Business operations have become increasingly digital to facilitate remote working and improve access to computing infrastructure. Therefore, it is becoming vital for organisations to balance operational stability, while also pushing the boundaries of innovation. However, with a surge in demand, the IT skills gap widens, leaving most businesses in a precarious position with limited growth opportunities.
Research indicates that over 55% of businesses in the UK are experiencing a severe digital skills shortage, with organisations struggling to train staff on new IT infrastructures. As technology continues to progress at a rapid pace, businesses are finding it difficult to keep up, leading to this significant disparity between the skills employees possess and the skills required to effectively leverage new technology.
Currently, 27% of UK workers believe that they lack sufficient digital skills required for their job role. If this trajectory continues, businesses must take decisive action or face risks of operational imbalances and limited growth opportunities.
One solution gaining traction is the adoption of managed services as it enables businesses to access a team of experts and specialists. By utilising a managed service provider, companies can alleviate pressures caused by the IT skills gap, with flexibility to meet the specific needs of the business, at any specific time.
Access experts on-demand
As the IT skills gap widens, businesses are left with a digital skills shortage, with an estimated 20% of the workforce in the UK predicted to be significantly underskilled for their jobs by 2030. By onboarding a managed service provider, organisations can gain access to experts and specialists when required to alleviate pressures that arise from the IT gap. By taking advantage of on-demand specialists, businesses’ internal teams can reallocate time to focus on core functions and growth in order to bridge the growing gap.
Furthermore, by leveraging managed services, businesses can mitigate risks associated with IT infrastructures and operations. By reducing the risks of software downtimes and data breaches through external monitoring, a managed service can deliver a reliable IT support system that evolves with the changing landscape, and ultimately the business.
Increased Flexibility
With over 85% of organisations identifying an increased adoption of new technology, businesses are more likely to need the flexibility to ensure adaptation to emerging software to drive transformation. As the gap widens, this poses a significant challenge for businesses, halting the opportunity for future success. Businesses can streamline their operations with the introduction of a managed capacity – a flexible competency-based model which allows them to access specialists within a specific skill set to target exact pain points.
The customisable attributes of a managed capacity offer businesses scalable support. Compared to a whole team of experts working across a broad scope, businesses can fine-tune specialists to target a weak point on a rolling basis, filling precise gaps. Enlisting a managed capacity model also enables businesses to be brought back up to speed with new software better positioning the company with their best foot forwards to drive transformations.
Adopting New Technologies
In addition, with the adoption of emerging technologies such as AI and the cloud, businesses require a specific skill set, further creating a global lack of in-house skills. With more than 75% of companies looking to adopt cloud computing and AI technologies in the next five years, businesses must ensure they have a highly skilled workforce to leverage a streamlined enrollment process.
By shifting to a managed service operation, businesses can tap into a team of expert IT consultants for cost-effective solutions and services, allowing businesses to meet increasing demand, without heavily investing in resources needed to train existing teams.
With the acceleration of emerging technology, leveraging a managed service provider could be the key for businesses to close the IT skills gap, by providing expert IT support that drives innovation and operational efficiency. The solution can significantly reduce operational costs, freeing up resources to invest in other critical areas to accelerate growth. Tailored solutions with managed capacity ensure that businesses can combat specific pain points, enabling more agility and success now and in the future.
