SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable hybrid IT
infrastructure management software, today announced it has established
the third Tuesday of every September, beginning September 15, 2015, as IT Professionals Day to honour all IT professionals as the unsung heroes of modern business. In connection to IT Professionals Day, SolarWinds also released the findings of its IT Pro Value Surveys,
which not only demonstrate the value Australian IT professionals
provide, but also reveals opportunities for business leaders and end
users to show greater appreciation towards IT professionals.
The surveys, conducted across both end users and IT professionals
themselves, explore user attitudes and opinions about IT professionals
and the technology they support, and IT professionals' own perspectives
on how valued they feel.
The results reveal that most Australian end users feel IT has a
greater impact on their daily work lives than the C-suite, with almost
two-thirds (61 percent) agreeing that their company's IT department
going on vacation for a month would have a greater impact on their daily
work life than if their company's C-suite did.
The study also reveals the value Australian end users place on
technology in the workplace over personnel, with more than three in five
(62 percent) of Australian end users placing greater importance on the
technology supported by IT professionals in the workplace -- such as
phones, computers and software -- than they do on personnel (28
percent). Yet more than three in five (62 percent) end users say they do
not understand at all, or understand only a little about the role of IT
professionals, beyond helping them as an end user resolve their
technology issues.
Furthermore, nearly two thirds (65 percent) of Australian end users
say it would take them more time to complete a typical day's work
without the use of the technology maintained by IT professionals. One
third of respondents (33 percent) said one day's work would take an
additional business day or longer to complete without said technology
and 12 percent said it would not at all be possible to carry out their
daily work without it.
From an IT professional perspective:
- Three out of five IT professionals (62 percent) feel at
most moderately valued by their employer for their unique contribution
to business, with more than one-quarter (27 percent) feeling only
slightly valued to not valued at all.
- Four out of five IT professionals (83 percent) feel they are worth
more than they are currently compensated, with one-third (35 percent)
saying they feel worth at least 21 percent more.
- The majority of IT professionals (61 percent) are concerned about
job security, with almost half (42 percent) suggesting that a lack of
understanding from company leadership around the importance of IT is a
key reason for this.
"The survey results demonstrate that business leaders and end users
can do a lot more to show IT pros how appreciative they are of the value
they provide to business," said Kevin Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer, SolarWinds.
"The technology we rely on to keep business running smoothly is
absolutely critical to success, but the level of recognition and reward
IT pros receive for the part they play in enabling and supporting it may
not match it. IT Professionals Day is a great way to start levelling
that."
IT Professionals Day
IT Professionals Day is designed to celebrate all IT
professionals regardless of discipline. Whereas holidays such as System
Administrator Appreciation Day do well at recognising one category of
the profession, IT Professionals Day honours not only system
administrators, but network engineers, database administrators,
information security professionals, developers, IT support technicians
and all other professionals serving in IT-related roles.
"We're very excited to be a part of establishing IT Professionals Day
as a way to honour all IT pros for the amazing work they do to keep
business moving at the lightning speed required for success today,"
added Thompson. "When you think about what a typical day would look like
for many of today's workers without IT pros and the technology they
support, it's safe to say work on the whole would slow to a crawl or
worse. Considering all they do, IT pros truly are the unsung heroes of
modern business. So, on behalf of SolarWinds, thank you to all the IT pros out there. And happy IT Professionals Day 2015 and beyond."
Visit ITProDay.org to learn more.