Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Wanted: 10 IT skills employers need today

Technologies such as wireless and Web 2.0 demand new skills, while network and security know-how never seem to go out of style
Page:

Technology pros looking to find new work or secure their current jobs should get schooled on wireless, Web 2.0 and virtualization while also boning up on business basics.

"IT professionals with the right technical skill set plus a foundational understanding of the business they work in will stand a much better chance in today's market," says Neill Hopkins, vice president of skills development at the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Business initiatives such as enterprise mobility, data center consolidation and unified communications are driving demand for expertise in new technology areas and reinforcing the importance of mastering the fundamentals such as networking and security, industry watchers say.

"Web 2.0, .Net, Java, wireless -- skills in technologies that enable end users to engage and communicate with each other -- are hot," says Rich Milgram, CEO of online job portal Beyond.com. "At the same time network and security skills are becoming more and more important, especially as companies expose more and more of their networks and data to the world."

Here we examine (in no particular order) the current most-sought-after skills and those destined to be in demand going forward.

1. Wireless

Because end users expect to be able to work from anywhere anytime, skills in wireless and mobility are being pushed to the top of many hiring managers' must-have lists.

"Now you need to be able to plan and troubleshoot radio interference and access point placement. Everyone wants to work from anywhere," says Bruce Meyer, director of network services at ProMedica Healthcare. "Standards will continue to evolve rapidly as everyone chases the Holy Grail of a wirelike experience. I'm not just looking for wireless skills; I'm looking for the ability to rapidly learn new things."

According to CompTIA, wireless skills in many areas -- 802.11, WiMAX and broadband -- will only become more appealing to companies in the next five years.

John Estes, vice president of strategic alliances at Robert Half Technology, adds that mobility goes beyond knowing wireless technologies. It also requires knowing about each device end users might start using to tap the network. "End users have mini multimedia computers in their hands now. Someone is going to have to be involved in decisions around which devices best suit the environment and application needs," Estes says.

2. Virtualization

No longer just a tool for systems administrators to tinker with in testing environments, virtualization technology is the main component behind data center consolidation and disaster recovery initiatives.

"Virtualization is a hot technology area, which means managers are looking for people with some savvy there," says Steve Clifford, field recruiting director at staffing agency TAC Worldwide. "Many companies have a lot of redundant servers, and they are trying to maximize resources and utilization on every server on every site."

And while server virtualization is the current hot technology, industry watchers expect storage, network and desktop virtualization to continue to drive demand for expertise in this technology area. EMA Research Director Andi Mann says desktop virtualization will show the strongest growth of any virtualization technology during the next one to two years.

Page:

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Beyond.com, CGI, CompTIA, Evolve, Foote Partners, Gartner, Inergy, Mann, MySQL, Oracle, PLUS, PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Revolutionizing Enterprise Storage Infrastructure with Enterprise Flash Technology
    Businesses increasingly rely on datacenters to provide access to services, applications, and data. As demand rises and applications grow in complexity, datacenter infrastructure must provide tremendous capacity and rapid access to information in order to keep pace with business priorities. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • Securing Vital Infrastructure
    A unified approach to information security can help modern vital infrastructure providers deal with evolving IT threats without compromising on communications or the demands of an increasingly mobile workforce. Flexible policies, combined with quality inbound threat detection, deep content inspection and encryption capabilities can help organisations to mitigate the risks – not just from outside the organisation, but also within it. Read this whitepaper.
    Learn more »
  • Leverage Economic Advantages in Storage Management
    Despite economic uncertainty, unabated data growth continues. At the same time, organisations are struggling to reduce costs while meeting zero data loss requirements. Read how IBM® Tivoli® storage management solutions have evolved to help organisations not only manage the enormous volume of data, but also optimise performance and reduce expenditures.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments

HP and IDG news, product videos and resources