What do you do if you're an IT manager trying to keep up with the latest advancements in technology?

As an IT Manager, it's important to continuously update, watch, and review any new technologies or frameworks. This practice will help you stay connected with your team, your company, and the overall business landscape.

IT managers can stay sharp by embracing lifelong learning through courses and industry news. Network with peers at events and explore new tech with pilot projects. Analyze industry trends to anticipate future needs. This constant learning ensures you're on top of your tech game.

IT goals are led and directed by business goals. Business goals determine if latest advances in technology are required. As the IT Manager you need to keep aware of the current trends as they develop and how they can impact on your specific organisation's operations and business. Even if the business doesn't explicitly require the immediate application of the latest tech breakthrough or trend, gathering the knowledge on advancements is part of the IT Manager's role.

You must have a clear idea of your goals before you can plunge into the seemingly limitless pool of possibilities and information. What are your company's and your IT department's biggest possibilities and challenges? What are the metrics and short- and long-term goals that you need to track and refine? How can you match the values and overarching goals of your organization with your IT strategy? You may sharpen your attention and cut through the clutter by providing answers to these questions.

I do the following: 1. I spend time researching and reading blogs, magazines and specialized websites. 2. I participate in relevant conferences and seminars to learn about the latest trends. 3. I establish connections with other IT professionals to exchange knowledge and experiences. 4. I perform tests and evaluations of new technologies in laboratory environments. 5. I collaborate closely with suppliers to obtain information about new products and services. 6. I promote the professional development of my team through training and mentoring. With these actions, I guarantee that my team and I are updated and prepared to implement the best technological solutions.

First, lean into your strengths. How do you best learn, short videos, articles, podcasts, talking to colleagues? Identify what works best for you first and lean into that method. That will be easy for you to do and you will enjoy it the most. Next, pick a stretch goal for a new way of learning and set time in your calendar to learn in that way. Maybe you usually just listen to podcasts, but you want to attend more conferences. Set a 30 min block each month to research conferences and sign up for them. Then when the conference is up and coming set goals for how many connections you want to make and any specific areas you want to explore while at the conference.

You must be inquisitive and receptive to new ideas if you want to stay current with technological developments. For your learning, you cannot depend on a single resource or platform. You must seek out various viewpoints and experiences, as well as diversify your sources and points of view. You can read books, reports, periodicals, blogs, podcasts, and magazines written by reliable and knowledgeable sources. In order to network with other IT professionals, experts, and influencers, you can also sign up for online communities, forums, webinars, events, and courses. To share ideas and insights, you can network with your peers, mentors, suppliers, clients, and partners.

Look for opportunities to get to industry events. In many of these events, there will be sessions to hear about new technologies, and in some cases, your peers may be on panels where you can ask their approach to the challenges you're looking to solve. In addition, you can speak to them afterward and as long as it's not confidential or a proprietary tool, they will share at least generally what they do (or would recommend.)

Você deve ser curioso e receptivo a novas ideias se quiser manter-se atualizado com os desenvolvimentos tecnológicos. Para o seu aprendizado, você n?o pode depender de um único recurso ou plataforma. Você deve buscar vários pontos de vista e experiências, bem como diversificar suas fontes e pontos de vista. Você pode ler livros, relatórios, periódicos, blogs, podcasts e revistas escritos por fontes confiáveis e bem informadas. Para interagir com outros profissionais de TI, especialistas e influenciadores, você também pode se inscrever em comunidades online, fóruns, webinars, eventos e cursos. Para compartilhar ideias e insights, você pode fazer networking com seus colegas, mentores, fornecedores, clientes e parceiros.

Só a aprendizagem e a leitura s?o insuficientes. Aplicar e testar o que você aprende em sua própria situa??o é igualmente essencial. Você deve testar novas ferramentas e tecnologias e pesar as vantagens e desvantagens de cada uma. Programas piloto, demonstra??es, testes, sistemas de feedback e protótipos podem ser usados para avaliar a viabilidade, usabilidade, compatibilidade e escalabilidade de novas solu??es. Além de comparar os resultados de seus experimentos com suas prioridades e metas, você também precisa medir seu impacto e retorno sobre o investimento. Você deve estar preparado para crescer a partir de suas experiências, boas e ruins, e fazer os ajustes necessários.

Learning and reading alone are insufficient. Applying and testing what you learn in your own situation is equally essential. You must test out new tools and technology and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. Pilot programs, demos, trials, feedback systems, and prototypes can all be used to evaluate the viability, usability, compatibility, and scalability of novel solutions. Along with comparing your experiments' results to your priorities and goals, you also need to measure their impact and return on investment. You must be prepared to grow from your experiences, both good and bad, and make the necessary adjustments.

we need some clear on board with a plan and strategy connecting to the goal. we otherwise drift from the goal , spend a lot longer and have a poor return on investment. a pilot project seems a good idea, re-evaluation after the pilot project to see the direction is right and the speed is right .

