Cloud proficiency: a new standard of workforce literacy

How often do you see this category on periodic performance reviews: “Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel?” Many organizations still cite the MS Office triumvirate as the pillars of proficiency, but as cloud computing continues to grow, shouldn’t we start expanding the ways we measure tech literacy?

Basic information technology literacy is already being measured at the secondary- and higher-education levels. Educational Testing Service (ETS), the world’s largest educational research and assessment organization, even has a test for it. The iSkills assessment, a simulation-based test, is designed to “measure a student’s ability to navigate, critically evaluate and communicate information using digital technology, communication tools and networks.” It seems that organizations would continue the pattern of measuring and fostering broader technology skills as well. The benefits of such an investment are clear to see.

Being proficient in standard desktop software essentially fulfills one question: how well can you use a certain application to better do your job? When you start considering Web applications, the idea of proficiency expands a bit. Rather than just individual skill, collaborative Web applications foster an element of teamwork not often characterized by common desktop apps.

Although definitions of Cloud computing vary, a major benefit for the common knowledge worker is that it creates one universal desktop, allowing anyone to contribute to any project at any time. User updates are saved in real-time and revisions are constantly tracked. Past issues of version control quickly disappear when you can be certain everyone’s working from the latest version. That’s just a feature benefit. The larger benefit is that the siloed pattern of creation also disappears. Collaborative web tools are just that – collaborative. It trains a workforce to work differently and more efficiently.

“Cloud proficiency” could measure how well users know how to secure and share online documents, work from multiple devices, integrate team members and manage a group of users all working toward one goal. Cloud proficiency is more than a measurement of basic technology skills. It’s a measurement of management skills, and that’s something worth putting to the test.