Ouch.. this might hurt some feelings of IT personnel in Singapore. A study by SolarWinds in Singapore shows that IT personnel here are not confident on new technologies. If you are one of them, you might want to read and show this article to your boss because there are reasons to it.
Although this topic is a bit dry for those who are not in the IT industry, it is actually interesting to read. For example, with Singapore’s high adoption of technology in every field, you might think that our IT people must be super saavy.
The report does not point to this direction. If I am one of the 64% in the IT industry that is experiencing this, I would feel frustrated because it seems that lack of training and staying relevant is the culprit (based on the reasons).
If you are an IT Personnel, let me know if this report is in fact speaking the truth since these results are part of a wide-ranging survey* of 220 Singapore IT decision makers from SMEs to enterprises, and not from the ground people.
Press Release
64% of Singapore IT personnel lack confidence on new technologies: SolarWinds study finds
Insufficient training is contributing to poor strategic decisions regarding emerging technologies in Singaporean organisations
Singapore, 24 June 2014 – SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today released survey results highlighting that Singapore’s IT personnel are not receiving the right training to best advise their businesses regarding emerging technologies. The SolarWinds study reveals many IT personnel feel ill-equipped to make informed, strategic decisions about emerging technologies putting many Singapore businesses behind the curve.
These results are part of a wide-ranging survey* of 220 Singapore IT decision makers from SMEs to enterprises (9 – 5,000+ employees), across a range of industries. The survey was conducted in April 2014 to gauge how the changing role of IT is affecting businesses.
Key Survey Findings:
- 35% of Singapore IT personnel desire more opportunities to speak about IT with their company’s key decision makers, but a staggering 62% say they are only occasionally given the opportunity to do so.
- When IT personnel were asked about how confident they were in providing guidance and expertise on emerging technologies – such as Cloud Computing, Software as a Service, Technical Support and Information Security – the majority (64%) claimed they were only somewhat comfortable in their role to do so. To address this, a staggering 61% of survey participants said they would need more training in their respective areas of responsibility, while approximately one third (36%) saying they would need a better understanding of the business.
- In the past 3-5 years, mobility was cited as the most disruptive evolving technology for business by survey respondents (19%), while Cloud Computing was identified as the one technological advancement that has had the most significant impact on their company (33%). Both Cloud Computing (36%) and Mobility (22%) are also expected to have the most significant impact on companies in the next 3-5 years.
- In the next 3 – 5 years, IT roles will also undergo a sea change – IT professionals believe that key technologies and IT functions such as Cloud Computing or Software as a Service (43%), Technical Support (39%) and Information Security (36%) will become automated, further pointing to a need for IT staff to advance their skills in order to stay relevant.
Most significantly, the IT role that needs to adapt the most to evolving technology is Information Security, with almost one quarter of respondents agreeing. The findings reaffirm the need for more education to manage the growing list of issues faced by IT pros and also stress the importance of keeping up with the evolving threat landscape by understanding of the associated risks and treating security as a business critical function.
“Given that almost half of those polled (46%) said that increased infrastructure complexity has affected their work responsibilities, if IT staff are not provided with necessary support there can be a significant risk for organisations making business decisions about emerging technologies,” said Chris LaPoint, Vice President of Product Management, SolarWinds. “Companies must start ensuring the IT department is supplied with ongoing resources and training so that they can provide the level of expertise that is expected of them.”
In the coming 12 months, IT department organisational growth is set to continue, with almost half (48%) of IT personnel expecting to gain new colleagues and over one-third (37%) expecting to stay at their organisation for another 4-7 years. As a result, companies should view attention to resources and training on the impact of emerging technologies as an investment.
“Making decisions about emerging technology is not just the role of a C-level executive anymore,” said LaPoint. “IT pros should be at the heart of every organisation. They are expected to understand and manage technological developments, and when they have the correct resources, and are given the opportunity to consult, they can successfully advise on key IT business decisions affecting the larger organisation,” concluded LaPoint.
*The survey was conducted in April 2014, resulting in 220 survey responses from IT decision makers from public- and private-sector companies of varying size in Singapore.
About SolarWinds
SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) provides powerful and affordable IT management software to customers worldwide from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses. In all of our market areas, our approach is consistent. We focus exclusively on IT Pros and strive to eliminate the complexity that they have been forced to accept from traditional enterprise software vendors. SolarWinds delivers on this commitment with unexpected simplicity through products that are easy to find, buy, use, and maintain while providing the power to address any IT management problem on any scale. Our solutions are rooted in our deep connection to our user base, which interacts in our thwack® online community, to solve problems, share technology and best practices, and directly participate in our product development process. Learn more today at http://www.solarwinds.com/.
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