider, they’ll help you to design and implement a tailored training program that addresses your organisation’s budget and unique requirements.

Investing in a long-term training plan for your team is not just a nice-to-have; it’s an investment in your organisation’s future success.

By prioritising employee development and fostering a culture of continuous learning, organisations can enhance productivity, drive innovation, and maintain a competitive edge.

Are you ready to build your tailored training strategy? Get in touch today to discuss your training needs and goals with our expert team and claim your free learning needs analysis.

Navigating the shift: the evolving role of the CTO

With the tech landscape evolving rapidly, the role of the Chief Technology Officer has grown and changed exponentially in the past decade. As businesses embrace digital transformation, the CTO role has become an integral pillar supporting organisational development.

While CTO’s of the past were focused on the more hands-on technical operations of the business, today, the role is visionary: leading innovation, collaboration, and bringing the organisation’s big goals to life. It requires a diverse skill set and strategic mindset to drive the company forward. Let’s unpack some of the evolving responsibilities of CTO’s today, and what this means for businesses at large.

Building a strong team: Hiring, retaining, and upskilling talent

Organisational success begins and ends with talent —and the IT vertical is no different. With pressing skills shortages across the board, top candidates are increasingly hard to find. The modern CTO must possess not only technical acumen but also exceptional leadership and people management skills; to be a leader people want to work for.

What’s more, with technology ever-advancing, teams need to constantly work to keep their skills up to date. The CTO role plays a huge part in building a culture of continuous learning, ensuring that the team remains agile, adaptable, and equipped to tackle emerging challenges head-on.

From recruiting top-tier talent to fostering a culture of continuous learning, the CTO plays a pivotal role in building and retaining high-performing teams —and ensuring team members are bought into the organisation’s strategy and direction.

Being the visionary: Staying ahead of the tech curve

Innovation is the lifeblood of successful organisations —and today’s CTO serves as the chief innovator. They need to stay up to date with industry trends, and embrace cutting-edge technologies, and possess a forward-thinking mindset to stay ahead of the curve and keep their organisation on the cutting edge.

For example, with the rise in artificial intelligence, many CTOs are exploring how to harness this power and leverage machine learning. Other organisations are making the shift from on-prem environments to cloud, to enhance their operations and improve efficiency. It’s up to the CTO to identify new technology opportunities to find ways to bring the organisation’s vision to life —and lead these projects with passion.

But beyond technology, today’s CTO needs to be a strategic visionary. With an eye toward the future, CTOs must anticipate market trends, identify opportunities for growth, and pivot swiftly in response to changing dynamics. By crafting and executing robust technology strategies, CTOs can position their organisations for long-term success in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The future hinges on bringing people and technology together

The future of the Chief Technology Officer role hinges on bringing these two aspects together: people leadership, and technological innovation. Visionary CTOs will lead the charge in creating solutions, driving top-line growth and encouraging strategic enablement. By focusing on upskilling and developing team members, embracing innovation, and adopting a strategic mindset, today’s CTOs can lead their team into the future with confidence.

At Bespoke, we understand the importance of equipping CTOs and their teams with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive. Are you ready to drive innovation in your organisation? Get in touch with our team today to get a custom Learning Needs Assessment.

7 biggest challenges for IT team leaders

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It’s a tough time to be in IT leadership. Today’s teams are faced with a slew of new challenges daily: from cyber attacks, to talent shortages and the relentless pursuit of innovation. But, it’s not all bad news: with the right tools, leaders can position their teams to come out on top.

Let’s delve into seven common challenges that today’s tech leaders are up against, and explore how you can tackle them.

1. Increased cybersecurity threats

We’ve seen a marked increase in hacks, data leaks and system breaches in the past 12 months; it’s clear, the cybersecurity threats looms large. As businesses become more interconnected and increase reliance on data, the challenge is not just about building protections.

It’s about staying one step ahead of the sophisticated tactics employed by malicious actors. Teams need constant vigilance to protect sensitive data and maintain the integrity of digital infrastructures.

What you can do:

  • Regularly update security protocols
  • Invest in ongoing upskilling for your cybersecurity team
  • Stay informed about the latest cyber threats

2. Attracting and retaining high-performing teams

The war for top-tier talent wages on, with highly skilled professionals in high demand. Tech leaders are not only tasked with identifying and recruiting the best minds but also with retaining them —by creating work environments that nurture professional growth. Workplaces need to go above and beyond to cultivate a sense of loyalty and dedication among new and existing team members.

Without a strong talent pipeline and highly engaged workforce, organisational outcomes —and important considerations like security and optimisation— begin to suffer.

What you can do:

  • Foster a positive work culture
  • Offer competitive compensation
  • Provide pathways for ongoing skill development

3. Operationalising AI in practice

The democratisation of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the way businesses can work. It offers businesses the chance to boost efficiency, unlock automation and accelerate decision-making. But, actually implementing AI tools presents its own challenges — from choosing the right algorithms and managing diverse datasets to ensuring its seamless integration into existing workflows. It’s a big challenge for IT teams to overcome: game-changing in theory, but how do teams make it work in practice?

Successfully operationalising AI requires a commitment to continuous improvement and a proactive approach to staying abreast of AI advancements. By ensuring your team is well-versed in the latest AI trends, you position your organisation to reap the full benefits of artificial intelligence in the long run.

