A shortage of skills is holding back the digital transformation efforts of many businesses in the UK, according to a new report from the Cloud Industry Forum.
Cloud and the changing role of the IT department found that over a quarter (28%) of firms now have a fully formed digital transformation strategy in place, and over half (54%) are in the process of implementing one.
Yet four in ten (41%) of the IT and business decision-makers surveyed admitted that they did not have enough human resources, and 51% do not have the right skills in-house, preventing their organisation from becoming digitised more quickly.
More than a third (37%) of businesses are currently looking for digital transformation strategists and visionaries to help deliver IT projects, a figure that rises to 43% in the next year. Other digital skills in demand include cloud project management (43%), technical implementation skills (42%) and infrastructure and operations expertise (37%).
Eight in ten (82%) of the respondents see the cloud as either very important or vital to their organisations’ digital strategies.
“A successful digital transformation means ensuring the right blend of skills across an organisation and the empowerment of the IT department to make a positive difference,” commented Alex Hilton, chief executive of the Cloud Industry Forum. “Skills requirements have changed and are now required in more specific focus areas, such as implementation and innovation. Remote working and end point management are more challenging plus the perennial challenge of doing more with less.”
In a sign of how skills needs are evolving, demand for skills in robotics and AI are currently limited but 40% of the respondents expect these to be in high demand within the next three years.
Meanwhile, half of firms said that the skills required today for infrastructure and networking professionals are now far more technical than in the past, and 43% agreed that innovation has to be at the forefront of their thinking.
Our Next-generation connectivity report offers insights on how to future-proof your business in the era of next-generation internet connectivity. Download your free copy now!
Tags: digital transformation
