Communications, not qualifications: The future of IT?
A new study suggests that the future of information technology will surround BYOD, cloud computing and virtualization rather than traditional technological qualifications.
Research released by Aruba Networks says that 89 percent of IT professionals believe effective communication of policy, the presence of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) schemes, the cloud and virtual networks are the biggest on-going challenges they will face.
"Softer" skills in IT, including communications and business awareness, networking skills and an understanding of modern mobile technology are all expected to change the future roles of IT. After collecting a sample of 150 IT professionals from all levels, researchers found that 47 percent feel BYOD is the trend that will most shape the evolution of enterprise technology.
36 percent saw data security in the cloud and virtualisation as major trends that will impact the industry, and 68 percent think that due to the rapid evolution of technology, IT functions will be more about policy enforcement than technology deployment in 2020.
The majority of professionals in the study -- 42 percent -- also said they will need to rely on technical certifications offered by vendors rather than develop the skills in-house in the future. 76 percent believe that third-party specialist hires will take place in an "on demand" fashion.
Ben Gibson, CMO of Aruba Networks, said: "In the future, IT and business will be fully integrated. To manage this, IT professionals will need to be equipped to communicate better, more frequently and more effectively than today. Communication is already a bigger part of the role of the IT department than it was 10 years ago, but in the future it is going to become even more important as technology becomes even more business critical."
Read the full report (.pdf)
Image credit: Flickr
Related:
- U.K. parliament remains in prehistoric tech age
- Apple vs. San Francisco fountain: Retail power gone too far?
- Microsoft tracks evolution of the IT worker
- Tel Aviv moves to entice tech startups
- Apple CEO: Wearable computing is 'profoundly interesting'
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com