20 August 2014

More than half of SMEs believe the role of the IT manager will be dead by 2024, according to research by Node4. But the cloud and data centre specialist says the IT manager will remain key to driving business success in the coming years, and warns firms that ignore this do so at their own risk.

Node4 says the advent of outsourced and cloud IT has fuelled reports about the demise of the CIO/IT manager’s role. It says some observers believe the simplification of technology and the trend towards out-sourcing means their functions will become superfluous, if not entirely obsolete.

“Many would think we welcome speculation that the role of the IT manager will be defunct by 2024,” says Paul Bryce, Node4’s business development director. “Perhaps it makes sense that as more organisations outsource IT to companies like us, we will naturally assume more of the IT manager’s responsibilities, thus making the in-house functionality a thing of the past.

“However, the truth of the matter is that the IT manager is now more important than ever. Change is the new norm for IT departments, and successful organisations need a technology expert who understands the IT landscape and can marry this expertise with the needs of the business.”

Bryce says rather than being someone who controls all the technology within the organisation, the IT manager must assume a role more akin to being a ‘steward of risk’ – i.e. a well informed member of staff who helps colleagues use technology to win more business, beat the competition, and succeed in the post-recession economy.