Pilot Programs: Implement small-scale experiments to test new technologies or processes within controlled environments. Data-Driven Evaluation: Collect and analyze relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness and impact of each experiment. Feedback Loops: Solicit input from end-users and stakeholders to gather insights and identify areas for improvement. Iterative Approach: Continuously refine experiments based on feedback and lessons learned, adapting strategies as needed. Risk Management: Mitigate potential risks associated with experimentation by setting clear boundaries and contingency plans.

One thing i find helpful is ensuring that you develop a list of must have, this baseline provides the ability to work with the partner to not only vet features but also asses the sustainability and value of the tool. Remember you are the facilitator assisting the team in ensuring this decision adds value and accomplishes their goals.

Exposing different team members to latest technologies is both motivational and a possible source for solutions for every day problems they encounter. Keen members appreciate these opportunities, my only advise is to be careful when inviting members of the team. Some people might not have the interest or the available cycles to evaluate new technology

Here it is important to establish what, in good practices such as ITIL or COBIT, is defined as a cascade of objectives. This allows you to establish objectives with a greater degree of detail as you go down from the most strategic to the most operational levels of a company. On the other hand, this cascade of objectives must be accompanied by good organizational change management to allow the defined strategy to be carried out.

Understanding your vendor partner and their continued investment in the product and relationship. Technology changes quickly and you want to know that solutions are scalable, have a maintenance/upgrade roadmap and a focus on continuous improvement and support.

Keeping up with technology is a continuous journey. It demands vigilance to spot trends, opportunities, and threats impacting IT and business. Proactivity, preparation, and planning are essential for navigating future changes and challenges. Flexibility and agility are key to adapting plans and actions effectively.

Industry Trends Monitoring: Regularly scan industry publications, forums, and conferences to stay informed about emerging technologies and trends. Networking and Collaboration: Engage with peers, industry experts, and technology partners to exchange insights and anticipate future developments. Research and Innovation Initiatives: Invest in research projects and innovation labs to explore cutting-edge technologies and their potential applications. Scenario Planning: Conduct scenario planning exercises to anticipate potential future scenarios and develop strategies to adapt them. Continuous Learning: Encourage a culture of continuous learning and professional development among the IT team to stay ahead of evolving trends and technologies.

El impacto de una organización que no evoluciona, a marcado el final de muchos, negarse a hacer las cosas de forma diferente o pensar que el cambio no es necesario, a sepultado grandes organizaciones que un día fueron lideres. Debemos planificar siempre en una mejora continua, que permita mantener nuestra participación fresca, saludable y rentable.

As an IT manager, staying abreast of the latest advancements in technology is crucial. To do so, I regularly attend industry conferences, webinars, and workshops. Additionally, I engage with professional networks, forums, and online communities to exchange insights and learn from peers. Subscribing to reputable tech publications, following thought leaders on social media, and participating in training programs help me stay informed. Moreover, fostering a culture of continuous learning within my team encourages knowledge sharing and exploration of emerging technologies. Lastly, I allocate time for personal research and experimentation to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field.

As an IT manager striving to stay abreast of the latest advancements in technology, consider the following steps: 1.Networking: Build & maintain a network of peers, industry experts, & Tech professionals. Engage in discussions, share insights, & learn from others. 2.Subscribe to Industry Publications: Subscribe to industry publications, journals, & online forums to stay updated on latest trends & best practices in technology. 3.Vendor Relationships: Foster strong relationships with Tech vendors, stay informed about their product offerings and future roadmaps. 4.Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with other teams within organization to exchange knowledge about technology trends & their potential impact on business operations.

As an IT manager, you can keep an eye on the different technology trends through: - Subscribing to different newsletters and attending webinars; it could be with Axelos, ISACA, ISC2, Techrepublic among others - Investing in new skills and certifications: these should be aligned with your career path (IT Audit, Governance, Risk Management, Networking, Project Management) - Participating in company projects that use emerging technology that aligns with your interests and role - Testing tools that adopt emerging technology (especially AI)

Tomar en cuenta que no importa el tama?o de la organización, un entorno nube permitirá empezar con poco e ir creciendo a lo largo del tiempo, lo importante es dar el paso hacia la era digital y comprender que quienes esten listos para este cambio, serán quienes sobrevivirán en el futuro