Cloud computing isn’t a new concept. Dating back to the 1960s, but it has become a buzzword in the field of IT. The 20th century bought a revolution in the IT field and finally, we had enough bandwidth to bring cloud computing to the masses. Cloud support and services continue to advance as the day progresses. The services are becoming versatile, and cheaper, the cloud penetrating and facilitating every other industry. As the cloud market increases, cloud providers such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce continue to research and strive to facilitate the emerging needs and start new trends.
To embrace the change and adapt to it, IT professionals need to stay at the top of their game. To be up to speed with the latest trends and technologies, one can look up to and follow the famous cloud influencers. We’ve compiled a list of the top ten cloud computing influencers to follow in 2021. These tech influencers can also guide you to a well-informed start in 2022.
Top 10 Best Cloud Computing Influencers
1. Bernard Golden
Much like his name Golden is who sparkles on the cloud computing horizon. Currently, the VP of Cloud Strategy at Capital One, Golden, is a cloud computing advisor for CIO Magazine. Being an active member of the tech community, Bernard Golden is also the author of “Amazon Web Services for Dummies” and “Virtualization for Dummies.” He is noted as one of the top cloud influencers and has also contributed to the DZone publication “The 2015 Guide to Cloud Development”. Check his website here: https://bernardgolden.com/
2. Vanessa Alvarez
Although she isn’t a certified cloud specialist, Vanesa Alvarez has a prominent name in the cloud computing industry. Being is a marketing strategist, Alvarez has worked with prominent names in Silicon Valley, such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Forrester. She believes in transforming business, taking risks, and providing solutions to the perplexing issues of the IT industry. Vanessa Alvarez has been featured in the Forbes women’s tech series and takes pride in being a part of several global as well as local product launches. She is an AWS-certified professional currently working with Microsoft. Here is her LinkedIn profile to follow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valvarez1010/
3. Gordon Davey
Gordon Davey is another name to the cloud. Heading the cloud architecture at Willis Tower Watson, he is from Glasgow, United Kingdom. Gordon has served in the cloud computing industry with Dell for over ten years. Being a cloud enthusiast, he started his career in 1999 as a Desktop Support Engineer and ended up directing the UK Cloud Strategy chapter. Gordon strives to aid businesses in learning cloud computing and prides itself on providing simple cloud solutions for all complex cloud needs. This is his Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/gordoncloud?lang=en
4. Tamara McCleary
Tamara McCleary is not a new name in the tech industry. She has been a common name in the Top 5 in AI, Robotics, IoT, Machine to Machine (M2M), Digital Transformation, and Blockchain influencers. Above these ratings, she has been ranked as the #1 Most Influential Woman by B2B Marketing in MarTech. McCleary also created the RelationShift ® method. Some of her top clients include Oracle, RSA Security, SYNNEX, California Medical Association, and SAP. Follow her on her website: https://www.martechalliance.com/stories/tamara-mccleary
5. Duncan Epping
Duncan Epping is the king of VMware cloud solutions. He made his first contribution was the world of cloud computing through the “Foundation of Cloud Computing with VMware vSphere back in 2010. This was an advance step to his previously published work “vSphere Quick Start Guide,” which was published in 2009. Epping contributed further with eight more publications, which can be compared to any online cloud computing classes. Prominent author and owner of Yellow-Bricks.com, Epping contributed further to the VMware and Virtualization industry and currently serves as a Chief Technologist at HCI. Check out his website here: https://www.yellow-bricks.com/
6. Lydia Leong
Being a distinguished VP and analyst, Lydia Leong is a cloud computing expert associated with Garter for almost twenty years. Being an out-of-the-box and creative thinker, Lydia believes in mind mapping from technology to her hobbies. Open to new ideas, Lydia continues to thrive in product marketing, system integration, system operations, and engineering as well as telecommunication. Being a business analyst, Lydia is considered a bridge between emerging business needs and technology solutions. Check out her Gartner profile: https://www.gartner.com/analyst/16366/Lydia-Leong
7. Jeff Bar
Scoring hundreds of cloud computing recommendations, Jeff Bar’s contributions to the Amazon blog is your one-stop for the online cloud computing classes and news updates. He is a proud contributor in the cloud computing community, having worked with both Microsoft and Amazon. Dedicating 17 years to amazon, he currently secures the position of VP and Chief Evangelist at Amazon. Jeff Bar is an alumnus of Washington University having earned a Master’s Degree in Communication and Digital Media. Check his blogs here: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/author/jbarr/
8. Manjula Talreja
A graduate of the University of Delhi and Santa Clara University, Manjula Talreja is the goal for every woman in the tech field. She is one of the trendsetters in the world of cloud computing. Having worked from the innovation of an idea, automating the solution, and choosing the correct IT integration, Talreja has worked with both Cisco and Salesforce. Currently a Board Member and Senior VP at Salesforce, Talreja is one of the top influencers guiding and providing perfect harmony between the business ideas and their cloud computing transitions. Follow the link to her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manjulatalreja
9. Marc-Weaver
One of the top-ranked AWS Solutions Architect and Consultant, Marc Weaver, is another significant contributor to the cloud computing industry. Weaver is an AWS-certified professional having spent over a decade as a database administrator. Finally, Marc combined his passions of cloud computing and databases, creating “Database” in 2015. Apart from dedication almost half a decade to his passion, Weaver posts regularly on his LinkedIn, bringing his followers up to speed with the latest trends and technologies. Here is Marc’s LinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/databasable
10. Lori MacVittie
Having been selected as one of the top cloud computing influencers for a decade, Lori MacVitte is an expert on providing security solutions and standards for the cloud is a technical evangelist for F5 Network. She also is a member of the advisory board of CloudNOW, a non-profit organization for women in the cloud industry. MacVitte has worked her way to the top having expertise in development, system engineering, business, and system strategies currently working as an evangelist. Her specialties include DevOps, cloud, and application security. Check him out: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmacvittie
Conclusion
Either you belong to the business industry or the medical/research industry, cloud computing can transform the current infrastructure and growth of your organization. It’s vital to transition your organization and arm it with cloud computing the latest technologies to spark progress. However, to keep up with the top new technologies and changing cloud trends, we would recommend you to follow the above cloud computing influencers. We would like to hear which influencers get you the most.
