Wonder

Mid-sized enterprises

Delivered July 20, 2019. Contributor: Elena O.

Goals

To understand the psychographics (how they see themselves), motivators, priorities, and media consumption habits of IT executives of midsized companies (500-1000 employees). Areas of particular interest include their views for managing their departments when it comes to backup and network management/security. The end goal of this research is to assist in developing ads for a backup services that will target IT executives and managers for these companies. 

Early Findings

Challenges in IT and PersonalityAccording to CIO.com, the major challenges affecting IT industry leaders include the following:
    -  The rapid changing IT landscape
    -  "Complex and massive" system integrations, processes, and applications that may create issues with 
         issues with stability and technology outages. 
     -  Shrinking IT budgets coupled with increased pressure to innovate.
     -  Privacy and cybersecurity threats.
     -  Increasing focus on changing regulations and audits that detract from helping their businesses compete 
         and gain traction through its technology capabilities and information systems
     -  Rapid innovation pressures coupled with the use of antiquated systems.
     -  Loss of control in their departments due to the increased disruption caused by outsourcing and 
         "cloud services"  
These challenges have shaped important personality traits that IT leaders must possess, which include:
    -  Results driven and consistent - Always delivering what they say the are going to do.
    -  Self Aware - Having emotional intelligence and understanding their strengths and limitations.  Dan Brodie, 
       CIO of BuildDirect states that, "emotional intelligence accounts for 80-90 percent of the difference 
       between average and outstanding leaders, and is twice as important as IQ." In fact, IT leaders must be able 
       to predict their environment and the players in the sphere of influence.
    -  Continuous Growth and Development - In a rapidly changing environment with tight deadlines,  IT leaders
        remain accountable for their professional growth.  It is very easy for IT managers to focus primarily on 
        solving problems within their organizations.  However, the volatility and constant innovationn within the 
        industry may leave this type of leader "behind the times."  According to Robert Hewes, senior partner at 
        Camden Consulting Group, "Professional development is key in this fast-paced world. Honing and 
        expanding one's capabilities should be ingrained. It is a matter of staying value-added."
IT Social Media InfluencersTwo of the top IT social media influencers include: 
    -  Graham Cluley -  " Wrote the first version of, “Dr. Solomon’s Antivirus Toolkit for Windows."  He has also 
        led senior positions at McAfee and Sophos.
    -  Paul Asadoorian - Founder and CEO of Security Weekly. He is also the hosts of Security Weekly's, “Paul’s 
       Security Weekly,” and has held this post since 2005.
Media Habits of IT LeadersIT leaders are most active on LinkedIn Pulse, Medium, and Twitter.   
Some of the highest used hastags by 313 IT leaders on Twitter include, #security, #cloud, #DevOps, #IoT, and #breach. 
Some of the most read publications for IT leaders include, Computer World, CIO Magazine, Network Computing, and Linux Magazine.

Proposed next steps:

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