What Are the Reasons for the Growing Complexity of the IT Industry?

The IT industry is evolving at lightning speed. Still, professionals and managed IT services who’ve thrived here for a long are well aware of the complexities simmering beneath that shiny exterior.

Let’s consider the last three years (2020-2022). Remote work, hybrid work, and overnight shifts rapidly changed IT security and priorities. This period ushered factors that drove IT complexity more than ever before. The pain points are many:

• Distributed and complex IT environments
• Non-stop workloads
• Cloud and on-premise infrastructure
• IT environment performance, scalability, and costs

Organizations are in a conundrum about juggling with the varying complexities taking the IT world by storm. What’s happening in the IT world? What are the IT complexities hindering organizational progress? Let’s take a look at this topic in detail.

7 IT Complexities: Reasons Driving Change in the IT Environment

1. Larger remote working population

Everyone knows how the Covid pandemic enforced remote working. Three years and several waves later, the norm still continues to exist. In a recent study, several respondents revealed that 58% of their staff worked remotely even after organizations resumed in-office work mode. This number is expected to remain stagnant, with at least 40% of the employees continuing to work remotely.

In order to ensure business continuity, some companies switched to remote work. As the remote working trend continues and employees work outside the normal perimeter, IT complexity is also exacerbated. This complexity arises from managing device sprawl, patching, updating, and securing many endpoints. For its part, the IT industry implemented several processes to ease the change. Advanced tools and technologies came to the fore to ensure seamless access to apps, systems, and data from any corner of the world.

2. Hybrid IT environments

If remote working is a factor, hybrid working is another by-product of the pandemic. The IT network complexity for hybrid work is doubly complex for IT professionals. The lack of skilled staff well-versed in the latest technologies further exacerbates this scenario. Another pressing challenge is the lack of adequate visibility into hybrid workers’ networks, infrastructure, and internet usage. This issue is more prevalent in smaller organizations than their larger counterparts.

3. Cloud environments

Cloud technology is a remarkable tech feat. The transition to cloud technology has undoubtedly contributed to ever-expanding app portfolios, especially as cost-effective cloud apps and services became available. But one has to accept that it puts more burden on IT to comprehend, catalog, and manage all the cloud apps an organization uses.

4. Stricter privacy regulations

To stay in tandem with the fast-paced changes, the ever-watchful CCPA and GDPR established new rules and regulations for data protection. Moreover, to remain compliant, businesses had to shell out more money to make the necessary infrastructural changes. As a result of privacy regulations, IT infrastructure changes necessitated by the pandemic exacerbated IT complexity. Organizations can expect more such regulations in the foreseeable future and gear up to handle more IT complexities.

5. Device diversity

The almost-overnight implementation of remote work gave rise to the new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. This change was in stark contrast to the pre-pandemic practice of prohibiting the use of personal devices for office work. However, things changed rapidly when people were confined to their homes, ultimately burdening IT teams with added security woes. Securing corporate data from cybercriminals became tougher than ever as personal devices opened doors for bigger risks.

6. Diverse data types and system integration

Fast-growing data volumes and multiple data types drive complexity through the roof. This called for stronger system integration, more robust security measures, and efficient management of multiple user interfaces. The sudden proliferation of digital data was driven by:

• Business process digitization
• Increase the use of social media platforms
• Rise of the Internet of Things

The rising value of digital data required multiple platforms to manage, aggregate, and replicate large data volumes. Even today, IT continues to struggle with these complexities because of:

• The separation between analytical and transactional systems
• Limited traditional database
• Development of custom interfaces between business systems
• Updating systems to align with the changes

As a result, the IT platform becomes more complex and brittle.

7. Application proliferation

Over time, many organizations have acquired redundant applications, including CRM systems, due to mergers and acquisitions. These applications were primarily obtained to serve multiple geographies. There may have been a need for various applications at one point, but maintaining and linking them with other applications dramatically increases complexity.

In such a sticky scenario, it’s reassuring to know that IT leaders realize the effects of excess IT complexity and are working to control it. Many measures are already underway to tackle IT complexity. It ranges from:

• Management of on-premise, hybrid, and remote working
• Management of cloud environments
• Use of in-memory technology
• Introduction of self-service analytical tools
• Deployment of customized dashboards.

For IT to respond more effectively to these drivers, it must understand, break down, and solve complex problems.

Manage IT Complexities With CMIT Managed IT Services, Tempe

Stuck in a dilemma with excessive IT complexities? Our CMIT team is ever ready to lend a helping hand to Tempe-based businesses. Get in touch with us today, and let’s discuss your IT requirements.

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