As an IT manager or owner of a small business, technology worries and challenges may be keeping you up at night. According to a new survey by Evanta, 2022 is bringing new tech challenges to the workplace. Here are some of the issues IT managers and CIOs are concerned about right now.
1. Cybersecurity
This is not a new challenge, but an enduring and ever-changing one. That’s because technology itself keeps changing, hackers get smarter, phishing schemes become more sophisticated and — the point of it all — a company’s data becomes more valuable. It has often been said that data is the new oil. Hackers want to get their hands on yours. Seeing the aftermath of data breaches in companies varying from Equifax to Target, it’s vital for businesses of all sizes to mitigate those risks. Ransomware protection is a must, and it’s hard for companies to do that alone. It’s a matter of trust between you and your customers that you’ll keep their data safe. And it’s a matter of bottom-line profits for you.
The problem is, as technology evolves, what worked last year may not work this year. Your in-house IT person may not have the time and skills to keep up with it. And you may not have the resources to devote to it.
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2. Supporting hybrid work
Back when the pandemic started, we all had to pivot to work-from-home environments almost overnight. IT managers shifted into high gear, getting employees set with the technology they needed to work from their kitchen tables without missing a beat. It also meant things like training in Zoom, helping people install that technology and myriad other tasks to allow for virtual collaboration. Just when they were taking a breath, the era of hybrid work dawned. For many companies, that means employees are working in the office one or more days each week and at home the rest of the time. For other companies, it means some people are fully office, some are fully remote.
But it’s vital to make this hybrid model work. This is true for many reasons, but one of the most important is employee hiring and retention. We’re all familiar by now with the Great Resignation, in which four million people per month have voluntarily left their jobs since April 2021. It’s not slowing down. And it’s making hiring and retention one of the top challenges for companies large and small.
What does technology and hybrid work have to do with it? Employees today want (and demand) flexibility and a better work-life balance. Technology is vital to making that happen. As your workforce becomes permanently hybrid or WFH, your employees need updated technology and collaboration tools at home. And you need them in the office.
That’s a lot of balls in the air for IT to juggle.
3. Finding skilled IT talent
About that Great Resignation … it’s making it incredibly difficult to find, recruit, hire and retain skilled IT talent. The skills gap in the IT profession is widening, according to a new survey at the Midsize Enterprise Summit. The survey showed a 10-point increase in the number of IT leaders who said there is a significant skills gap within their organizations, from just one year ago. It involves keeping up with ever-evolving technology, paired with the COVID-fatigued exodus of veteran IT pros.
CIO magazine recommends companies get clear on their “mission critical technology priorities,” assessing the skills they need to achieve those goals, retain talented IT workers at all costs and outsource or partner for skills they don’t have in-house.
At Logic Speak, we can help with that. And with all of the technology challenges that are keeping you up at night. We specialize in taking technology stress away from small to midsized companies. We have the expertise, knowledge and flexibility to handle all of your IT woes, so you can get a good night’s sleep.
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