On September 16, the world celebrated the 10th annual IT Pro Day, giving companies a chance to laud the professionals who serve as the backbone to almost every successful business across the globe. Despite the growing importance of their roles, many IT pros still work in the background and often go underappreciated.
In our most recent survey, IT pros provided insight into some of the less desirable portions of their job. They discussed their most annoying buzzwords, IT "crime scenes," and things they wish their non-IT coworkers understood. Most importantly, they provided a glimpse into how companies can support IT pros and make their lives just a bit easier.
Annoying IT Buzzwords
The tech world is filled with people that use buzzwords they don't understand. Oftentimes, it is the IT experts that are left to decipher unclear interpretations of evolving technical terminology. For example, if an executive says they want to "implement AI," the IT pro is left to figure out how that translates to execution throughout the organization.
The survey outlined several buzzwords that IT pros find cringeworthy. Almost 1 in 3 pointed to "AI" as a frustrating buzzword. Respondents also cited "digital transformation" (15.3%) and "seamless integration" (13%) as words that get on their nerves.
A smaller amount (8.5%) of respondents struggled with the widespread use of "blockchain," especially since it is often used to discuss initiatives that don't need blockchain. "Agile" and "Innovative," which are great but often over used terms, also made the list.
Frustrating "IT Crime Scenes"
IT pros also discussed the most common "IT crime scenes," or incidents, they see in their daily work. Nearly 1 in 3 (32.5%) of professionals cited "user error." This means many IT pros are faced with incidents simply because a colleague made a mistake. The next two crime scenes types were "not logging a ticket" at 19.9% and "clicking on suspicious links" at 13.7%. While general user error and not logging a ticket can be frustrating, IT pros would likely admit they spend hours trying to dissuade their coworkers from clicking on suspicious links. The ramifications could range anywhere from leaked information to dangerous ransomware. Other buzzwords that drive IT pros up a wall include common phrases. The top three were "I didn't touch anything" at 19%, "You're good with computers, right?" at 18.5%, and "The Wi-Fi's broken" at 18.3%. Each of these phrases usually occur during troubleshooting experiences that started because of "user error."
What IT Professionals Want Others to Understand
The nature of an IT professional's role can mean placing services tickets above other responsibilities, which drives misunderstandings of their day-to-day work. That context is the backdrop to what they wish their co-workers understood better. The top three were:
- "People only notice us when something explodes" — 30.7%
- "We juggle requests from every department—you're not the only one" — 28.4%
- "Turning it off and on again isn't magic—it's science" — 22.9%
Responses like this point to the heavy demands on IT teams. Simultaneously, they suggest why it's important for coworkers to regularly engage with their IT team members to develop a better understanding of their role.
Supporting and Appreciating Your IT Pros
While the survey illuminated some of the unseen struggles IT pros face, it also offered them a chance to point to a few things that could make their job easier. The most popular answer, unsurprisingly, was "an unlimited IT budget." As organizations become more digitally dependent, many IT teams are faced with leaner budgets and forced to do more with less.
"An actual heart felt thank you" was next. Even though IT is a behind-the-scenes job, gratitude towards IT teams should be often and loud. The third was "waking up to zero urgent alerts." Many IT leaders would like to come into work and not feel like they're constantly being asked to put out a fire (or, as in most cases, what someone thinks is a fire.)
As our organizations lean more into AI, hybrid cloud, and virtualization technology, let's learn to better appreciate the people that make this possible. We can start doing that by following proper IT service procedures, paying attention during trainings, and remembering to say a simple "Thank You!"
