I was reading this month's Microsoft Architecture Journal on the train home today when I came across this little nugget at the end of one of the articles...
LOtSS* uses the cloud as an optimization opportunity driving overall costs down. Although this “faster, cheaper, better” view of the cloud is very important and is likely to be a key driver of cloud utilization, it is important to realize that it is only a partial view of what the cloud can offer. The cloud also presents opportunities for “not previously possible” scenarios. IT history has shown that over time, what was unique and strategic becomes commodity. The only thing that seems to stay constant is the need to identify new optimization opportunities continuously by selectively replacing subsystems with more cost-effective ones, while keeping the cost introduced by the substitute low. In other words, it seems that one of the few sustainable competitive advantages in IT is in fact the ability to master LOtSS.
* 'localized optimization through selective specialization'
...what struck a chord with me has nothing to do with cloud computing. But how relevant this statement is to exactly what skills are worth investing in during one's career. <insert latest hyped technology> may be the big thing now - and command big bucks for those who know it inside out - but the most sustainable career growth strategy in IT is an investment in developing the analysis skills that allow you to cut through to the real value in any technology, and the communication skills to be able to express this effectively to your customers and clients.