The 2020 CompTIA Cyberprovinces Report

BACKGROUND – KEY FORCES SHAPING THE TECH LANDSCAPE

The iterative fusion of technology building blocks and emerging technology, coupled with a generous helping of people and process, will set the stage for the next wave of innovation. This may entail the stacking of foundational infrastructure and enabling components with emerging general- purpose technologies, such as AI, and then rounded out with data, an ‘as -a- service’ user experience, and busine ss process optimization. The implications are both exciting – the ingredients of innovation have never been more accessible, and trying, as users and technology providers work to understand an ever-growing set of building blocks and how the pieces fit to drive digital transformation. Against this backdrop, CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook explores the forces shaping the information technology industry, its workforce, and its business models in the year ahead. See www.comptia.org for full report.

Artificial Intelligence Eats theWorld When Marc Andreessen made his now-famous

HypeMeets Reality withEmerging Technology

statement about software in 2011, he may not have even realized the extent to which the world would be consumed over the next decade. Cloud computing lowered both the barrier for developing software and the barrier for distribution, and mobile devices extended the reach of software to previously unreached corners. The net effect was an exponential increase in software’s ability to drive activity. This created a new challenge in conducting said activity and acting on the data being collected. Enter artificial intelligence. With a foundation of software-driven routines and the compute resources to broadly run advanced algorithms, AI can push software to the next level. However, there’s a fine line between “eating the world” and “global domination.” Cybersecurity Becomes MoreOperational The theme of cybersecurity over the past decade was a shift from a purely defensive mindset to a proactive approach that combined technology, process, and education. Moving forward, the shift will be from cybersecurity as a component of IT to cybersecurity as a critical business function. When treated as part of IT, a proactive approach to cybersecurity may still struggle to get the proper budget allocation or properly demonstrate value to the business. As a result, organizations are beginning to treat cybersecurity as a dedicated function. Internet of Things Continues to RedefineIT Architecture As one of the two emerging technologies to be gaining significant traction, internet of things seems poised to join cloud computing and mobile devices as a permanent part of the modern technology landscape. Businesses are quickly discovering the value in digitizing their environment and their operations, collecting data that can help with future decision-making. The trend is also showing positive returns for companies that sell and support technology. Half of these firms report either major or minor levels of IoT-related sales in the last year, with others experimenting internally. Today, IoT as a managed services play is driving the most revenue in this category; but looking ahead to the next two years companies are predicting that analytics on data captured by IoT sensors – then shared with customers – holds the most financialpromise.

Demand for Integration Drives Demandfor Automation Businesses of all sizes recognize the need to better integrate disparate platforms, applications, and data. Whether integration is outsourced or being done in- house, the next step for many businesses will be automation. Internet of things implementations expand the ability to gather inputs from a variety of sources, and artificial intelligence can help drive actions based on those inputs. From there, the vast array of other emerging technologies allows companies to imagine and build complex automation. The goal of this automation, as with all technological advances, is to reduce the amount of routine work and to create breathing room for innovation. Over the past several years, there has been a lot of excitement around emerging technologies. At an operational level, this has been a positive trend as it has helped businesses build better practices for evaluating early-stage topics and accelerating adoption. At a tactical level, though, it has created some chaos. Without the chance to wait and see which technologies prove their worth, companies have found themselves confronted with a bevy of options — a situation that exacerbates resource constraint and skill gaps. Heading into a new year, the hype around emerging technology remains high, especially among those firms selling and supporting technology Workforce Diversity Grows in ManyWays In 2020, the call for improved diversity will continue to pay dividends, even if fully diverse and inclusive environments still lie further in the future. Going beyond efforts around common conceptions of diversity, there will also be a marked increase in the skill diversity that companies are seeking. Twenty years ago, the stereotypical IT worker had a heavy concentration in infrastructure skills and worked in relative isolation from the rest of the business. Today, companies are seeking expertise across all areas of CompTIA’s IT framework— infrastructure, devices, software development, cybersecurity, data, operations, and emerging technology. Beyond technical skills, businesses are also looking for technology professionals that can speak the language of the business, collaborating with other departments in order to drive technology-fueled business results.