UC Riverside Information Technology Solutions (ITS)–campus’ central IT organization–won the inaugural Google Cloud Hero Cup against competitors from UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State University. 
 
The gamified Google Cloud training took place over the course of three hours on Friday, June 24. Each University was represented by its respective IT professionals, who competed head-to-head in two hands-on timed challenges that tested and expanded their knowledge of Google Cloud Platform solutions.  

UCR ITS took gold, winning Google’s first-ever Cloud Hero Cup. Sweeping the top 10 spots on the leaderboard for both games were UCR Application Developer Johannes Pikel, Systems Engineer David Ly, Lead Systems Engineer Peter Wong, Lead Application Architect Brandon Ayers, Affiliate Application Developer Alex Gupta, Associate Director for Systems Engineering and Operations Jeremy Fisher, and Lead Student Systems Developer Tom Hsu.  
 
“I’m very proud that UCR took home the win,” said ITS Chief Technology Officer Mike Kennedy. “This not only speaks to the talent of our staff but also demonstrates our commitment to bringing innovative technology solutions to campus through continued professional development and training.”  
 
Select ITS staff have been participating in Google Cloud Learning Path training as part of the organization’s strategic efforts to improve the agility, scalability, and reliability of UCR’s IT architecture. 
 
“The time for digital transformation is now,” said Kennedy. “Modernizing the campus’ IT foundation is crucial to UCR’s continued success.”   
  
Those who participated in the Cloud Hero Cup will receive 30 days of complimentary access to Google Cloud Skills Boost to complete the associated Google Cloud Skill badge. Skill badges are shareable credentials that recognize one’s ability to solve real-world problems with cloud knowledge.