By Suaad Sait, Vice President of Products and Markets at SolarWinds
IT is in a constant state of change: from the birth of the mainframe to the personal computer boom to the data center boom. We are now in an era where IT is a part of every business, not just big companies or those placed squarely in the technology industry. Every company is really an IT company. And those that can successfully use technology as a competitive differentiator are those that have successfully positioned IT at the heart of their business. As such, IT professionals must always be at the forefront of new technologies and know how the pace of change affects the delivery of technology services to an organization.
However, we are now in a state where this rate of change is happening at a breakneck pace; The advent of virtualization and cloud computing, combined with the consumerization of IT and the availability of consumer devices in the workplace, further complicates an already complex IT infrastructure. Add to that the increase in security risks due to the digitization of critical information and the growth of sophisticated hacking attacks, and small and medium-sized businesses are sure to feel the pressure when prioritizing time, staff and capital resources.
According to a recent SolarWinds survey of hundreds of IT professionals, managers, and directors, this new era of IT is driven by a few key technologies, including cloud and SaaS, virtual networks, and end-user-oriented self-service automation. . This is the case for the enterprise and for small and medium enterprises. Survey results from Brazil also showed that 89 percent of SMB IT professionals think the impact of infrastructure complexity has affected their roles and responsibilities in the past three to five years.
However, this rapid rate of technological change also means that IT is absolutely essential to the overall business strategy; executive leadership looks to IT to guide decisions about technology investments that have a huge impact on an organization's ability to deliver services and/or deliver products, win customers, manage operations, and ultimately generate profit. In fact, according to the survey, one-third of small business IT professionals have the opportunity to provide regular guidance for strategic business decisions around emerging technologies, and another 61 percent have the opportunity to do so for good. in when. In addition, nearly half of these small business IT professionals are completely confident in their ability to do this.
Contrary to what everyone thinks, SMEs can actually have an advantage over large corporations because their size allows for a certain level of agility in adopting technologies and changing business strategies to stay competitive. However, SMEs are at a disadvantage for obvious reasons: they often face an environment with limited resources and personnel for researching, purchasing and implementing new technologies. So it's important for SMEs to carefully prioritize cost over benefit when dealing with new and emerging technologies.
Cloud computing: evolving role of IT
According to the survey, small business IT professionals view cloud computing as one of the top three most disruptive technologies for business. Vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Rackspace and Microsoft Azure are making waves in the market and are quickly becoming solutions that companies of all sizes turn to. The survey also found that cloud or SaaS skills will be among those most in demand by SMB IT professionals in the next three to five years.
The cloud resonates with SMBs because of its typically low introductory cost and its ability to reduce pressure on internal IT resources to manage existing functions. Line-of-business managers also turn to the cloud on their own when pressured by available internal resources (this may also explain why small business IT professionals rated BYOx – including BYOA – as the most disruptive technology for businesses ).
However, the cloud may not be the perfect solution for SMBs. The total cost of ownership may be higher than anticipated, and supplier relationships may prove more difficult than initially anticipated. Additionally, many IT professionals face a lack of insight into the services line-of-business managers are using until an issue arises.
When it comes to cloud computing, IT professionals should be comfortable with inclusive rather than selective options. The cloud is not a separate function of IT, but rather a technology used to complement existing infrastructure. This hybrid approach is what will make SMBs successful in managing the cloud.
SMB IT professionals should consider the following to make sure they are getting the most out of the cloud without straining resources, technical or otherwise:
1. Communicate with line-of-business managers often to determine their technology needs and work with them to determine how best to serve them, given existing resources and budgets. Often, external cloud-based applications can be purchased with departmental budgets, without touching the IT budget, but note that management and the vendor relationship ultimately fall to IT.
2. For the private cloud specifically, take advantage of low-cost cloud management and monitoring tools to address performance issues.
Mobility: The Golden Goose and the Rotten Egg
Mobility allows work to be done anywhere, anytime, which often proves to be both a blessing and a curse for IT. According to the survey, IT professionals in small and medium-sized businesses see mobility as the most disruptive technology for business. This is likely because almost every customer and employee in an organization has expectations regarding the use of mobile technologies. Customers expect to be able to use mobile technologies to research products, ask questions, engage directly with the brand and make purchases. Employees expect to be able to access network and business applications through mobile devices. Small businesses also view mobility as the second most needed emerging technology investment to stay competitive over the next three to five years.
As mentioned above, mobility's cousin, BYOx logic, was ranked as the most negative technology by small business IT professionals. IT is now expected to manage a mobile workforce, populated by employees who use their own mobile devices to work. This brings up lots and lots of additional management and security issues.
Mobility in the workplace has a drastic effect on the network and its systems. The problem is that while the influx of mobile tablets and smartphones forces networks, systems and likely IT professionals to work harder, the workforce as a whole becomes more productive and efficient. Hence, it can be difficult to justify an "anti-BYOD" position for leadership when they themselves reap the benefits of mobility.
SMBs have several options when it comes to mobile device management (MDM), but including vendors like AirWatch and Good. CYOD (or choose your own device) logic is another solution where IT can offer popular options for end users to choose from, while still maintaining the necessary discernment regarding the type of device accessing the network.
