Why Network Infrastructure Needs a Networked Hiring Approach
Let’s face it, there’s no industry immune to buzzwords. They’re the shiny objects that capture our imaginations -- and then linger as familiar comforts even after their luster has tarnished. “Design thinking” comes to mind. “Side-hustle” had a good run. We’re enchanted by the notion of “ecosystems.” Today, more people talk about the “digital world” than the “technological world.” The brilliant minds behind our evolving computer science want to push us toward “machine learning” rather than “AI.” But for all that, some iteration of “network” enjoys a perennial renaissance: networking, social networks, networked teams, the network effect, and so forth. But what about the physical networks that power the “ecosystems” of this “digital world?” They’ve become more important than ever before. And their talent acquisition challenges have, too.
Scalability Challenges in Scalable Network Solutions
Data centers are accelerating their efforts to overcome bandwidth constraints. As enterprises feverishly plan the expansion of their digital strategies, IT infrastructure must mature at a breakneck pace to match the momentum of user demands. That’s why the network has become more imperative than ever. Connectivity issues will continue to skyrocket with the unprecedented proliferation of mobile workforces, the Internet of Things, and cloud applications.
In its 2018 State of Infrastructure survey, InformationWeek found that 55% of organizations plan to increase spending on scaling their networks. Meanwhile, systems integrators confront their own struggles with scalability -- finding the right talent to tackle mission-critical projects.
As Christopher Donovan observed in his post for CyberSearch, “The fact that cloud computing has so rapidly grown into an essential business tool is pretty much old news. But the challenge of strategizing, scaling and hiring for cloud based infrastructure, services, and platforms is an ongoing problem.”
The predominance of cloud computing contributes heavily to the situation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), IT occupations are projected to grow 12% over the next six years. For DevOps positions, we’ve seen a 60% increase in the call for programmers who specialize in skills such as Puppet and Chef.
In February 2017, Gartner predicted that worldwide public cloud services would grow 18%, totaling $246.8 billion: “The highest growth will come from cloud system infrastructure services (infrastructure as a service[IaaS]), which is projected to grow 36.8 percent in 2017 to reach $34.6 billion. Cloud application services (software as a service[SaaS]) is expected to grow 20.1 percent to reach $46.3 billion.”
Back in 2015, Cisco pegged unfilled IT security jobs at the one million mark. Even more distressing, Cisco discovered that 63% of internal security teams spent all of their available time addressing issues rather than concentrating on strategic planning to address near-future developments. Three years later, not much has changed.
Obviously, opportunities abound. Economists and analysts seem positively giddy about the potential for network infrastructure businesses -- but they may be overlooking a critical element in this surge: finding skilled talent to implement new technologies, maintain infrastructure, provide user support, and ensure the heightened levels of security needed in an era of crafty and hyperactive hackers.