Research firm: U.S. losing status as global broadband leader

Research firm: U.S. losing status as global broadband leader
The U.S. is falling behind in the race to deploy high-speed Internet service, and ranks 35th out of 148 countries in Internet bandwidth, according to The World Economic Forum. Data show that major U.S. cities are being outpaced by emerging nations such as Latvia, which has Internet speeds about 2½ times faster than San Antonio. Officials say the lag could strain GDP growth.

Amazon exec: Cloud is replacing IT infrastructure globally

Amazon exec: Cloud is replacing IT infrastructure globally
The cloud is becoming the new IT infrastructure, especially in emerging markets, Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels says. "The cloud is eliminating the need for IT infrastructure and as a result we are starting to see cloud just catch up internationally, and how businesses are changing as a result," Vogels says. "... While cloud has brought a true revolution in the U.S. very early already, it is just catching on internationally and it is great to see how those businesses are changing."

Consumer privacy, wearables, 3D printing among predicted tech trends

Consumer privacy, wearables, 3D printing among predicted tech trends
This article highlights technology trends that are expected to continue to gain popularity this year. The list includes the Internet of Things, wearable products, 3-D printing, the continued adoption of smartphones, space tourism and the increased use of robots

Forrester predicts modest growth in IT spending this year

Forrester predicts modest growth in IT spending this year
Economic pressures will continue to weigh on IT in 2014, with growth rates expected to come in below averages from the past two decades, according to analysts, who expect stronger recovery in 2015. Forrester Research predicts global spending on IT to increase 6.2% this year, fueled largely by the U.S., with software and outsourcing seeing the strongest gains. "Beyond 2014, we are expecting a strengthening global economy in 2015 will propel global tech market growth higher across the board, but with software growing at double-digit growth rates for the first time in many years," Forrester's Andrew Bartels wrote in a blog post

Find More Programmers!

Advice to IT Managers: Find More Programmers

As the line between programming and other IT disciplines blur, IT managers must hire or train employees to get the right skill sets.

When I started in technology, there was a clear line between programmers and other IT roles, such as hardware engineers. They were distinct disciplines with their own requirements, and they had separate career paths. Today that’s changing; you can still be a hardware engineer, but more and more IT functions require some familiarity with programming.

 

Whether it’s writing scripts or batch files, IT professionals find it necessary to get familiar with Perl, Java and other software languages. Programming skills are essential as systems become more integrated and automated.

 

While the need for programming is a challenge to IT professionals, it’s also a challenge to management. IT leaders have to find employees with the right mix of skills—and the mindset to continue their education and develop new proficiencies.

 

If the right skill sets aren’t available on the job market (or come at too high a price), organizations can train their existing workforce. Of course, you may be reluctant to train up your staff for fear that these employees will go elsewhere. It’s a legitimate concern, but I always think of this quote whenever I hear such an objection: What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us? What happens if we don’t and they stay?

 

There are plenty of training options available, including online (Code.org is a good place to start) and classroom instruction. Tech conferences can also be valuable. I encourage my own staff to learn new skills by letting them take equipment home so they can build and explore. They seem to enjoy this aspect of training, because they come back to work asking questions and looking for answers on their own.

 

However, one drawback of staff training is that some individuals don’t really know what role they see for themselves in the future in the organization. Do they want to be an engineer? A manager? It’s hard to direct them to training if they don’t have clear path for themselves.

On the hiring side, the best places where I find individuals are job fairs at local colleges, community colleges or other technology organizations. I have hired several individuals from DeVry Institute and highly recommend them—they’ve turned out to be great investments.

In addition to finding (or training) the right staff, IT leaders and managers also have to create a collaborative environment for these employees to work within. Collaboration is a must to manage and maintain all the disparate systems that are required to run the business. We also see trends such as software-defined networking and hybrid clouds where scripting and the ability to integrate different platforms via software are essential.

 

We need more non-programmers to become more familiar with writing software. We also need programmers to get more involved with systems and network management. IT managers should start now to find and develop programming talent. Are you looking for employees with more programming skills? If so, are you hiring, training or both?

 

CompTIA PDI+ Certification Retirement

CompTIA PDI+: January 31, 2014
CompTIA PDI+ Certification Retirement

The CompTIA PDI+ certification (PD0-001) will be retiring  on January 31, 2014. CompTIA will not replace this exam. Anyone studying for the exam is encouraged to complete his/her studies and seek  certification. Any exam vouchers previously purchased for exams not yet  taken will be valid until January 31, 2014. CompTIA PDI+ certifications  will not expire.