Embracing the new IT
For SMEs to remain competitive, it is imperative that they are able to take advantage of emerging technologies – but only if they are able to use these technologies well to conduct business. Not surprisingly, then, the IT professionals who participated in the survey overwhelmingly expressed a need for more training to feel ready for the new IT era, along with a desire to understand the business better. Beyond simply implementing technologies, this will enable IT professionals to effectively communicate the benefits of various emerging technologies to business leaders.
However, we are now in a state where this rate of change is happening at a breakneck pace; The advent of virtualization and cloud computing, combined with the consumerization of IT and the availability of consumer devices in the workplace, further complicates an already complex IT infrastructure. Add to that the increase in security risks due to the digitization of critical information and the growth of sophisticated hacking attacks, and small and medium-sized businesses are sure to feel the pressure when prioritizing time, staff and capital resources.
According to a recent SolarWinds survey of hundreds of IT professionals, managers, and directors, this new era of IT is driven by a few key technologies, including cloud and SaaS, virtual networks, and end-user-oriented self-service automation. . This is the case for the enterprise and for small and medium enterprises. Survey results from Brazil also showed that 89 percent of SMB IT professionals think the impact of infrastructure complexity has affected their roles and responsibilities in the past three to five years.
However, this rapid rate of technological change also means that IT is absolutely essential to the overall business strategy; executive leadership looks to IT to guide decisions about technology investments that have a huge impact on an organization's ability to deliver services and/or deliver products, win customers, manage operations, and ultimately generate profit. In fact, according to the survey, one-third of small business IT professionals have the opportunity to provide regular guidance for strategic business decisions around emerging technologies, and another 61 percent have the opportunity to do so for good. in when. In addition, nearly half of these small business IT professionals are completely confident in their ability to do this.
Contrary to what everyone thinks, SMEs can actually have an advantage over large corporations because their size allows for a certain level of agility in adopting technologies and changing business strategies to stay competitive. However, SMEs are at a disadvantage for obvious reasons: they often face an environment with limited resources and personnel for researching, purchasing and implementing new technologies. So it's important for SMEs to carefully prioritize cost over benefit when dealing with new and emerging technologies.
Cloud computing: evolving role of IT
According to the survey, small business IT professionals view cloud computing as one of the top three most disruptive technologies for business. Vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Rackspace and Microsoft Azure are making waves in the market and are quickly becoming solutions that companies of all sizes turn to. The survey also found that cloud or SaaS skills will be among those most in demand by SMB IT professionals in the next three to five years.
The cloud resonates with SMBs because of its typically low introductory cost and its ability to reduce pressure on internal IT resources to manage existing functions. Line-of-business managers also turn to the cloud on their own when pressured by available internal resources (this may also explain why small business IT professionals rated BYOx – including BYOA – as the most disruptive technology for businesses ).
However, the cloud may not be the perfect solution for SMBs. The total cost of ownership may be higher than anticipated, and supplier relationships may prove more difficult than initially anticipated. Additionally, many IT professionals face a lack of insight into the services line-of-business managers are using until an issue arises.
When it comes to cloud computing, IT professionals should be comfortable with inclusive rather than selective options. The cloud is not a separate function of IT, but rather a technology used to complement existing infrastructure. This hybrid approach is what will make SMBs successful in managing the cloud.
SMB IT professionals should consider the following to make sure they are getting the most out of the cloud without straining resources, technical or otherwise:
1. Communicate with line-of-business managers often to determine their technology needs and work with them to determine how best to serve them, given existing resources and budgets. Often, external cloud-based applications can be purchased with departmental budgets, without touching the IT budget, but note that management and the vendor relationship ultimately fall to IT.
2. For the private cloud specifically, take advantage of low-cost cloud management and monitoring tools to address performance issues.
Mobility: The Golden Goose and the Rotten Egg
Mobility allows work to be done anywhere, anytime, which often proves to be both a blessing and a curse for IT. According to the survey, IT professionals in small and medium-sized businesses see mobility as the most disruptive technology for business. This is likely because almost every customer and employee in an organization has expectations regarding the use of mobile technologies. Customers expect to be able to use mobile technologies to research products, ask questions, engage directly with the brand and make purchases. Employees expect to be able to access network and business applications through mobile devices. Small businesses also view mobility as the second most needed emerging technology investment to stay competitive over the next three to five years.
As mentioned above, mobility's cousin, BYOx logic, was ranked as the most negative technology by small business IT professionals. IT is now expected to manage a mobile workforce, populated by employees who use their own mobile devices to work. This brings up lots and lots of additional management and security issues.
Mobility in the workplace has a drastic effect on the network and its systems. The problem is that while the influx of mobile tablets and smartphones forces networks, systems and likely IT professionals to work harder, the workforce as a whole becomes more productive and efficient. Hence, it can be difficult to justify an "anti-BYOD" position for leadership when they themselves reap the benefits of mobility.
SMBs have several options when it comes to mobile device management (MDM), but including vendors like AirWatch and Good. CYOD (or choose your own device) logic is another solution where IT can offer popular options for end users to choose from, while still maintaining the necessary discernment regarding the type of device accessing the network.
Embracing the new IT
For SMEs to remain competitive, it is imperative that they are able to take advantage of emerging technologies – but only if they are able to use these technologies well to conduct business. Not surprisingly, then, the IT professionals who participated in the survey overwhelmingly expressed a need for more training to feel ready for the new IT era, along with a desire to understand the business better. Beyond simply implementing technologies, this will enable IT professionals to effectively communicate the benefits of various emerging technologies to business leaders.
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