Skills in Security and Cloud Computing are in Demand, according to IT Skills and Salary Report by Penton's Windows IT Pro and by Global Knowledge
NEW YORK, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Penton's Windows IT Pro, the leading independent community for Microsoft Windows IT professionals covering tech industry trends, and Global Knowledge, the world's leading IT and business skills training provider, today announced the availability of the 2015 IT Skills and Salary Report. The report is based on input from more than 11,000 IT and business professionals in North America who responded to the eighth annual IT Skills and Salary Survey, one of the largest of its kind.
Among the key findings from this year's IT salary survey:
Skills in security, cloud computing and networking are in demand.
IT security tops the list of skills that IT decision-makers (ITDMs) said their teams need most, and one out of five ITDMs reported having difficulty finding skilled talent for cloud initiatives. ITDMs are also looking for professionals who have skills in network engineering, systems engineering, IT architecture and network operations.
Skills gaps are hampering organizational success.
Two-thirds of the ITDMs surveyed said that their organization has a skills shortage or will have one in the next 24 months. Respondents who reported skills gaps said the shortage results in increased employee stress levels, difficulty meeting quality objectives, delayed hardware and software deployments, and delays in new product or service development, among other issues.
Though salaries experienced slight growth since last year, more respondents received raises and bonuses.
This year's salaries range from $88,335 for IT professionals (up one percent from the 2014 study) to $101,790 for business professionals (up from $95,137 in 2014), with an overall average of $89,891. Although overall salary growth is slight year over year, other measures show some improvement. The percentage of respondents reporting a raise reached 75 percent – the highest since 80 percent in the study's inaugural year. Sixty-three percent reported receiving a bonus – the highest percentage ever reported.
Professional development is about more than increased compensation.
The opportunity for an increased salary is just one benefit of training. Respondents ranked staying up to date on technological changes, developing skills that will be useful for future positions, and gaining insight to be more effective in their current role higher than a salary increase.
"We're pleased to provide this business intelligence data and benchmarking each year that not only enables IT and business professionals to assess their skills, compensation and career path, but also arms them with information to carve a path forward and adapt to changing organizational needs," said Dave Knier, vice president of marketing at Global Knowledge. "This year's data reveals skills shortages that provide immense opportunities for those eager to transform their skill sets to accommodate the continuous evolution of technology and business."
The 2015 IT Skills and Salary Survey was conducted from September 15 to October 24, 2014. The online survey yielded more than 16,300 completed responses worldwide, with 11,024 from the United States and Canada.
Download the complete IT salary survey report.
About Penton Technology
Our seasoned journalists and network of industry experts and thought leaders are dedicated to helping our audience of more than 2.6 million professionals do their jobs well every day. Together Windows IT Pro, Windows Supersite, SQL Server Pro, Share Point Pro, Dev Pro Connections, Data Center Warehouse and myITforum arm IT professionals and developers with the latest news, reviews, expert how-to content, advice, insights and community about Microsoft's evolving ecosystem. Our Channel properties, The VAR Guy, MSPmentor, Talkin' Cloud and The Web Hosting Industry Review cover the latest news, expert advice, insights and business strategies that solution and service providers need to serve the enterprise, mid markets and small businesses.
Penton Tech also offers a host of premier networking and professional development opportunities, including conferences and events and online learning, as well as custom content marketing services and advertising solutions for the industry.
ABOUT PENTON
Penton drives performance for more than eighteen million professionals each and every day. They rely on us to deliver: Insights, information & workflow tools to inform critical business decisions; networking & community to engage them with industry peers & partners; and data & marketing services to advance their business performance & deliver ROI.
Penton is a growth company with a track-record of strong performance and success and is backed by its co-owners: MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.
For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.
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Executive Director of Content
Penton Technology
510-423-0330
[email protected]
SOURCE Penton
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