The technology skills gap – it’s a topic being discussed by almost every technology company and leader today, and a challenge that many are finding very difficult to overcome. And with the advancements in data storage, cloud computing, IoT, mobility and more, IT has emerged as one of the top technology areas struggling to tackle its talent challenges.
Recent surveys and findings provide a look into these hiring hurdles – 81 percent of IT leaders say it’s difficult to find quality candidates, and nearly half don’t expect to fill an IT position within the anticipated time frame. Because of this, 51 percent of IT leaders expect to pay increased salaries for the roles they are trying to fill. Our European colleagues aren’t fairing any better, with 74 percent of CIOs and IT directors saying they frequently encountered IT professionals who lacked adequate skills, and as such, 38 percent indicate they use standardized skills testing before making job offers.
But as anyone reading this knows, having a capable IT staff who can support all of your data and computing needs is imperative. So how can organizations get ahead of the IT skills gap and ensure they are achieving the business agility and continuity they’re looking for? At least in the short term, it is important to ensure your partners and service providers are working as true extensions of your business. This includes:
Understanding your business goals: Even if staffing isn’t at the levels you need it to be internally, by working with partners who are aligned with your business goals and are committed to helping you achieve those goals, you’ll be able to meet your data and computing demands day in and day out.
Meeting accessibility demands: The best partners and service providers should be available to you 24/7/365. Your business never takes a day off, and neither should your colocation or cloud provider. By ensuring that you can always reach someone at your service provider – whether it’s for routine check-ins or in the event in an emergency – you’ll always have a full staff.
Striving to be industry experts: There is no doubt that you and your IT staff are experts in your business – but what about your service providers? It is critical to choose partners who are committed to being the best of the best, including having highly-trained experts, like operating engineers and technicians, available to you whenever it’s needed.
What are the other ways your organization is combatting the IT talent gap? And if you’re looking for a service provider who will operate as a true extension of your business, reach out to Markley Group today: sales@markleygroup.com. Over more than 15 years of operation, one thing has stayed consistent at Markley – our mission to meet and exceed the needs of our clients.
