The end of the year is a busy time for coming together with family and friends and reflecting back on the year that was. However, it can also be a time for great stress and anxiety if you happen to be the member of a busy IT team. According to a new report by Ipswitch that polled 378 IT professionals across the US, we found there is as much New Year stress as there is joyfulness to go around in 2016.
IT teams can expect the new devices employees receive for the holidays to cause network chaos in the New Year. When asked what they believe to be the most pervasive “must-have” gadget in 2016, one-third (33 percent) said smartphones while 31 percent said wearable technology. Only 19 percent of IT professionals believe tablets will cause problems, followed by another 16 percent who thought laptops.
From employees working remotely to keeping up with new technology updates and tools, IT teams are left on-call and dealing with all the frustrations that transpire into the New Year. The report uncovered the changes IT professionals hope to make in 2016. The top resolutions for IT teams are:
■ Increasing the level of network security. The most common resolution was increasing the level of network security for more than half of IT professionals surveyed (51 percent). With analysts estimating the security industry generating approximately $70 billion in revenue per year, it’s not surprising that security ranks high among IT priorities. In 2016, IT teams must address security needs and be prepared to alleviate potential risks to their network, ensure secure data transfers and stay up-to-date on regulatory compliance guidelines.
■ Expand internal communication and customer satisfaction. The second most common resolution for IT teams in 2016 was expanding internal communication and customer satisfaction at 21 percent. As IT is restricted by budget and IT resources, often times tough decisions need to be made and the ability to not get caught up in internal deliberations is critical for IT success.
■ Receiving increased budget and resources. Coming in at the third most common resolution, 16 percent of IT professionals felt that receiving more budget and resources was top of their list for 2016. To manage the growing complexity of their organization while maintaining the same or smaller headcount and budget, powerful IT management tools are needed to save time and resources while also being cost efficient.
■ Smooth deployment of new technologies. Last, but not least, efficiently deploying new technology was important to 12 percent of IT professionals in the New Year. Staying apprised of new versions of technology and innovative tools will be an important resolution coming into 2016, as it will allow IT teams to better manage the process of deployment as well as increasing overall productivity for the entire organization.
Aaron Kelly is VP of Product Management at Ipswitch.
