The Future of Managed IT

Technology seems to be getting easier – stuff that used to need a lot of TLC and kept tech support on their toes, now “just works”. Stuff that would take days or weeks of technical expertise to launch can now just be plugged in. We also have a younger generation who are technically strong and nimble and can do many things themselves that older generations were stumped with. The Cloud is full of promises to centralize everything and make it relatively dirt cheap.

We have to ask: Are the technicians of the world in a dying industry? I go to industry events and I hear many colleagues who feel the remaining lifespan of our industry can be counted on their hands. For some in the technology industry, “The Cloud” is the equivalent of the sky is failing.

There certainly is a type of technician that is heading the way of the dinosaur. The technician who is like a basic “tradesperson” – someone you simply call in to fix your email or the smoking computer. A decade from now I believe a lot of the simple work these folks do today will be very rare.

So to those that don’t know Smart Dolphins very well, our future might also look bleak, but this is far from the truth. I believe Smart Dolphins is moving into a “Golden Age”. We’re finally getting the chance to truly differentiate ourselves. We’re not simply a company that fixes common problems. We’re Smart Dolphins IT SOLUTIONS. We inject ourselves into our customers’ business and bring technology brains to the organization.

This type of Smart work has never been in more demand. The pace of technology change is faster than our ability to adapt. The number of choices we have is overwhelming. Many factors, like The Cloud, are intensifying the risks related to IT. The norm is now near 100% uptime so anything less is unacceptable.

I believe there will always be a gap between what technology offers the business world and what the business world’s ability to utilize that offering effectively. There will always be an IT challenge to concur. So the future looks challenging. Challenge offers opportunities for those will to take on the challenge. The future for Smart Dolphins is full of opportunity.