IT Leaders Challenges 2022

7 Challenges Technology Leaders Face in 2022

While IT experts used to play more of a niche role at companies, those days are long gone. IT experts are now critical contributors to all kinds of business operations — but in 2022, the technology sector has become extremely complex and there are a lot of challenges for IT managers to overcome.

For example, the sharp rise in remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many IT teams to adjust their focus toward enabling remote collaboration and improving security. Rapidly developing technologies like machine-learning AI and cloud computing are continuously changing the way we approach business, and it falls to IT leaders to facilitate these changes as well.

It’s important to remain aware of the challenges that modern IT leaders face and find ways to adapt to the rapid shifts in the relationship between business and technology. Here are some of the obstacles you can expect to encounter in 2022 and what you can do to overcome them.

Security

Security threats are one of the most common issues IT managers struggle to contain, and in recent years, cyber-attacks have only grown in sophistication and frequency. IT teams need to take extra measures to protect company data and user privacy.

Now that it’s common for employees to work remotely, attackers have even more routes of access into companies’ infrastructures. It’s also common for business leaders to work on the go using mobile devices, so adopting the right security tools and techniques to address mobile security threats is essential. While mobile security has been a significant factor for years, the pandemic has thrust this issue into the spotlight by forcing nearly everyone to do some work from their smartphone at one point or another.

It’s important to reassess your systems’ security needs frequently because new solutions need to be implemented as cyber-attacks evolve in scale and complexity. It’s also extremely important not to rush out software patches or updates that might cause instability and create new security weaknesses.

Emerging Technologies

Digital technology evolves rapidly — much more rapidly than almost any other kind of non-digital technology. Ten years ago, the digital landscape looked completely different, and in another ten years or so, it will likely be unrecognizable again.

IT managers are responsible for keeping up with cutting-edge technology solutions. Not only is it up to the IT experts to identify and learn about new technologies that could aid business goals, but it’s also up to them to ensure the company successfully integrates these new technologies in an organized manner. Technology tools usually have steep learning curves, which makes the IT team’s task of empowering the whole organization to use them effectively an especially tall order.

Digital Transformation

The pandemic thrust IT into a more central role in most organizations by forcing companies to adapt quickly to remote working conditions. New communication tools and digital collaboration solutions had to be implemented very quickly. IT managers are the ones responsible for ensuring these implementations happen smoothly.

When a business’s infrastructure is reliant on so many systems operating in tandem, getting them all to work together properly becomes its own challenge. Plus, without a well-managed digital transformation strategy, it’s all too easy for new technology solutions to creep in haphazardly, resulting in a mess of half-implemented tools and under-trained employees.

Hiring Shortages

IT professionals were already in high demand for their valuable skill set. Now, the pandemic has led to a hiring shortage that has only exacerbated the problem. If your organization needs to fill a particularly specialized IT role, the challenge of finding an available candidate becomes greater still.

Small and mid-sized businesses have the toughest time hiring and retaining IT talent because they often don't have the resources to compete with the salaries and benefits large companies offer to entice IT professionals.

Data Management 

As businesses become more reliant on digital tools to operate, new maintenance and security needs arise as well. The task of handling these increasing demands falls to IT teams. Many teams are finding they lack the means to keep up, making it difficult for businesses to scale their infrastructure — and with the competition for IT hires as fierce as it currently is, adding to the resource pool isn't so easy.

One way IT managers can confront this particular obstacle is by implementing automation tools that can streamline IT processes and save time for the technology team. This can enable them to do more with fewer resources. There are also some best practices you can apply to help keep your software maintenance needs to a minimum.

Cloud Computing 

The rise of software as a service (SaaS) means the majority of business processes are now happening in the cloud. This has led many organizations to adopt a somewhat decentralized IT model because so much of the day-to-day workload is happening via third-party applications. Naturally, this has an impact on the way in-house IT teams function.

Some people worry the growing ubiquity of cloud computing will begin to infringe on IT specialists’ jobs. While it’s true that cloud computing decentralizes IT management and can empower workers to be more self-sufficient technology users, it doesn’t mean IT teams are going to become obsolete anytime soon. IT professionals just need to shift their focus away from helping facilitate day-to-day technology usage and redirect it towards applying their technology expertise to forward larger business objectives.

Outsourcing 

As emerging technologies continue to improve digital communication (and as global events continue to require it), remote collaboration has become a common occurrence in many fields. In the IT world, outsourcing remains a popular choice for completing software projects, yet there is also still quite a bit of apprehension stemming from the idea.

It’s never been easier to connect with talent from all over the world, but finding talent that’s dependable is as challenging as it’s ever been. It’s important to choose your remote collaborators carefully, but you shouldn’t let the potential pitfalls cause you to reject remote partnerships outright.

 Nearshore Software Services

Outsourcing software development to a nearshore software company is one of the best ways for IT managers to establish reliable remote partnerships. A nearshore development service can provide cost-effective services similar to an offshore company with the advantage of a closer time zone. This makes it easier to collaborate and keep projects on track.

KNDCODE is an Indiana-based nearshore software company that manages an experienced and dependable team of software developers based in the US and Central America (Guatemala & El Salvador). Contact us today to learn more about how KNDCODE can help you develop, maintain, or upgrade custom software infrastructure for your organization.