Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) is one of the fastest evolving fields. However, there are trends in IT that we need to follow regardless their pace. Here, knowing what are the trending topics in IT management give a fairly accurate perspective of what we need to ponder in this domain.
Given that companies rely on technology to meet their objectives, positions related to IT undergo through constant changes to adapt themselves to the new demands of the markets.
In this order of ideas, even the position of IT Manager has reshaped and now, more than being experts in the operation of the necessary software/hardware to guarantee the company’s performance, IT Managers has become into that expert analyst who knows how technological tools contribute to the success of each goal established by the organization.
The constant evolution and change of new technologies is so vertiginous that quickly makes obsolete anyone or anything limited to a single type of knowledge, device, software, language and program or similar.
This is the reason why trending topics in IT Management are more than an additional aspect to take into account as a reference of what is ‘being done out there’: There are the new guidelines that every IT Manager must integrate to improve their productivity through technological innovation.
Trending topics in IT Management
Although some of the trending topics in IT management we mention here are fully integrated, we list and describe them because they still have great impact on the operations and delivery of internal and external services. They are:
1. Technology As A Service
First in this list, we find Technology As A Service. Its main feature consists in the use of Cloud-based services, ranging from software to hardware whether to provide or receive services.
This trending topic began a few years ago and promoted a huge change from capital expenditure to operating expenses; which reduces related risks, releases the capital charge and provides greater flexibility of services such as:
● IaaS Internet as a Service
On the one hand with IaaS, your IT Department will be responsible for taking care of all the necessary configuration for the internal use of the Internet without collapsing your local network architecture. This covers the installation of application servers, certificates, OS, firewalls, etc.
● PaaS Platform as a Service
On the other hand with PaaS, your company hires the hosting platform to host all necessary the network infrastructure for your operations. In principle, your IT Department also will be in charge of shaping the additional configuration of such infrastructure.
● SaaS Software as a Service
Finally, the main feature of SaaS is offering a complete product hosted and managed by the service provider. Even if your IT Department does not deal directly with them, it will be responsible for ensuring its proper functioning for your corporate needs.
2. Cybersecurity
In principle, cybersecurity in companies reinforces both the security of confidential data related to the activity of the company (professional secrets, patents, Human Resources, etc.); and your customer’s data.
In any case, cyber attacks continue to occur; and statistics show that they will continue to increase and become more complex along time. Among the trending topics in IT Management we find that experts in this field are few, and their preparation soon become obsolete.
In this sense, online collaboration with specialized products and services for cybersecurity management is another solution that you must know and handle, especially if your company is a SME: This option has become the cheapest, viable and effective to deal with cyber attacks.
3. Internet of Things (IoT)
Next in the list, we have the IoT which is still revolutionizing the business world. Especially because it adds a new element to the client-company-service flow.
Then, with IoT, people are no longer the exclusive Internet consumers: Machines also do it. For example, in the Manufacturing and Energy sectors, Machine-to-Machine interactions are widespread.
This simplifies communications and machine tool operations to report failures and to send maintenance alerts.
4. OEM and ODM Development
Also, OEM (Original equipment Manufacturer) and ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) figure in this list of trending topics in IT Management.
They are both well known in the modern production because they give specific approaches to the supply chain: On the one hand and with an OEM, you provide ideas and specifications for finished products.
In other words, you company provides all the information related to the plans and distribution channels of the finished products under your own brand. On the other hand, with the ODM this definition changes: If your company has resource limitations for the design, creation and production of your products; then you can hire or outsource an ODM services company.
Under this figure, the ODM you choose will execute all the necessary to develop your line of products, meeting and guaranteeing your production requirements.
This is one of the trending topics in IT Management that you must handle: Studies recognize this collaborations and agreements as the best way of doing business; especially if your company is related to the development and distribution of finished technological products, or if your marketing field comprehends Product Engineering, Engineering and Process Simulation, etc.
5. DevOps for software and hardware
Along with the other trending topics in IT Management, we find DevOps (Development Operations), which is a new way of carrying on processes and operations in IT. DevOps are the joint participation of Development and Operations Teams in the development of IT Solutions.
With this interaction, the involved teams optimize their work processes to achieve customer satisfaction with the delivery of codes on demand; and maintain availability of services.
In the coming years, IT services companies will require DevOps specialists in their production processes. This may represent an obstacle for organizations because professionals in this specific field are few. However, from our expert perspective, we already intuited some evolution of another trend As A Service to respond to this lack.
6. Application Containers
Containers also count in this list of trending topics in IT Management. As you probably know, they allow different virtual instances to share the same operating system on the host, with its binary systems, libraries or controllers.
However, this new approach reduces considerably the waste of technological resources: Containers hold and share applications and binaries or dependent libraries they needs to work.
In this fashion; each container uses the same host operating system for different containers instead of installing a different OS for each guest virtual machine.
Notably, this technology has great advantage over traditional environments where each machine contains a complete operating system; with its own drivers or drivers and applications.
By having a virtual machine running on a hypervisor, and this in turn, running on the host’s operating system, you save technological resources to run the hardware of the physical server.
With all this ingenious solution, you save a lot of time, money and effort in programming, commissioning and IT maintenance.
7. Artificial Intelligence
Last but not least, we find AI in this list of trending topics in IT Management. Today, it is an essential factor for many aspects of the business because AI provides a real asset compared to those who do not use it. Also, AI will continue to evolve in the future and will be even more efficient.
At this stage of AI development, people remains fundamental within the company because they have capabilities that AI does not yet has. However, it will soon change and that’s why you need to harmonize Artificial Intelligence with your workforce. Then, your upcoming challenge as a leader is carrying on this task.
Trending topics in IT Management and you
All these trending topics in IT Management are scarcely the tip of the iceberg; and every day that passes, more inventions continue to emerge. And leaders as you need to face and master them now.
In that sense, it is your duty to guide all your teams towards the assumption of challenges that represent technological growth, transformation and efficiency in service delivery.
While achieving this duty imply the development of the fundamental capabilities necessary for long-term success, technological change starts in your present relationship with digital transformation, the analysis and the agile integration of the tendencies topics in IT management.
And in spite of the fact that all these measures bring with them an increase in the costs of technological updating, investment in them bring the best results: Your customer’s loyalty.
