Industry and government information technology executives want more from their new employees.
Chief information officers are looking for workers with business skills and an understanding of cloud computing, social media, analytics and other emerging technology, according to research conducted by market intelligence firm International Data Corp.
CIOs are concerned about a lack of IT talent to manage their next generation systems, said David McNally, an IT executive adviser at IDC.
The data was extracted from IDC’s CIO Agenda Survey conducted last month and presented during a webinar on Tuesday. Of the 63 CIOs surveyed, 43 percent said new IT workers will primarily have business skills over technical skills and serve as “agents of innovation.” As IT shifts from a model of owning hardware and software to delivering IT services via the Internet, organizations need tech-savvy workers who can explain how IT improves the organization’s overall mission and have an understanding of issues like financial and supply chain management.
In September, the federal Chief Information Officers Council launched the Technology Fellows Program to recruit top graduate students for federal IT positions. When the program launched, federal CIO Steven VanRoekel said it will “break down some of the bureaucratic barriers that slow hiring.” Program finalists have not been announced.
Hiring isn’t the only issue CIOs will face this year.
They will have a greater challenge managing the flow of information to employees as they become more mobile, said Meredith Whalen senior vice president of insights and vertical markets research at IDC. CIOs must be able to provide mobile workers with access to new and legacy applications while maintaining security, she said.
IDC predicts that CIOs will make “significant progress” in addressing the issue of employees bringing personal devices to work.
