What to Do About the Widening IT Skills Gap

The importance of information technology in meeting business objectives continues to grow. Regrettably, the shortfall in professionals who can manage business tech is also growing. Learn what the IT skills gap means for you.

  • Technology helps businesses meet strategic priorities. This includes:
  • implementing new systems or work processes to enhance efficiencies;
  • innovating and cultivating new ideas;
  • identifying new customer segments and markets;
  • launching new products or services.

In CompTIA’s research into the “State of the IT Skills Gap,” the skills disparity is widening. And it’s doing so at a worrying rate. Nearly half of CompTIA’s respondents said the skills gap had grown in scope/depth over the past two years. That’s 46%, indicating significant or moderate growth in their businesses.

That may not even capture the problem accurately. Only 44% of CompTIA’s respondents felt they had the know-how to identify and assess IT skills gaps on their own.

IT skills gap issues

The IT skills gap affects strategy and also impacts staff productivity and customer service/customer engagement. The shortfall in IT savvy individuals also impacts security, particularly:

  • data loss prevention;
  • firewalls/antivirus safeguards;
  • cloud security;
  • network monitoring/access management.

Plus, the IT skills gap can slow the adoption of emerging technology. This sees businesses struggling to upgrade existing hardware and software. They aren’t able to use artificial intelligence, automation, or the Internet of Things.

The shortage also hurts data integration, management, and analytics. Software or app development can also suffer.

How to address the gap

There are many ways businesses can improve the IT workforce pipeline. Providing on-the-job experience through internships or apprenticeships may work, as might encouraging IT employees to pursue new certifications and credentials.

Investing in tech talent is another way to promote your business objectives. Without the right IT support, you could end up buying the wrong technology or struggle to deploy it. Instead of adding agility and efficiency, you’ll slow things down and may compromise security, too.

With the IT environment constantly evolving, it’s difficult for businesses to keep up. Many firms can’t keep up with the rising compensation requirements, keeping internal IT trained is expensive, too. Then, if IT talent leaves, they take their business infrastructure knowledge with them.

The solution? Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP). With an MSP you gain experts that always stay on top of the latest events and are always trained up. Yet you don’t have to pay for their conferences and ongoing training. You typically pay a consistent set fee for the services you need.

Our experts can help update your infrastructure, deploy new systems, and secure IT. Contact us today at (416) 848-6218 or 1 (888) 268-2564.

More To Explore

How to Reduce PC Power Consumption

You probably grew up having a parent saying, “turn the lights off!” That was the number-one way to save on the power bill. But now,

We Love to help

We’re dedicated to offering you the best services for your business. Whether you need a one-time solution or ongoing support, you can count on us to get the job done well. Even if you don’t quite know what problem you are looking to solve, our outstanding team is standing by with all the solutions in-hand. Complete the contact form below and start erasing your problems.

Is Managed Service a good fit for my business?

If your business is among those that require efficient, sophisticated technological guidance and protections, the ongoing support of an MSP can be a game changer.

If you’d like to learn more about the types of managed services that we offer, contact us directly

We Are A Company Made Up Of People Who Love What They Do.

Combining an extensive set of individual talents and over 30 years of professional IT experience, our team has come together with a shared goal: serving small businesses.