Enterprise IT will have less control in the years ahead, yet its most skilled members will be in high demand, according to a new forecast by Gartner Research.
In a slate of enterprise information management predictions, Gartner Managing VP and Fellow Daryl C. Plummer says 2013 and 2014 will be marked by businesses following through on investment and trial-and-error testing of new IT tech and strategies. This will push cloud and as-a-service as an increasingly attractive option, and expectations of more business answers from big data and social/collaboration capabilities.
Over the next two years, expect the business side to lead in trimming costs and consistent investments in enterprise IT areas like on-premise software upgrades, talent and workforce management, and in-house email systems. For the most successful enterprises, Plummer says this displacement will enable new IT roles to emerge more around business results and less on “keeping the lights on.”
“Control is one of those things that IT has had and doesn’t have very easily any more as businesses buy more SaaS or outsourcing or BYOD. All of these are things where IT has to say, ‘What do we do to make sure we’re still keeping the business safe?’” says Plummer.
There are also a few notable risk associated with this loss of control over the next two years, such as persistent concerns of data stored in the cloud and a steady infestation of malware on corporate-owned and BYOD mobile devices.
In a forecast along the same lines last year from Gartner, Plummer stated that 2012 would be the beginning of this shift away from enterprise control.
Swirling around the “nexus” of enterprise cloud, mobile, social media and advanced analytics/big data are a new generation of IT talent needed to cross business gaps – and also in short supply. Plummer hit on a figure being vocally pushed by Gartner – 4.4 million big data jobs by 2015 – though added the caveat that a lack of properly trained IT experts will leave one-third of those careers unfilled. For data managers with specialty skills in areas such as database management or network administration, there will be a wide choice of opportunities at savvy enterprises, says Plummer.
“There are new roles that must be created and new skills that must be cultivated ... to grow our business,” he says.
Asian-based IT providers, currently enjoying double-digit growth, are expected to be the biggest hiring agents through 2014, Gartner stated.
Other enterprise predictions outlined by Plummer and Gartner include:
* Enterprise information leaks into social media channels will spike over the next few years. Gartner forecast 40 percent of enterprise contact information will have leaked onto Facebook via mobile apps by 2017.
* By 2013, the European Union will pass legislation to reduce offshoring in an attempt to protect jobs.
* Automation and embedded “smart” software will increase in adoption by 25 percent through 2014.
* By 2015, 40 percent of the top 1,000 global enterprises will harness gamification as the “primary mechanism” to transform and engage on business operations.
* Ninety percent of enterprises will skip broad-scale Windows 8 deployment, possibly waiting for next generation of the Microsoft operating suite.
To register for a rebroadcast of the Gartner presentation scheduled for Dec. 19, click here.
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