Show Me the Money
The Latest Trends in IT Spending and Staffing
With the worst of the recession behind us and IT capital being freed up, will more money be spent? And where will go? Legacy software? Higher-than-high-tech innovations? More IT talent? Or into a black hole at the edge of our galaxy?
For answers, we tapped the latest trends as observed by Computer Economics in their IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study. The U.S./Canadian survey interviewed 200 IT execs on which way the tech winds are blowing. Their responses are encouraging:
- INCREASED TECH SPENDING: 67% of surveyed organizations plan on increasing spending in IT operations (compared to only 20% who plan to decrease spending and 13% who want to leave it the same). IT people heave a sigh of relief!
- BIGGER TECH OPERATIONS BUDGETS: It’s been a slow process, but for the second year in a row, more IT execs plan to increase their IT operational budgets over the coming 12 to 18 months.
Get Those Budget Priorities Straight
Four items top the list of business priorities in the next 18 months:
- INVESTING IN NEW SYSTEMS for increased connectivity and Project Management efficiency.
- UPGRADING EXISTING SYSTEMS – including those that make maximum use of the Cloud.
- BECOMING MORE COST-EFFICIENT AND PRODUCTIVE by partnering with a Cloud Project Management industry expert (like LoadSpring, of course).
- IMPROVING IT SECURITY to protect the rising amount of sensitive data in all industries. Many are using LoadSpring because it’s well known for legendary security systems like SOC II and others.
Up That Head Count
The lion’s share of IT organizations in the study said they plan to hire more IT people. The three industries leading that charge are:
- ENGINEERING FIRMS: As leaders in adopting new technologies such as the Cloud and mobile computing, IT hiring is expected to be on the high-side of moderate.
- UTILITIES: Thanks to implementation of new advances that allow improvement in service and efficiency, more IT specialists will be needed.
- CONSTRUCTION: These firms strongly support mobile technology. Despite smaller IT budgets, IT hiring should rise over the next year or so. Regardless of industry, as the need for IT services grows, so does the need for a Cloud-based Project Management solutions partner. To that end, LoadSpring can lighten the load in implementing, adopting and maintaining all those nifty changes. You set the trends – we’ll help make them happen.
Ready to unearth more information where IT is headed? Fire off an email to us directly at information@loadspring.com
The Learning Never Ends
At LoadSpring Academy, Neither Does the Efficiency and Cost Saving
Without the right user training (and adoption), all that money you spend on sophisticated software may as well go into a nice, big bonfire at the company picnic.
S’mores not withstanding, our acclaimed LoadSpring Academy is the virtual way to give the best training to the people who’ll make the most of your software. The result? More productivity and ROI.
Accessible through our SpringBoard Cloud Portal, the Academy never closes, tires or loses patience. Users get targeted online instruction, quizzes, custom video uploads and educational materials starring living, breathing experts. The Academy is ideal for both first-time learners and brusher-uppers alike. We can even come to you for face-to-face mentoring.
It’s Not Your Father’s Academy Any More
LoadSpring Academy can take you beyond traditional training, too. Many of our customers actually use our automated quizzes as part of their hiring process. So when a candidate says “I know P6R8 inside and out,” you can respond “Great! Show me.” And did we mention…? It’s all free when you team up with LoadSpring as your Project Management solutions partner.
Curious about how the Academy can work for you? Email us directly at information@loadspring.com
Hottest IT Skills for 2015
…And Guess What? We’re Hiring!
Is it possible? Is the economy finally inching its way toward something near normal? (Not the new-normal, but the normal-normal.)
All we know is that the need for experienced IT professionals is definitely up, and according to a Computerworld 2015 Forecast Survey, 24% of companies reviewed plan to add skilled IT people. Okay, but which skills?
Top Ten IT Skills
Drum roll, please…
10. BIG DATA: Up from 11th place last year. Big Data postings have already shot up 56% this year.
9. NETWORKING: Down from 3rd place. 57% of US tech execs said network administration is one of the key skills their organizations really need.
8. MOBILE APPLICATIONS AND DEVICE MANAGEMENT: Down from last year’s 4th place, but not at last place, either.
7. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE/ANALYTICS: Up from 8th place. A required skill for data analysis projects…and darn hard to find.
6. DATABASE ADMINISTRATION: No change – there’s always a need. More than 50% of IT execs say it’s one of the most desirable skills in IT.
5. WEB DEVELOPMENT: New on the list. Another one of those much-talked-about but oh-so-hard-to-find skills.
4. SECURITY/COMPLIANCE GOVERNANCE: Up from 7th place. Vital if you want to reduce the risk of those pesky (make that catastrophic) security leaks.
3. TECH SUPPORT: Down from 2nd place last year. As companies rebound, so too does the need for support.
2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Up from 5th place last year. If this is you, you’re sitting pretty.
And the #1 skill for 2015 is projected to be…
1. PROGRAMMING/APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT: Still the most sought skill after two years in 1st place. If this is your specialty, welcome to the top of the heap.
Looks like all that talk wasn’t just white noise after all. Information technology is, in fact, the hot industry to be in.
And, Guess What? We’re Hiring!
If you know someone who’s a RockStar with these skillsets, have them check us out. Whether it’s in Boston or L.A. region, or at one of our global data centers, we want you. To get a feel for the kind of people and projects you’ll be associated with, catch our new video at http://www.loadspring.com/careers.
Enterprise-level organizations can put all of our skills into action through the power of a single email. Write us at information@loadspring.com.
Get Some Face Time!
Meet Our Roving Experts
To misquote The Treasure of Sierra Madre for the umpteenth time… “Booth? We don’t need no stinkin’ booth!” That’s (sort of) what we said when faced with the challenge of meeting our customers at smaller IT conventions where we don’t sponsor a booth.
Instead of just ignoring these small-but-important events, we’re beta-testing our new Roving Expert Program (REP). No, it’s not software, it’s not virtual reality, but a physical plan to pair you with a live LoadSpring Cloud guru outside the boundaries of a booth.
It’s all done with a little pre-planning and the magic of pin-dropping smartphones. In advance of the event, just connect with one of our brainy specialists and register your smartphone number and desired meeting date and time.
When the day arrives, we’ll reach out to you, transmit our location within the convention, then meet for refreshments or a light meal to discuss your Program Management software and Cloud-based questions and curiosities.
Our upcoming Roving Expert rendezvous will be at:
June Events
AACE Int’l Annual Meeting
June 28 – July 1
Las Vegas, Nevada
CFMA Annual Conference & Exhibition
June 27 – July 1
Chicago, Illinois
Be among the first to try it. Set up a personal connection with our Roving Reps by contacting information@loadspring.com.
Invasion of the Smart People
LoadSpring Overrun by Brainiacs, IT Maniacs, Goers, Doers, Mavericks and Visionaries
For months now, more and more Cloud specialists, engineers, managers and all-around intelligent folks have joined our team. And as each one gets down to business, we become even better at making your enterprise job easier, more productive and efficient. Please extend a virtual handshake to…
Andrew Bruder – Enterprise Customer Manager
Jake Campbell – Sr. Solutions Engineer
Jason Henberger – Software Support Specialist
Franklin Roedel – Software Systems Administrator
Know anyone with the technology chops to get their name here, too? Point them (or yourself!) to http://www.loadspring.com/careers/ for our latest job opportunities.
The latest trends in IT Spending and Staffing | Hottest IT skills for 2015 | What’s new at LoadSpring Academy
.png){kind=small}