Changing Requirements for an IT Director
The IT Director of today needs to be more well-rounded, not only in technical skills, strategy, and support – but also in people skills. As more and more systems and workloads shift into an as-a-service model, there is a greater reliance on interpersonal skills than pure technical skill.
Historically and currently, a standard IT Director is responsible for making sure the network is in peak operating order, hardware and PCs are patched and updated, and all applications are functioning as expected. At the same time, IT Directors are required to focus on developing technology roadmaps for their organization – attempting to stay ahead of business need and enable the business to grow and thrive.
"ChoiceTel has years of experience in bridging the gap between the highly technical team, vendors, and executive stakeholders in an organization."
Often times, an IT Director is someone with years of experience in technically supporting organizations. But, merely operating in a break-fix manor as an IT Director is becoming more and more antiquated. Someone who can translate the operational requirements and strategy of the business into functional technology is becoming the pre-dominate need for many organizations for their IT Department. The IT Department has been seen as a cost center instead as a profit center – this is shifting as more and more organizations see the value IT truly is able to bring. Being under the radar used to be a good thing in IT – but, if any issues occurred with the company’s systems or operation, it was hard not to be the focus and brunt of backlash within an organization. IT is shifting or has already shifted into the mainstream discussion of an organization, no longer just drifting by under the radar.
But as systems, processes, and functions move to an as-a-service model, the shifting need of an IT Director has become increasingly on managing vendor relationships. Obviously, the technical expertise of an IT Director still needs to be leveraged to set-up a redundant, secure, and safe environment – even if it’s as-a-service model. Being able to articulate this to executives and being able to lead a team of technical experts is becoming more valuable then understanding every little minutia. Even with this change into a more relationship driven model for an IT Director, large organizations may have dozens if not 100’s of technical partners in the market. Managing even a fraction of them can take away valuable time from developing the ongoing strategy and roadmap of an organization and force IT Directors into a status quo model instead of a growth model. ChoiceTel has years of experience of managing complex vendor relationships and advocating for clients of all sizes, allowing them to be strategic – not reactive.
ChoiceTel has years of experience in bridging the gap between the highly technical team, vendors, and executive stakeholders in an organization. We help set-up organizations and IT Directors for success – allowing them to continue focusing on their business strategy and operations. To speak with one of our consultants, call 800.815.3320 or email us at [email protected]
Headquarters
Choice Telecommunications, Inc
7640 Dixie Highway, Suite 150
Clarkston, MI 48346
Phone: 248-922-1150
Email: [email protected]
U.S. Offices
7000 Central Pkwy.
Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30328
(800) 815-3320