IT professionals are required to keep up with emerging technologies by acquiring new skills. Continually updating a skill set is the best way to stay competitive and relevant in an IT career, but is it realistic to expect one or two people to carry the burden of an ever-changing IT landscape? Companies need to seriously weigh the pros and cons of having an IT team constantly in training classes or seeking out the help they need in the form of new hires or outsourced projects. If you are an IT professional in 2022, these are the most in-demand IT skills to track.
Did You Know? By the end of 2021, there were more than 930,000 core IT job postings in the United States.
IT professionals must be learning constantly to maintain the status quo – these are the skills to add to your resume this year.
- Networking: It all begins with the network, and IT professionals with comprehensive networking skills are always in high demand.
- Cloud computing: Remote work is becoming the norm, and cloud computing rises with that tide. Cloud computing skills such as configuration, deployment, security, and troubleshooting are essential for IT pros to master. This is a broad subject, including not only end-user support and SaaS but analyzing, managing, maintaining, and deploying cloud platforms.
- Linux: Linux knowledge is necessary for today’s companies, and IT professionals should understand the maintenance, installation, and configuration of Linux workstations.
- Programming languages: One of the hottest in-demand IT skills in 2022 is understanding programming languages (Java, JavaScript, C++, and Python), as these languages influence nearly every other IT role in some way.
- User experience (UX): UX design done right will increase productivity, reduce support costs and help with customer acquisition and retention. Every company looks to achieve a more robust bottom line – and an IT pro with UX design knowledge and skill will quickly establish themselves as indispensable.
- Machine learning: This category includes many disciplines, including software engineering, systems design, computer science fundamentals, and programming. These skills help to find the patterns in data organizations need to compete.
- Quality assurance: These IT professionals utilize data analytics to identify issues and opportunities in manufacturing and business processes.
- Mobile application skills: Every organization must deploy mobile app solutions to expand customer reach in a competitive online market. Having skill in application programming interface (API) development platforms and cross-platform app development frameworks will position IT specialists well for the future.
- Risk analysis: Risk analysis skill sets are imperative to keep an organization safe from external and internal risks and vulnerabilities. With more cybercrime than ever before, risk identification, analysis, and management help IT cybersecurity pros keep sensitive data safe.
- Cybersecurity analytics: This is one of those emerging fields as cybersecurity and data analytics converge to help secure data in an uncertain, borderless online world. cybersecurity analytics. In-demand IT skills in this area include threat intelligence, intrusion detection and response, risk analysis, and data modeling.
As we got into writing this list, we realized that there were far more in-demand IT skills evolving in today’s marketplace than can be easily handled in one article. Therefore look to our next blog for a continuation of this list of the best skills for IT professionals to learn in 2022.
Companies who recognize a need for IT professionals in these areas may be overwhelmed by the prospect (and cost) of trying to recruit, hire, train and retain employees with all these necessary skills. Many companies are already struggling with the skills gap between their needs and the available job applicants.
If the above described your organization, managed services may be the answer. Call Alliance IT for more information on how we can fill in those gaps and help your company thrive.