What you can do:

  • Regularly assess and optimise your current AI implementations
  • Stay informed about advancements in AI technology and methodologies
  • Invest in ongoing training for your team to keep their AI skills up-to-date

4. Data usage and management

Data is critical for business. It provides insights that drive decision-making and fuel innovation. But, effectively managing huge datasets —and being able to leverage them for business intelligence is a challenge that tech leaders grapple with.

The challenge is to create data management strategies that align with business goals and regulatory requirements, turning raw data into a strategic asset.

What you can do:

  • Prioritise solutions that offer advanced analytics tools
  • Ensure compliance with data protection regulations
  • Equip team members with the skills to interpret and leverage data effectively

5. Chasing endless innovation

As businesses grow and evolve, innovation is key to staying ahead of the competition. And, IT leaders often find themselves under constant pressure to lead the charge. But ‘innovation’ extends beyond adopting the latest technologies; it encompasses fostering a culture of innovation within the organisation.

It doesn’t just happen —leaders need to create a safe environment for experimentation, and be willing to take some (calculated) risks. How can leaders reduce risk while driving innovation? By building a highly skilled team —equip your team with the right skills, then encourage them to test, learn and grow.

What can you do:

  • Encourage a environment that values experimentation
  • Allocate resources for research and development
  • Implement a culture of ongoing learning

6. Maximising impact with limited resources

Budgetary constraints are always a consideration for tech leaders as they strive to align IT initiatives with organisational goals. Leaders must prioritise resources and investments strategically, ensuring that every dollar spent contributes to the overall objectives of the business.

In cloud environments, a team that understands cost-optimisation is critical to long-term success and ongoing resource management.

What can you do:

  • Conduct regular cost-benefit analyses
  • Plan out projects based on strategic goals
  • Prioritise efficiency and cost optimisation in your cloud architecture

7. Building future-ready employees

Tech leaders must also ensure that their teams are equipped to handle the ever-evolving technological landscape. A future-proof team means ongoing professional development, but also cultivating a culture of adaptability, innovation and hunger for growth.

When it comes to cultivating this culture, leaders need to look ahead, and work out plans to equip their employees with in-demand skills, in order to build a future-ready workforce.

What can you do?

  • Invest in ongoing training programs
  • Encourage a culture of curiosity and learning
  • Provide learning paths for upskilling

How can IT leaders navigate these challenges?

The role of an IT leader is akin to captaining a ship through uncharted waters. The challenges are many, but so are the opportunities for growth and innovation. Investing in your team’s development is the best way to ensure success in a dynamic environment.

With ongoing education and support from a training partner, your team can be equipped to deal with any challenges thrown their way.

Want to get started? Get in touch with our team to create a customised cloud training plan for your team, to supercharge their success in an ever-evolving tech world.

5 overlooked benefits of upskilling your workforce

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As the business landscape continues to evolve, the importance of upskilling your workforce can’t be overstated.

While some benefits of training —like bringing new skills into the company— are pretty obvious, there are often hidden advantages that go unnoticed. Flying under the radar, these lesser known benefits of training have the potential to make a big impact on your organisation.

1. Stronger employee engagement and retention

Investing in ongoing training has a huge impact on employee engagement and retention. Studies have shown that when an organisation demonstrates a commitment to the professional growth of its workforce, it fosters a sense of loyalty and dedication amongst employees.

Employees who feel invested are more likely to stay motivated, contributing to a positive workplace culture and increased productivity. What’s more, this positive culture and sense of commitment leads to less churn, and increased long-term employee retention.

2. Improved organisational performance

A skilled workforce leads to high organisational performance. Especially in cloud computing, where technology advances rapidly, employers that provide regular training opportunities equip their employees with the skills to adapt to new technologies, methodologies, and challenges faster.

This heightened competence leads to greater efficiency, empowering your team to meet evolving business needs with agility and proficiency.

3. A drawcard for new employees

Cloud technology is a competitive talent marketplace. Prospective employees seek more than just a job; they’re looking for employers that will help them build their careers and grow their skill sets.

Today’s jobseekers are actively seeking out opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth. Organisations that prioritise pathways for employee development become a powerful magnet for the best talent in the field. Not only will your current workforce benefit from ongoing training opportunities, but you’ll be able to attract higher-quality new applicants to help grow your organisation.

4. Stay on top of compliance and ahead of accreditations

While many of the benefits of training your workforce on cloud are about bringing in the latest skills into your workplace, it’s also a great differentiator between you and your competitors. Training solutions that give accreditations, or certifications have the potential to open more doors for your business. For example, some organisations require their staff to be AWS certified or Microsoft Azure certified. Having this accreditation sets you apart from your competition, as clients can rest easy knowing they’ve got skilled professionals working on their projects.

What’s more, regular training ensures that your team stays informed about the latest compliance requirements. Beyond risk mitigation, it is about building a resilient organisational culture that stands the test of regulatory scrutiny, and stands out from non-accredited competitors.

5. Cultivating innovation in the workplace

Innovation flourishes in environments where continuous learning is encouraged. Upskilling your workforce goes beyond skill acquisition; it instils a culture of curiosity and adaptability. Employees become more inclined to experiment with new ideas and technologies, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. This culture of continuous learning becomes a powerful catalyst for innovation, propelling your organisation forward in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, the benefits of upskilling extend far beyond the development of individual skills. As business leaders, recognising the multifaceted impact of investing in the professional growth of your workforce is not just a strategic move; it’s a cornerstone for building a resilient, competitive, and successful organisation in the long run.

High performing companies invest in their people. If you’re looking for pathways for your team to develop new skills and learn the latest cloud technology, take a look at our training directory. Or, get in touch today for a customised learning plan for your organisation.

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