The transition to hybrid working, whereby employees split their time between the home and office, is already taking its toll on IT teams.
According to a survey of 400 IT leaders conducted by Snow Software, the vast majority (92%) of companies are shifting towards a hybrid approach. However, just 34% of IT leaders said facilitating this major change is their team’s number one focus for the next year.
Part of the problem, Snow suggests, is that IT leaders are underestimating the potential challenges. But IT teams are also having to juggle various other corporate demands, such as enabling competitive differentiation (57%), reducing or optimizing IT costs (55%) and accelerating digital transformation (54%).
When it comes to facilitating hybrid working, IT staff claim the main challenges relate to keeping down costs and shadow IT, which involves employees using devices and software that have not been sanctioned by the business. As ever, cybersecurity also remains a key challenge.
“Despite the significant transition that organizations have faced over the past year, it seems the future of hybrid work is putting IT leaders in a position where they will once again be required to quickly shift gears and adapt to a new reality,” noted Alastair Pooley, Snow Software CIO.
“While IT teams are planning and budgeting to enable their business, many don’t have a full picture of what their organizations will need when it comes to supporting a truly hybrid workforce.”
For this reason, Pooley says, it’s important for companies to focus on gaining a clearer understanding of how technology investments are being utilized and which areas require closer attention from IT.