It is clear from our own experience and all the experts we talked to while compiling this report that there is no silver bullet for solving the IT talent gap.
Businesses need to find their own mix between redeployment, retraining, new hires and strategic sourcing from external vendors. Some will be affected by digital transformation more than others. Levels of preparation vary hugely between and within sectors.
We hope, though, that we have started a debate and can inspire others to share their own tips and experiences.
Technological progress and the disruption that comes with it is too often framed as a threat to be managed. As we hope we have shown – by taking the right steps to get ahead of and manage the change, it can open up huge opportunity within the IT function and beyond.
We will be carrying on the conversation on our LinkedIn feeds and we welcome observations, problems and challenges from readers. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, keep up to date with our coverage of the bridging the talent and skills gap on our Executive Perspectives page.
Colin Seward
Chief Information Officer
Cisco EMEAR
Chintan Patel
Chief Technology Officer
Cisco UK and Ireland