IT specialists working independently and within organizations can earn more income and generate more business opportunities by learning in-demand skillsets. Developing yourself professionally and adding the right skills to your resume or website can make you more hireable and desirable to companies in need of IT services. If you want to become an in-demand IT manager, consultant, specialist, or other IT related position, these are some of the most desired IT skills of the year that you should develop:
IT architecture
As businesses add more technologies, softwares, and hardware to accommodate their growing operational needs, there is a growing need for a firm IT strategy directly tied to business needs. Those with IT architect skills are also tasked with pitching new and efficient softwares and upgrades, discarding the ones that have lost their relevance, and looking for ways to reduce overhead and increase ROI. These skills are vital when tied to any organization, whether within a company or working independently as an IT consultant.
Information security
Data breaches and hacks aren’t the way most businesses like to find themselves in the news, but as technology improves, so do the skillsets of cybercriminals. IT professionals should have a solid foundational knowledge of how to keep a business secure, how to keep cybercriminals out, how to prevent cyberattacks, how to instruct your staff on online security best practices, and how to help a business recover and fight back from a cyber attack, data breach or hack if one is to occur. Access to this skill can save businesses money in fines, reimbursements, lost productivity, and more, making it highly desirable.
IT operations and governance
More and more businesses are seeking IT professionals with knowledge in areas involving compliance with rules, regulations, laws, and business objectives. Similarly to IT security, having this area of the business accounted for can save companies money in the long-run. IT professionals should be familiar with the rules and regulations revolving around the industries their respective businesses exist within so that they may properly advise them to meet industry standards. The medical and legal fields undergo particular scrutinization from their legislative bodies, making a familiarity with HIPAA and SOC compliance of high importance. IT professionals with this IT operations and governance backgrounds should be able to provide IT and data management recommendations surrounding storage retention lengths, access controls, sharing settings, data loss prevention plans and data loss recovery plans. Keeping data within an arm’s reach is important for both productivity and regulatory compliance, putting data loss prevention and data recovery at the forefront of this skill.
Cloud computing
The cloud is become increasingly relevant in our day to day lives and in the way we do business. And depending on each business’s preference, it’s being incorporated in different ways. From private to public to hybrid cloud options, IT professionals are relied on heavily for knowing which cloud type and provider to recommend, for migrating data to the cloud, monitoring for data integrity losses, preemptively mitigating data loss disasters, and recovering data in the event of a disaster. Knowledge of the most popular cloud services can help you determine which cloud provider to recommend, and which one provides an affordable, comprehensive solution. You can begin to build this skill set by researching cloud backup companies, testing free trials, and signing up for cloud reseller programs.
Programming
From upgrading existing computer systems, to building new apps, programming skills are extremely sought after in tech-based industries. Knowledge of scripting and programming languages, such as SQL, Java and JavaScript offer increased opportunities for employment. Each language has its own unique function and benefit, so you should investigate each to see how improving your understanding of them will affect the services you can provide. SQL is the programming language for managing data, and you can learn it for free online. On the other hand, Java is one of the most widely used programming languages, powering websites and Android apps. You can learn more about the most popular languages and their differences here.
Big data
As data volumes grow, the need for IT professionals who can manage, analyze and interpret the data for valuable insights does as well. In addition to IT knowledge, this skill requires mathematical tools and models to derive key business insights. IT professionals who can interpret this data visually in the form of dashboards are highly valued. Familiarity with data storage technologies, databases, and programming languages all come into play, making the learning curve for this skill rather broad. Knowledge of SQL, Hadoop, Python, Java and R are heavily valued and requested.
Whether you want to expand your services and knowledge, or specialize in a particular area, having these IT skills will prove valuable in 2016 and in the years to come.
