IT management software outfit SolarWinds has discovered that customers were trying to digitally transform, but legacy infrastructure and skills shortages were hamstringing their plans.
According to SolarWinds’s fifth annual IT Trends Report which has the catchy title “The Intersection of Hype and Performance” customers are increasing investments in cloud and hybrid IT and want to take advantage of AI and machine learning.
However, most are nowhere near being able to overlay new demands on crumbling infrastructure.
The investment priority is cloud and hybrid tech, but the speed at which the changes have hit the existing infrastructure has meant that not far off half of the customers are struggling to cope, with many getting bogged down in troubleshooting and maintenance issues.
SolarWinds executive vice president and global chief technology officer Joe Kim said that although those in the IT department seem to be aware of the challenges a combination of factors, including inadequate organisational strategy and training are making life harder and exacerbating the skills shortages.
“The narrative in today’s IT industry revolves around transformative technologies like AI, machine learning, blockchain, and more. These technologies are unquestionably important, but the results of this year’s study reveal that IT professionals are still prioritising investments in technologies that help run day-to-day operations, and choosing initiatives that deliver more immediate value,” he said.
“The SolarWinds IT Trends Report 2018 shows IT professionals are focusing in on proven technologies that deliver value today, like cloud and containers, with an eye toward AI for tomorrow”, he added.
