SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today released the results of its New IT Survey, which sheds light on the evolving role of the modern IT professional in today's technology-driven business environment. Specifically, the survey results reveal that the consumerisation of IT, namely the emergence of BYOx (where x is anything from apps, data to the latest mobile devices), is having a significant impact on business operations and the strategic implementation of emerging technologies.

One in four survey respondents indicated that BYOx is the emerging technology most likely to cause disruption, in terms of its impact on the business and the time and energy IT professionals dedicate to solving related issues.

The results also reveal that IT professionals are playing an increasingly valuable role in the strategic decisions that lead to the implementation of such emerging technologies, with 70 per cent of those surveyed being relied upon to extend their responsibilities and make informed business decisions.

"The days of IT's limited impact on business are long gone, replaced by the modern era of almost complete reliance on technology, especially the emerging technologies that threaten to disrupt the status quo," said Patrick Hubbard, Head Geek, SolarWinds. "The shifting expectations from employees, who want to use consumer devices and applications in the workplace, are leaving an indelible mark on business processes. As a result, more businesses recognise that IT holds an important key to success, particularly when it comes to the implementation of disruptive technologies. Likewise, IT professionals can no longer be content to stay within their traditional role. Instead, they must be prepared to take on new levels of responsibility within strategic business initiatives."

Fielded between February-March 2014, the survey yielded responses from 200 IT practitioners, managers and directors in Denmark from small, mid-size and enterprise companies.

Survey Findings:

Demand for new skillsets-

• 70 per cent of those surveyed are being relied upon to extend their responsibilities and make informed business decisions often or always. Only 16 per cent are rarely asked to contribute in making these kind of strategic decisions
• To feel more empowered to provide strategic advice, slightly less than half of respondents said they need more training in their area(s) of responsibility (44 per cent), and nearly 30 per cent said they need a better understanding of their company's overall business
• 18 per cent of respondents said increasing complexity has greatly affected their responsibilities over the past three to five years, and an additional 42 per cent said it has somewhat affected their role

Other findings- 

• One in four of those surveyed suggested that BYOx is the emerging technology that is most disruptive to business
• Mobility, cloud computing, virtualization and software defined networking round up the top five emerging technologies
• Over 50 per cent of respondent suggest that cloud/SaaS, mobility and virtualization are the top IT skill-sets that will be in high demand over the next three to five years