As digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, continues its sea change across sectors and industries, IT is changing with it. More than just a new set of tools, digital transformation is shifting the skills that IT and data center professionals need and the roles that they play within their organizations. Traditionally, IT pros could work independently with minimal collaboration, but the pandemic changed forever how teams work together. With the shift to cloud-based remote and hybrid work environments, infrastructure security is a key area of concern. This new way of working brings new challenges—and new opportunities for IT teams to be an innovative, integral part of their organization’s business objectives. You need a well-rounded team capable of dealing with many threats. At Eaton, we call this transformation of IT “The Next Frontier.” Our latest infographic provides insights and predictions on how IT is transforming, and the skills your team will need to stay ahead of it.
Digital transformation brings new threats—and new opportunities
New threats on the horizon: In 2021, we saw a 50% increase in cyberattacks compared to 2020. And this rise is likely to continue in 2022, as the shift to cloud-based remote and hybrid work environments is exacerbating the vulnerabilities of the “cyber pandemic” that started in 2020.
Bye bye, busywork: 71% of IT pros say digital transformation will enable them to spend less time on admin tasks and 74% say digital transformation will make their jobs more creative.
Decision-making is more dispersed: 62% say that authority and responsibility are becoming more dispersed across their organization.
These key skills will unlock a successful IT future
Creative problem-solving: The advent of automation and as-a-service models promises to take on more of the day-to-day headaches, freeing up IT professionals to solve real, impactful business problems.
Learning new skills: It sounds paradoxical, but acquiring new skills is, itself, a skill and one that will be ever more critical as the IT field changes rapidly. Whether it’s networking in the cloud or protecting against new cyberthreats, the IT pros of The Next Frontier will be able to rapidly expand their toolkit and adapt. In fact, 70% of IT managers say this will have the biggest impact on their jobs.
Interpersonal, collaborative skills: As IT becomes inextricable from broader business priorities, IT pros will increasingly collaborate across teams and connect with all members of their organization, IT and non-IT alike. In fact, 35% say emotional/social skills will be more important in the next 2 years.
The essential IT toolkit: human, hardware and software, working together
Cybersecurity: By enhancing their skills, IT and data center pros have the opportunity to safeguard their entire organization’s mission, not just their network. And, of course, smart solutions like Eaton’s cybersecure Gigabit Network Card can help.
Planning: Whether you’re looking ahead to new server installs or trying to maximize the use of your existing infrastructure, leveraging planning tools like Eaton’s Brightlayer Data Centers suite can give you a holistic view of your operation—tracking assets, identifying under-utilized servers and providing insights that save you time and space.
Disaster avoidance: The unexpected comes with the territory in The Next Frontier. But with solutions that enable remote monitoring, predictive analytics, real-time alerts and virtual machine migrations, you can keep the unexpected from throwing you off course.
Eaton has the knowledge and expertise to fully support you in The Next Frontier of IT. Whether you need to address vulnerabilities, better equip your teams, automate processes or redistribute responsibilities, we’ll help you do it.
