1. IT Trends Report 2019: Hong Kong
Skills for Tech Pros of Tomorrow
Conducted by C White Consulting
December 2018

2. © 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Study Overview
Areas of discussion
How equipped do tech pros feel with their current IT skillset to manage the emerging technologies of tomorrow?
In which areas are tech pros already upskilling today and/or know they should be upskilling today?
How often do tech pros find the time to participate in upskilling (skills training and/or career program development) and from what primary source?
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

3. © 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Study Overview
Respondent demographics
16% of respondents were from MSPs/MSSPs
75 technology practitioners, managers, and directors in Hong Kong from public- and private-sector small, mid-size, and enterprise organisations participated in a December 2018 online study
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

4. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed
Tech pro confidence in having all the necessary skills to successfully manage IT environment for next three to five years
Of tech pros surveyed, 39% are somewhat unconfident or completely unconfident (combined) about having the necessary skills to do so. By business size, a slightly lower percentage of mid-size tech pros are somewhat unconfident or completely unconfident (combined) about possessing ALL the necessary skills to successfully manage their IT environment for the next three to five years compared to their small business and enterprise counterparts (respectively).
Tech pros surveyed represent the 67% of all tech pros who are not “completely confident” in having all the necessary skills to successfully manage their IT environment for the next three to five years.
Q: How confident are you that you already have all the necessary skills to successfully manage your IT environment for the next three to five years?
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5. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Most important technologies for organisation’s technological transformation over next three to five years
#1 by weighted rank
#5 by weighted rank
#3 by weighted rank
#2 by weighted rank
#4 by weighted rank
“Other” responses (N=1): no noteworthy mention
By weighted rank, cloud/hybrid IT is the most important technology, followed by big data analytics and automation &/or orchestration. By business size, the top two (by weighted rank) remain the same for enterprise tech pros, followed by microservices while small business tech pros have the same top three as overall with number two and number three in reverse order. Mid-size tech pros rank big data analytics as number one, followed by artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud/hybrid IT.
#6 by weighted rank
Three-fifths of tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that big data analytics and cloud (public, private, or mix of both) and/or hybrid IT (mix of cloud and on-premises) is one of the top five most important technologies needed for their organisation’s technological transformation over the next three to five years, with 21% listing cloud/hybrid IT as their number one most important technology.
Q: What are the five most important technologies needed for your organisation’s technological transformation over the next three to five years? [choose up to 5 in prioritised order]
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6. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Technologies tech pros feel unequipped to successfully implement/manage with current skillset
“Other” responses (N=0)
By business size, mid-size and enterprise tech pros have the same top three as overall (respectively) with enterprise tech pros in a slightly differing order. Small business tech pros feel unequipped to manage big data analytics, followed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning &/or deep learning.
Over 50% of tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that machine learning and/or deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are one of the technologies they feel unequipped to successfully implement and/or manage given their current IT skillset, followed by blockchain and big data analytics (49% and 47%, respectively).
Q: Based on your current IT skillset, which of the following technologies do you feel unequipped to successfully implement and/or manage? (choose all that apply)
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7. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Skills tech pros have worked to develop over past 12 months to better manage daily operations
“Other” responses (N=1): no noteworthy mentions
Only one percent of tech pros did not work to develop a skill over the past 12 months because they feel they already possess all needed skills. By business size, a larger percentage of small business and mid-size tech pros (respectively) worked to develop their coding & scripting skillset when compared to their enterprise counterparts. And as business size increases, the percentage of tech pros who worked to develop their hybrid IT deployment, monitoring & management skillset decreases.
Over the past 12 months, nearly two-fifths of tech pros surveyed (respectively) have worked to develop their hybrid IT (mix of cloud and on-premises) deployment, monitoring, and management skills and coding and scripting skills to better manage their day-to-day IT environment and its needed disciplines (IT Ops, DevOps, SecOps, and/or outsourced services (MSP/MSSPs)), followed by systems and infrastructure management skills (37%).
Q: Which of the following skills have you worked to develop over the past 12 months in order to better manage your day-to-day IT environment and its needed disciplines (such as IT Ops, DevOps, SecOps, and/or outsourced services (MSP/MSSPs))? (choose all that apply)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

8. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Skills tech pros need to develop over next three to five years to better manage daily operations
“Other” responses (N=2): no noteworthy mentions
By business size, mid-size tech pros reflect the top 3 in a differing order while enterprise tech pros reflect the top two in reverse order, followed by coding & scripting. Small business tech pros need to develop hybrid IT deployment, monitoring & management skills, security management (SIEM, policies, compliance) and coding & scripting skillsets.
Over the next three to five years, over half of tech pros surveyed need to develop their hybrid IT deployment, monitoring, and management skills to better manage their day-to-day IT environment and its needed disciplines (IT Ops, DevOps, SecOps, and/or outsourced services (MSP/MSSPs)), followed by data science and analytics and security management skills (such as SIEM, policies, compliance) (49% and 43%, respectively).
Q: Which of the following skills will you need to develop over the next three to five years in order to better manage your day-to-day IT environment and its needed disciplines (such as IT Ops, DevOps, SecOps &/or outsourced services (MSP/MSSPs))? (choose all that apply)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

9. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed
Top career development goals for tech pros over next three to five years
#1 by weighted rank
#2 by weighted rank
#5 by weighted rank
#4 by weighted rank
#6 by weighted rank
#3 by weighted rank
“Other” responses (N=2): no noteworthy mentions
By business size, the top three (by weighted rank) remain the same for small business and enterprise tech pros (respectively) while mid-size tech pros rank strategic planning as number one, followed by data analytics &/or data science and IT security protocol &/or processes.
Over half of tech pros surveyed indicate that technology innovation is one of their top three career development goals over the next three to five years, with 32% listing it as their number one career development goal. By weighted rank, technology innovation is also the number one career development goal, followed by strategic planning and management/leadership skills (people management).
Q: What are your top three career development goals over the next three to five years? [choose up to three in prioritised order]
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

10. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed
Most important technologies needed for tech pro career development/advancement over next three to five years
#1 by weighted rank
#6 by weighted rank
#4 by weighted rank
#2 by weighted rank
#3 by weighted rank
#5 by weighted rank
“Other” responses (N=1): no noteworthy mentions
By weighted rank, cloud/hybrid IT is the most important technology, followed by big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). By business size, the top two (by weighted rank) remain the same as overall for small business tech pros, followed by SIEM &/or threat intelligence. Mid-size tech pros rank SIEM &/or threat intelligence as number one, followed by cloud &/or hybrid IT and big data analytics while enterprise tech pros rank artificial intelligence as number one, followed by big data analytics and blockchain.
Over three-fifths of tech pros surveyed indicate that big data analytics is one of the top five most important technologies needed for their career development/advancement over the next three to five years, followed by artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud and/or hybrid IT (59% and 57%, respectively) with 17% listing cloud/hybrid IT as their most important technology (compared with 13% ranking artificial intelligence number one and 12% ranking big data analytics number one).
Q: What are the five most important technologies needed for your career development/advancement over the next three to five years? [choose up to five in prioritised order]
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

11. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Tech pros’ primary source of IT skills training/career development
“Other” responses (N=3): no noteworthy mentions (ie Google (1))
By business size, small business, mid-size and enterprise tech pros (respectively) turn to online communities/forums (such as Slack) and vendor training sessions above all other sources with mid-size tech pros also turning to their organisation &/or co-workers.
Three out of ten tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that online communities/forums (such as Slack) and vendor training sessions are their primary source of IT skills training/career development.
Q: When it comes to learning about emerging technologies, what is your primary source of IT skills training/career development? (choose only one)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

12. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Tech pros’ impression after participating in IT skills training/career development at primary source
“Other” responses (N=2): no noteworthy mentions
After tech pros surveyed participated in IT skills training/career development from their primary source, two-thirds of tech pros considered the training to be informative, one-fifth considered it engaging/interactive, and 19% stated it assumed knowledge they did not have.
Q: Overall, how would you describe the IT skills training/career development you have participated in from the primary source you just mentioned? [choose all that apply]
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

13. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Tech pros’ impression by primary source (top four)
Online Communities/Forums (i.e., Slack)
Industry Events/Trade Shows
Vendor Training Sessions
My Org and/or Coworkers
“Other” responses (N=2): no noteworthy mentions
By primary source (qualitatively), those opting for training via vendor training sessions find it slightly more engaging/interactive than those opting for training from other sources while a lower percentage of those opting for training via vendor training sessions find it informative when compared to those opting for training from other sources.
A higher percentage of enterprise tech pros considered the training to be informative compared to small and mid-size tech pros (respectively).
Q: Overall, how would you describe the IT skills training/career development you have participated in from the primary source you just mentioned? [choose all that apply]
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

14. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Frequency that tech pros’ day-to-day IT tasks extend into time earmarked for career development
As business size increases, so to does the percentage of tech pros whose day-to-day IT management tasks “always” extend into the time earmarked for career development goals
Over half of tech pros surveyed indicate that day-to-day IT management tasks “sometimes” extend into the time they set aside for pursuing their career development goals, while 13% of tech pros state that happens “always” and one-third say it happens “rarely.”
Q: How often do your day-to-day IT management tasks extend into the time you set aside for pursuing your career development goals? (choose only one)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

15. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Frequency that tech pros currently engage in IT skills training/career development programmes
Over one-fifth of tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that they currently engage in IT skills training and/or career development programmes a few times a year and weekly, while 14% of tech pros (respectively) engage monthly, quarterly, and annually. By business size, twice as many enterprise tech pros engage weekly compared with small and mid-size tech pros (respectively).
Q: How often do you currently engage in IT skills training and/or career development programmes? (choose only one)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

16. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Frequency that tech pros would commit to IT skills training/career development programmes given no schedule/workload restrictions
As business size increases, so to does the percentage of tech pros who would commit monthly. And a higher percentage of enterprise tech pros would commit daily compared with their small business and mid-size counterparts (respectively).
Over one-fourth of tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that given no schedule/workload restrictions, they would commit to IT skills training and/or career development programmes on a weekly and monthly basis, while one-fifth of tech pros would commit quarterly and 18% would commit daily.
Q: If you could set your own schedule and workload with no restrictions, how often would you commit to IT skills training and/or career development programmes? (choose only one)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

17. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Tech pros’ biggest barrier to current ability to participate in IT skills training/career development
“Other” responses (N=0)
100% of tech pros surveyed find training/development programmes useful.
By business size, a lower percentage of small business tech pros cite time/availability as their biggest barrier when compared to their mid-size and enterprise counterparts (respectively) while a higher percentage of small business tech pros cite energy needed for “one more” activity when compared to mid-size and enterprise tech pros (respectively).
Over one-third of tech pros surveyed indicate that time/availability (for travel, training itself, etc.) is the biggest barrier to their current ability to participate in IT skills training and/or career development programmes, followed by cost (of training program, travel to trade show, etc.) and energy needed for “one more” activity (23% and 18%, respectively).
Q: What is the biggest barrier to your current ability to participate in IT skills training and/or career development programmes? (choose only one)
© 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.  All rights reserved.

18. Technology Skills and Training Are Needed Needed
Tech pros’ ideal delivery format for IT skills training materials for IT ops, SecOps, DevOps, and MSP/MSSPs (overall)
#5 by weighted rank
#2 by weighted rank
#3 by weighted rank
#1 by weighted rank
#6 by weighted rank
#4 by weighted rank
“Other” responses (N=29): no noteworthy mentions
By business size, the top three (by weighted rank) remain the same as overall for enterprise tech pros while small business tech pros have the same number one as overall, followed by pre-recorded training module and half-day, in-person workshop/user conference. Mid-size tech pros rank full-day, in-person workshop/user conference as number one, followed by webinar and self-guided online course.
Three out of ten tech pros surveyed (respectively) indicate that full-day, in-person workshop/user conference and self-guided online course is their #1 ideal delivery format for IT skills training materials, followed by half-day, in-person workshop/user conference and webinar (21% and 11%, respectively). By weighted rank, self-guided online course is the #1 ideal delivery format, followed by #2 full-day, in-person workshop/user conference and #3 half-day, in-person workshop/user conference.
Q: In order of preference, what is your ideal delivery format for IT skills training materials pertaining to IT Ops, SecOps, DevOps, and outsourcing/managed services? [choose 5 in prioritized order]
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