BUYERS SIDE Looking broader at the specific barriers to achieving the goals of digital transformation, CIOs surveyed by Info-Tech pointed to a wide variety of challenges, all at relatively equal rates. And while the complexity of today’s IT infrastructure was clearly number one on the list, organizational and cultural challenges were highly represented. What also can’t be forgotten are the pervasive talent shortage issues facing IT leaders. “CIOs are finding it difficult to hire the talent needed to create the capacity they need as digital demands of their organizations increase,” said Info-Tech researchers. “This could slow the pace of change as new positions created in IT go unfilled.” Indeed, the importance of attracting and retaining talent has increased for almost all CIOs and CISOs, as 94 percent of such executives surveyed recently by CEO.digital stated that it’s become increasingly critical to their roles during the last two years. In relation to cybersecurity skills, in particular, talent shortages leading to capacity constraints was on top of the list of challenges faced by IT professionals, showed Info-Tech findings. Fifty-four percent said they are concerned or very concerned with this issue. In a separate survey from SD-WAN provider Expereo, 49 percent of CIO admit to struggling to find cybersecurity experts; whilst 41 percent have trouble finding artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) experts. “CIOs may need to consider reskilling and rebalancing workloads of existing staff in the short term and tap outsourcing providers to help make up shortfalls,” said the research firm. Add it all up and it could be why as many as 80 percent of the respondents to the Kaseya survey said they outsource one or more IT services to an advisor or MSP, up from 64 percent in the 2022 survey. Not only are more respondents outsourcing IT services but they are also outsourcing a greater number of IT services, showed the Kaseya data. More than a quarter (27 percent) of the respondents said they outsource IT security, up from 22 percent in 2022. All told, a full 84 percent of IT decision makers surveyed by MarketPulse Research already use or have “definite plans to use” third-party providers in 2023, and an additional 13 percent are considering the use of third-party providers. More than half of respondents (55 percent) said they have plans to increase their use of third-party trusted advisory services. When considering the complexity and mission-critical importance of the current realities faced, compounded by the demands to discover rather than just deploy and support innovation, CIOs and IT leaders, it would seem, have never been more in need of the vision of a trusted expert. That’s of course assuming the “expert” can help IT decision makers – as well as the buying circles they face – discover, understand and convey how solutions can drive the intended outcomes within their specific business model, processes, industry or competitive advantage. Certainly, for many situations, persuading the buying circle will require more than what can be gleaned from a FAQ page. CIOs and IT personnel are being advised by business coaches and experts on how to be “IT superheroes” for their companies. Most superheroes of fiction and comic book lore rely on a trusted, behind-the-scenes companion to help them save the day. o 18 CHANNELVISION | JULY - AUGUST 2023 Source: Info-Tech Research Group Specific challenges in achieving success with digital transformation Organizational/Cultural challenges Data mgmt/Analysis challenges Technology-related challenges 39% 34% 33% 32% 32% 30% 29% 28% 27% 27% 25% 23% 8% Complexity of IT infrastructure Organizational issues (e.g., poorly defined roles & responsibilities) Integration of legacy systems with new applications Data collection/management/analysis Too many competing priorities API development & deployment Business & IT strategy are not well aligned Cultural issues (e.g., resistance or lack of buy-in) Inability to act on data (e.g., to make business process changes) Lack of sufficent budget Lack of staff and/or correct skill sets Lack of vision or strategy None
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