Geeman Yip is the Founder and CEO of BitTitan, a global SaaS-based, cloud solutions provider with offices in Seattle and Singapore.
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The hasty move from an office-based employment model to a remote one accelerated an important shift for the role of IT.
Traditionally, IT departments have focused on maintaining the systems, hardware and technology that enable businesses to maintain continuity, allowing employees to collaborate seamlessly, both internally and with other companies. IT oversees the tools we rely on to remain productive: servers, laptops, software, mobile devices, Wi-Fi and network security. As remote work has become a norm, IT professionals have also ensured workers have the tools they need for secure communication, collaboration and engagement.
However, with technological innovation, the move to the cloud and changing business needs, the role of IT is evolving. As server management and localized software installation and updates are increasingly managed by cloud and SaaS services, the role of IT is shifting to improving business processes, enhancing operations and increasing cost-effectiveness through improved software management and training.
From Tech Police To Business Analysts
Until recently, the fundamental responsibilities of the IT department really hadn't changed over the last 30 years—servers still needed to be managed and software upgrades needed to be installed and deployed. But the evolution of technology has driven innovation within IT in a multitude of ways.
Where IT professionals were once focused on policing the technical environment and determining which software platforms were "permitted" on the servers, they're now beginning to take on the role of business analysts. The future IT department will understand your business goals and identify whether those goals can be achieved through technology solutions. IT professionals are collaborating with their internal clients to troubleshoot whether the IT systems available address their needs, and if not, what is needed instead. Whether this is through tools that provide data insights and metrics, IT automation that cuts down on manual input and enables enhanced workflows or establishing best practices for data governance, IT professionals are seeing their roles shift toward creating increased efficiency as their responsibilities evolve.
Only a fraction of IT professionals are working as business analysts today. However, as IT needs continue to transform, the responsibilities of IT professionals will shift toward analyzing business processes, building simple automations and helping streamline technology use. The new role of the IT professional will simply require a different skill set. And the organizational approach to working with the IT department will also need to adjust as IT expectations change.
The New Skill Set Required
The increased adoption of SaaS solutions has many benefits for IT—from the management of software updates to the ease of introducing new software to the IT environment. But it also presents challenges to standard operating procedures, as the proliferation of software applications has led to fragmented software management.
Most software and security policies have historically been managed through Microsoft's Active Directory, which provided a single, centralized location for domain management. The rise of SaaS has eliminated the ability to have a centralized hub for managing policies, governance and user authentication across these applications.
To provide user access, IT professionals now must wade through a legion of applications that manage authentication and authorization. This new level of complexity requires IT professionals to have some coding and scripting abilities along with an understanding of scripting languages, APIs and development principles. IT professionals with these skill sets can automate operating procedures, which eliminates tedious manual tasks to increase efficiency. These new talents also allow IT professionals to integrate different applications and enable end users to streamline their workflows across multiple systems. In addition to these skills, IT staff will need to adopt both infrastructure and management automation solutions to orchestrate the end-to-end operating procedures.
Today, many IT professionals aren't trained with these skills. Yet having a handle on integration and automation will dictate how IT work advances and the overall role that IT will serve in enhancing business processes.
The Keys To Digital Transformation
As IT needs evolve, IT professionals will play a critical role in helping companies innovate and enhance their business operations and employee productivity through digital transformation. Successfully mobilizing digital transformation is a company-wide endeavor that requires three things.
First, companies must embrace the effort, starting at the top. The company's leadership team must prioritize an increased focus on IT optimization. Automation technology can reduce repetitive tasks, such as provisioning and deprovisioning, auditing and compliance. Other technologies can enable them to understand how people are using software deployed within the company, audit security policies and access control and increase cost optimization of technology purchased.
Next, the company needs a forward-thinking IT leader who understands where technology is trending and where education within the company is needed for implementing new technologies. The IT leader is the individual who will position the IT department to meet changing needs and ensure IT can manage the jobs and activities they will be doing as business analysts. This leader is essential to bridging the gap between business needs and the technology available to help drive those outcomes.
Finally, at the ground level, the company needs skilled IT workers who have the appropriate mindset and adaptability to meet the challenges of an evolving professional environment.
A Unified Approach
Replacing manual processes with IT automations will lead to more streamlined workflows that enable your business to work with more velocity and accuracy, all while producing higher-quality work. Applying and leveraging automations for repetitive tasks allow employees to focus on building their skill sets and take ownership of more strategic efforts.
But the real work comes from ushering in a cultural shift that promotes technology understanding and engagement. The only things stopping IT from transforming are people's mindsets. The technology is there for innovation—all that is lacking is an agile perspective on acquiring new skills and envisioning where technological innovation can take you. Cultivating an openness to innovative technologies and exploring the opportunities that are available will reveal the path to innovation.
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