Information technology (IT) is a sector in constant flux. Over the past 25 years, it has been progressively reshaped by the emergence of the World Wide Web, cloud computing, smartphones and tablets, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives and software-defined networking. Additional breakthroughs are also on the horizon, including ongoing expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as heavier investment by tech vendors in altered/virtual reality applications. What role do IT consultants – who guide projects and assist with everything from vendor selection to ongoing maintenance – play in the current environment?
Top Skills for an IT Consultant
Today’s IT consultants play a central role in bringing both new and old technologies to life for their partners and turning them into drivers of organizational success. Consultants should have extensive knowledge of the major trends currently driving IT transformation, including the trio of public cloud, mobile networking and cybersecurity that is fueling immense demand for consulting expertise:
Public cloud
Public cloud computing entered the mainstream in the mid-2000s with the launch of Amazon Web Services, which is still the largest Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution on the market. Total spend on public cloud services for 2017 has been estimated at $122.5 billion, by IDC; by 2020, the figure could reach $203 billion. The shift toward IaaS and other cloud deployments is intended to increase the agility of IT organization, while reducing their costs related to hardware, software and personnel.
Mobile networking
Modern smartphones only debuted in 2007 with the first iPhone and took even longer to really gain traction. Now they are the primary means by which many individuals access the internet: The Cisco Visual Networking Index revealed that Internet Protocol (IP) traffic from smartphones would surpass that from PCs by 2021. That same year, global IP traffic is expected to be 127 times higher than it was in 2005. BYOD projects have ushered millions of mobile devices into the workplace and made them key cogs in enterprise application access.
Cybersecurity
As IT infrastructures have been re-architected to resemble the innovations of cloud pioneers such as Amazon, Google and Facebook, cybersecurity has taken center stage. It can be challenging to strike a balance between, on the one hand, increased reliance on virtualization, cloud and distributed/mobile tech and, on the other, the protection of sensitive data across these many new potential attack surfaces. IT research firm Gartner has projected worldwide cybersecurity spending will grow 7.6 percent in 2017, to $90 billion.
Confronted with these challenges, many organization turn to IT consultants, who are typically experts in one or more technical domains, such as networking, project management, software development and/or implementation of specific solutions such as Microsoft Office 365. They usually have at least a bachelor’s degree in an information science, electrical engineering or computer programming discipline.
What Does an IT Consultant Do?
Depending on their experience levels and specializations, IT consultants may work for a professional services provider, a staffing firm or as freelancers. Responsibilities vary from one setting to the next, but often encompass general tasks such as:
- Providing recommendations and guidance on solution selection.
- Working on one-off projects.
- Assisting with general IT staffing.
- Overseeing cybersecurity projects.
In everyday practice, these activities may support a variety of specific projects, including work on security threat detection and response, healthcare IT modernization and hybrid cloud implementation.
Security
The stakes for protecting corporate networks and data are higher than ever. A single data breach can cost a firm between several hundred thousand and millions of dollars in lost uptime, revenue and reputation. IT security consultants may help with the implementation of sophisticated defenses including intrusion detection systems, next-generation firewalls and security operations centers, all of which go well beyond tools like antivirus but also require precise setup and management.
Healthcare IT
The enormous healthcare sector is a major source of demand for experienced consultants who can navigate the modernization of its aging IT systems. The worldwide healthcare IT consulting market is expected to expand at a 19.8 percent compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2022, according to Research and Markets. The digitization of medical records and the growing utilization of cloud computing services and data warehouses will provide major opportunities for IT consultants to plug knowledge and expertise gaps across the industry.
Hybrid cloud
Although we have talked mostly about public cloud so far, hybrid cloud has become the preferred deployment model for many enterprises. The 2017 RightScale State of the Cloud found that 67 percent of enterprises were using hybrid cloud, compared to 22 percent for public cloud only and 5 percent for private cloud only. Hybrid cloud is a complex combination of remote and local resources. IT consultants are essential for ensuring the proper selection and integration of components, not to mention the security of the infrastructure and data across the cloud.
IT Consultant Job Outlook
There is significant demand for capable IT consultants at the moment. According to Source Global Research, the U.S. IT consulting market reached $58.7 billion in 2016, growing 7.1 percent year-over-year.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also estimated that the closely related computer systems analyst profession had a median 2016 salary of more than $87,000, well above the median for the nation as a whole. Moreover, growth is expected to be much faster than average, at 21 percent from 2014 to 2024. The more general management consultant category will see 14 percent expansion over that same period.
The key drivers of this growth include the trends we highlighted earlier, namely burgeoning interest in cloud computing, mobile networking and cybersecurity modernization. Cost control via improved efficiency will also spur need for consultants.
How to Become an IT consultant
IT consultants should possess a bachelor’s degree or higher in an IT-related field or have relevant experience. An online master’s degree in data science or electrical engineering from the University of California – Riverside can give you the advanced skills you need to excel in the competitive IT consulting world. Learn more by visiting the main program page.
Recommended Readings:
Chief Data Officer: Job Description and Skills
The Effect of Big Data on Health Care and How Data Scientists Can Help
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