A new global report from Wakefield Research and Juniper Networks highlights the ongoing disconnect between IT and the C-suite and also reinforces the benefits of automation investments to increase business agility and stay ahead of the disruption curve.
Arm your current and future IT leaders for the disruption ahead
More than half of the U.K. respondents (62 percent of ITDMs and 46 percent of BDMs) expect a new disruptive technology, product or service to be introduced to their industry within the next two years.
Yet looking ahead, there is a clear disconnect between U.K. business leaders and IT about how far there is a growing IT skills gap. Almost a quarter of U.K. business leaders (24 percent) believe that their IT workforces currently do not have the skills they will need for their role in the next five years, whereas IT decision makers are less worried, with only 13 percent seeing this trend.
"Network innovation is an area that U.K. companies are investing in to help them prepare their business for future growth, but there are differing views over how far there is an IT skills gap and whether this also needs investment," said Colin Evans, director of Centre of Excellence, EMEA at Juniper Networks. "True innovation requires an understanding of the value that technology delivers. U.K. business leaders don't need to code software, but leading a company strategy for growth requires a strong relationship between those who set the strategy and the IT teams who execute."
To help address the potential skills gap, Juniper Networks has also announced an expansion of the company's OpenLab program to seven locations worldwide. OpenLab provides customers, partners, academics and other industry leaders with hands-on access to network automation workshops, educational programs and dedicated lab resources.
School your C-suite and brace for rapid change
Nearly nine in 10 U.K. respondents (86 percent of ITDMs and 77 percent of BDMs) admit their organisation would perform better if their current C-suite was more tech-savvy.
A lack of investment in IT creates a barrier to innovation, preventing U.K. business from keeping up with the pace of change and staying competitive. Nearly half of the respondents (45 percent of ITDMs and 47 percent of BDMs) expect it would take one or more years for their company to develop and support an improved product or service if challenged by a competitor. That's time they may not have given the speed at which disruption can hit.
To remain relevant today, organisations need to address impending industry disruption by rethinking their approach to IT to ensure they are investing in ongoing innovation. Market advantage is more likely to last when leadership stays at the forefront of technology innovation.
