Survey identifies IT continuity skills gap

SteelEye Technology has released further results from its 2nd annual Business Continuity Index, a survey examining adoption levels, best practices and attitudes regarding business continuity among IT professionals and C-level executives. The findings showed that universities and graduate-level information technology programs are not arming their students with the skills they need in relation to business continuity and disaster recovery.

While 87 percent of respondents indicated that they think the average IT organization faces the same or more threats to business continuity than it did a year before, a strong majority (61 percent) said that today's college and graduate IT programs do not place enough emphasis on skills to implement business continuity.

Similarly, 60 percent of all organizations said that the average IT organization is no more prepared for these threats to business continuity than it was a year previously. And among respondents from organizations with an admitted business need for disaster recovery or business continuity protection, the top reason given for avoiding investment was the lack of skills to implement it.

"It's very clear that there's a skills gap that needs to be addressed when it comes to the expertise needed to assure business continuity," said Bob Williamson, vice president for SteelEye Technology. "The commercial sector is dedicating significant resources to averting IT disasters so it's vital that the academic community support this trend in their curricula. Protecting business continuity should be a key learning for today's information technology students."

To help address the gap in skill set, 79 percent of respondents said they are focusing on adding technology more than IT personnel resource in their efforts to assure business continuity.

Reader comment

I agree, although in reality I’m not sure how willing colleges / universities are to add business continuity to their curricula. I suspect it’s a long way off.

One reason may be because BC/DR requirements in organisations ebb and flow depending on local and world events; the subject can tend to be ad hoc.

Also, because BC and DR are ‘niche’ jobs/industries, it doesn’t appeal to college / university IT students as much as other IT areas. I have been in BC/DR consulting in Australia for six years and most of my BC peers are experienced corporate savvy people; but I have not yet met one IT graduate that’s been employed straight into a BC role.

Michael Mitchell
Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery Consultant

Make a comment

•Date: 28th February 2008• Region:US/World •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here
UPDATED 4TH MARCH 2008