IT pros undervalued by Singaporean businesses and end-users: SolarWinds research

• Company declares IT Professionals Day, with Sept 15 2015 being the first
• Singaporeans place more importance on technology than on personnel

MOST Singaporeans agree that IT (information technology) has a greater impact than their own bosses on their daily work lives, yet most IT professionals feel they are only moderately valued by their employers, according to research by SolarWinds.
 
In its recently released IT Pro Value Surveys, the company said that almost two-thirds (60%) of Singaporean end-users surveyed agreed that their company’s IT department going on vacation for a month would have a greater impact on their daily work life than if their company’s C-suite did.
 
More than eight in 10 (81%) of Singaporean end-users place greater importance on the technology supported by IT professionals in the workplace – such as phones, computers and software – than they do on personnel (35%).
 
Almost three-quarters of Singaporean end-users (72%) indicate work productivity is lost without the technology supported by IT professionals, with one-third (36%) saying one day’s work would take an additional business day or longer to complete without said technology.
 
Also, 16% said it would not at all be possible to carry out their daily work without technology, SolarWinds said in a statement.
 
Yet, despite the value placed on technology, three out of five IT professionals (62%) feel at most moderately valued by their employer for their unique contribution to business, with more than one-quarter (27%) feeling only slightly to not at all valued.
 
Four out of five IT professionals (83%) feel they are worth more than they are currently compensated, with one-third (35%) saying they feel worth at least 21% more.
 
The majority of IT professionals (61%) are concerned about job security, with almost half (42%) suggesting that a key reason why was that company leadership did not understand the importance of IT.
 
“The survey results demonstrate that business leaders and end-users can do a lot more to show IT pros how appreciative they are of the value they provide to business,” said SolarWinds president and chief executive officer Kevin Thompson.
 
“The technology we rely on to keep business running smoothly is absolutely critical to success, but the level of recognition and reward IT pros receive for the part they play in enabling and supporting it may not match it,” he added.
 
IT Professionals Day

The company declared this Sept 15, 2015 as the first of an annual IT Professionals Day, to be held on the third Tuesday of every September, to celebrate all IT professionals regardless of discipline, SolarWinds said in a statement.
 
Whereas holidays such as System Administrator Appreciation Day do well at recognising one category of the profession, IT Professionals Day honours not only system administrators, but also network engineers, database administrators, information security professionals, developers, IT support technicians and all other professionals serving in IT-related roles, it added.
 
“We’re very excited to be a part of establishing IT Professionals Day as a way to honour all IT pros for the amazing work they do to keep business moving at the lightning speed required for success today,” said Thompson.
 
“When you think about what a typical day would look like for many of today’s workers without IT pros and the technology they support, it’s safe to say work on the whole would slow to a crawl or worse.
 
“Considering all they do, IT pros truly are the unsung heroes of modern business,” he added.
 
Meanwhile, the SolarWinds IT Pro Value Surveys are a series of two studies done in connection with IT Professionals Day.
 
Their purpose is two-fold: First, to explore business end-users’ attitudes and opinions about IT professionals and the technology they support to underscore the high value of the profession; and second, to showcase IT professionals’ general feeling of being undervalued to highlight an opportunity for business leaders and end users to show greater appreciation.
 
Full survey results as well as scope and demographics are available here.
 
Related Stories:
 
Most Singapore IT pros lack confidence on new tech: SolarWinds study
 
The shelf life of IT pros: A response
 
ICT salaries rising, growing disparity with management however
 
Computing Professionals Bill in last phase of deliberations
 
 
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Like us on Facebook.