IT Pro Day 2022 – Shining a light on our IT professionals

As Terry Storrar, Managing Director at Leaseweb UK, begins: “The job of an IT professional is never done. Whether they are maintaining hardware, fixing bugs, ensuring compliance regulations are met, or simply helping an employee with a lost password, it’s a never-ending and often thankless job. And the world of the IT professional is only becoming more complex. In today’s digital age, the majority of organisations are undergoing almost constant change - whether it’s managing a hybrid workforce or keeping up with the latest digital transformation trends.”

Working away in the background to keep our systems running and allowing the rest of us to get on with our work, these IT heroes are often taken for granted. “In the 24/7, on-demand world that we live in, IT Pros are the cogs that keep our organisational machines running smoothly,” explains Donnie MacColl, Director of EMEA Technical Services at HelpSystems. “More often than not, we only notice how vital their work is to our day-to-day lives when things go wrong. IT Pro Day is a chance to show our appreciation, take notice of what is so often overlooked and say “thanks for all you do” to the IT Pros in our lives”.

Gregg Mearing, Chief Technology Officer at Node4, agrees: “They are the first port of call when technology goes wrong, but are often overlooked for the work they do to keep the technology-lights on and keep their businesses protected from online threats. We would talk about them a lot more if they were not so good at their jobs!”

The foundation of every industry

Almost every sector relies on IT professionals to manage their digital landscape and keep them up and running. Richard Orange, Vice President EMEA at Exabeam, describes how IT professionals help cybersecurity teams to keep threats at bay: “Security is an ever-changing field, and businesses should always strive to proactively keep up with the latest technology. It should be at the forefront of conversations, with a deeper understanding of security beyond a ‘tick box exercise’. Security is not a one-size-fits-all arrangement, with a broad selection of software applications to suit varying needs and requirements. IT professionals design technology for businesses, providing support to implement it and tailor it to their needs.”

Hugh Scantlebury, CEO and Founder of Aqilla, speaks for the finance industry in recognising the crucial work of IT pros: “Although our software is designed to be pretty much self-service, accounting teams would not be able to use it with such ease without the crucial work of our IT professionals. They are central in maintaining applications, coordinating cloud services and environments, managing data storage and business continuity strategies — and supporting the broader IT infrastructure. They’re the people who keep our networks up and running, rain or shine. We simply would not be able to work without them.”

The transport sector also shares its gratitude for these unsung heroes. As Warwick Taylor, Director Of Customer Service EMEA at Cubic Corporation, says, "our IT professionals design, deliver and operate platforms and application services for our customers. They are natural problem solvers and passionate about Operation IT service delivery, with a wide range of specialist skills and product knowledge. Using the Cubic OneTeam ethos to swiftly communicate with each other as well as other Cubic teams, they work tirelessly to ensure issues are resolved efficiently.”

Show them some love

Now we understand the importance of IT Pro Day, but how can we express our gratitude and show our IT professionals just how much we appreciate them?

Cubic’s Taylor encourages business leaders to simply “acknowledge all the work our IT professionals do and think of ways we can make their life easier. For example, knowledge management and collaboration platforms are now more important than ever to ensure timely resolution to complex technical problems that span a range of specialist areas. Investing in these tools is key to alleviating the burden on our IT teams in the post-pandemic era, where adaptability is mission critical.”

“With skills shortages leading to under-resourced teams, it's vital that organisations offer their IT staff all the support that they can,” adds Neil Jones, Director of Cybersecurity Evangelism at Egnyte. “For example, providing technical teams with the right tools that allow them to automate processes wherever possible is key to ensuring their success. Similarly, employers should be regularly checking in on the well-being of the team and individual team members. It’s time that they are collectively recognised for the tireless work they do.”

To conclude, Steve Young, UKI Sales Engineering Director at Commvault, urges everyone to celebrate IT Pro Day as "we wouldn’t get by without IT Pros. So I think we can all agree, the very least they deserve is a day to be appreciated and reassured that their work does not go unnoticed.”