In a survey of its experts, Forrester Research unveiled last week what its analysts believe are the hottest roles in IT.
The survey is directed at CIOs and is meant to help them determine who they should either "hire, cultivate or rent." For IT workers, it may be a way to insure a long and successful career in IT.
[ Worried about your tech job moving abroad? See InfoWorld's special report on offshoring yourself and working overseas. ]
Analysts were asked to analyze the hot roles within their own coverage areas by incorporating such data as drivers, demand, and influence of roles.
Forrester put 16 such roles in categories designated "hot, very hot, extremely hot, hottest."
What's hot
Rather than classifying jobs by title, the report identifies hot areas by job description -- that is, the function within IT.
Six IT roles are identified as hot: account manager, desktop virtualization expert, mobile operations devices expert, service manger, business process analyst, and storage director.
Account manager: Acts as the interface between IT and the business; includes initiating projects, IT planning, project monitoring.
Desktop virtualization expert: In this role, an IT worker would oversee the implementation of desktop virtualization. Moving from desktop to datacenter also requires knowledge of back-end infrastructure operations.
Mobile operations and devices expert: Responsibilities include wireless networks, the interface between IT networks and carrier networks, knowledge of devices, and a level of knowledge about compliance regulations as they affect mobile security.
Service manager: Defines services IT offers, monitor SLAs and business continuity.
Business process analyst: Must be able to understand business process requirements and reinterpret these requirements into specifications for a technical staff.
Storage director: Responsible for all parts of storage including staff and infrastructure.
What's very hot
Enterprise application strategist: In charge of long-term application strategy for the enterprise; must define ongoing and future business processes.
IT planner: Prioritize and manage IT investments and integrate IT plans with business plans and forecasts.
Network architect: Design network solutions on a micro and macro level, oversee quality assurance and testing before network is put in production.
Enterprise project manager: Define project management superstructure or framework, manage outsource providers, and provide hands-on management of large projects.
What's extremely hot
Data/content-oriented business analyst: Responsible for designing components for the creation, classification, and access to unstructured data.
Business architect: Define business processes, integration, and technology needed to support the processes.
Enterprise architect: Manage the governance of enterprise architecture, including processes, data structures, and deployment of enterprise-wide applications.
Vendor management expert: In charge of pre-and-post contract management.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Careers Resource Alerts
5 Recommendations
