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JUSTIN AUGAT , VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR ILAND
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
As we have seen in 2020 , it ’ s often the unplanned events that most challenge our preparation for change . This year , technology has played a role in helping us adapt to remote work and the ability to collaborate virtually . But just because technology has helped businesses adapt , it doesn ’ t mean that IT professionals haven ’ t had to overcome their own challenges .
The reality is that 2020 may also go down as the year in which the good and bad of IT have both been amplified .
For example , IT organisations using cloud services before the pandemic were able to lean on their provider to support their changing business environment .
However , organisations that managed their own infrastructure , and were burdened with a talent shortage prior to the lockdowns , likely saw that risk become more pronounced .
Turning the corner into 2021 , we may see pandemic-related issues subside , but we are not likely to see the IT talent shortage reverse . As such , there are a few IT strategies that companies can employ today to reduce the impact of a skilled resource leaving the organisation :
• Map your IT needs and priorities to associated resources . The fact is , few companies have mapped out their IT needs , prioritised them and identified the resource ( s ) capable of managing them . It is often left to a small team to manage or team lead ( who , if left would be the point of failure ). Mapping the skills needed to manage IT will help reduce the time to respond should any critical IT personnel leave the organisation .
• Automate where possible . By automating more ( backup , disaster recovery , etc .) and using common management tools , you can spread the ability to manage any single application across a larger population , thereby reducing the risk of a skills shortage .
• Move to the cloud . The cloud immediately reduces single points of failure , including skill gaps , within your organisation . Whether moving applications to the cloud for production , or for backup and recovery , cloud services will manage the underlying infrastructure to keep your business moving .
• Managed service . An obvious conclusion for organisations that are concerned with skill shortages . Managed service offers are comprehensive management – end-to-end – eliminating the need for a physical resource to manage IT . More importantly , managed service providers ( and cloud providers ) constantly work economies of scale of talent in your favour . So , if a critical employee leaves a managed service provider , the customer isn ’ t even aware of it .
As organisations look to the future , technology will continue to improve how we work . Working now to reduce the risk and dependency on the resources capable of managing that technology will best position organisations for the opportunity ahead . www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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