I’m old enough to have experienced (but still remember) how IT was done before the cloud was a thing! I love comparing how infrastructure and distributed applications were implemented then and now. 
 
While cloud services are very broad and include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), my focus on cloud has been mainly leveraging PaaS so I’ll answer this question from this perspective.
 
I see cloud as a key business enabler. When organisations leverage cloud, they get the following benefits: 

• Business agility and accelerated speed to market by leveraging many specialised services and focusing on delivering business value instead of building infrastructure or a platform.
•  Simplified operations by making use of fully managed services with high levels of abstraction, availability SLAs, repeatable infrastructure and automation capabilities. 
• Resource optimisation thanks to the elasticity and scaling capabilities provided by the cloud.
• Less capital expense by using pay-as-you-go pricing models.  

For instance, I was recently part of a Deloitte global team that was working with a global customer in the mining industry. Our customer embarked on an enterprise-wide digital transformation and application modernisation program that demanded a consistent and modern approach to enterprise application integration. 
 
Our customer wanted to save valuable time by putting the project in motion, without the need for initial experimentation or proofs of concept. That made it especially important to choose an implementation partner with the experience and tools to begin right away to make rapid progress. 
 
Deloitte has a successful history with similar cloud implementations based on a defined set of accelerators and automation pipelines, as well as leading practices from the firm’s breadth of experience following the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure, all of which made it possible to meet a high standard in a short time.
 
To provide the flexibility the program needed, Deloitte implemented a Center for Enablement and structured the application delivery so different teams could lead development in their own areas, united by governance, reference implementations, common processes, frameworks, standards, and quality controls.
 
Some of the key wins of this project were:

• Ahead-of-schedule delivery of a global Azure enterprise integration platform
• Repeatable infrastructure and automated release pipelines
• Extra time to develop interfaces, saving time and money
• Guaranteed business continuity and resilience
• Governance and observability built in via dashboards, policies, budgets, alerts, and a logging framework
• A new Center for Enablement to speed integration delivery
•  Robust documentation and hands-on training to address future delivery and operational needs. 

Deloitte is a great team to be part of for multiple reasons. Deloitte’s purpose is to deliver an impact that matters with very high standards, and this is well aligned to my own drive. Another key aspect for me is that the leadership of my practice have strong principles and values which inspires me to bring my true and best self to work. Furthermore, in Deloitte, we have the opportunity to work on very interesting and challenging projects and solve real-world challenges that really matter. Last but not least, my team; I really value the collaboration and support culture we have within the team.

I love helping customers in diverse industries with my knowledge and creativity to use cloud technologies and bringing business value or solving complex real-world problems that really matter. To me, it is truly fulfilling when our customers are highly satisfied by the value we bring and how we deliver our projects. 
 
Also, I have to admit that I’m a bit geek and get super excited when I try or work with new services or features on Azure - that’s why I also love to share some of my knowledge by blogging or public speaking about the latest technologies I’m using or learning about. 
 
You can find more on my personal blog https://pacodelacruz.io

For an employment relationship to be successful it’s important to recognise that there must be an alignment between the professional’s aspirations and values and the company. With that in mind, if a software or cloud engineer likes solving complex real-world challenges that matter by making use of cloud technologies and loves being part of a highly skilled consulting team while continuously learning, I’d encourage them to talk to us. Our team of 420+ engineers and cloud practitioners keeps growing and we need great professionals to join us! 

Favourite physical activity? - Callisthenics, body weight exercises and nature walking.

Favourite special meal? - Ribeye steak

Besides tech, what other topics do you like to learn about? - Holistic/systemic health, parenting, leadership

Book recommendations? - Most of my recent books are about parenting :-) but besides those, I’d recommend, “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek, “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel, “Quite” by Susan Cain, “Creative Confidence” by Tom Kelly & David Kelley, “The Unicorn Project” by Gene Kim, “The Carnivore Code” by Paul Saladino, “Permanent Record” by Edward Snowden and “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari. And about parenting, I’d say: “The Conscious Parent” by Shefali Tsabary and “The Whole-Brain Child” by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson!