As the skills-first labour market continues, recruitment, retainment, and the need to accelerate digital transformation projects remain a high priority. Many IT consultancy firms are keen to diversify the workforce and connect teams – but when almost 95% of employers looking for tech talent are encountering a skills shortage, the talent arms race is hotting up.
Here, Toby Mankertz, Principal Advisor – Business Transformation at Columbus UK identifies three focus areas that will help IT consultancy firms tackle the skills shortage.
Business technology projects are becoming increasingly complex, accelerated by the speed at which new software arrives on the market. IT consultants must now juggle the need to be knowledgeable about the industry and having access to the best technology with rapid problem-solving abilities. More than half of all employees will require costly and time-consuming reskilling this year, so IT consultants will need to rethink traditional approaches to include more advanced technologies.
Digital transformation is a business priority as firms are under pressure to deliver projects faster, more efficiently, and within tighter budgets to meet customer expectations. The reality is that 70% of transformations fail to deliver – with the inability to source skilled workers contributing significantly to this figure. As 54% of organisations believe the digital talent gap is hampering ongoing digital transformation programmes, what can businesses do to alleviate this pressure?
Automation remains a gamechanger. PSA (Professional Services Automation) software can automate time-consuming tasks such as network configurations to reduce the chance of human error, and increase productivity without extensive worker reskilling. For instance, firms can benefit from simplified project planning to ensure the right resources are assigned to the right project at the right time. Time and expense management tools within PSA software also help IT consultancy firms to gauge project length and balance new projects while maintaining the efficiency of existing ones.
All-in-one HR automation
Retaining talent is critical for IT consultancy firms in 2023, but current employee support processes are a drain on existing capacity as they divert attention from billable project work. With support from advanced business management platforms, such as dedicated HR modules integrated into existing technology stacks, manual recruitment processes and onboarding can be automated. When combined with other capabilities within the business management platform, this function helps IT consultancy firms to rapidly identify skillsets, resources, and spare capacity that can be assigned to the most appropriate project or team. In turn, the risk of overburdening employees or under-resourcing certain projects can be reduced, which will keep productivity and satisfaction levels high.
The rise of new working models has created more disparate teams despite a need for greater connectivity. With 85% of working adults wanting to use a hybrid approach, consultancy firms unable to offer the correct technology to support alternative ways of working will quickly encounter issues regarding low employee retention and poor recruitment of new candidates. Simply, companies need to focus on implementing real-time communication tools to improve collaboration, regardless of location.
Managing several ongoing projects is an ongoing struggle for firms without the right digital support to ascertain whether enough consultants with the right expertise are available to start another project. Integrated solutions such as D365 Project Operations can provide a greater level of transparency, allowing resource managers to easily book consultants based on their availability, location, and skill set within the company. This overcomes regionalised hiring to ensure that the best talent is secured for specific projects, regardless of their location.
IT consultancy firms can introduce reactivity to process management, resolve staff resourcing issues, and maintain efficient people management with the right integrated system to oversee the entire project lifecycle. This allows businesses to streamline scheduling and task management, which critically increases productivity for both operational and administrative parts of the business.
Employees can often be the weakest link in security systems, and the hybrid landscape has only intensified concerns regarding data leakage and increased phishing attacks caused by external technology touchpoints. Proper defence requires a 65% increase in global cybersecurity employees, but without the necessary talent available, IT consultancies will have to look further afield.
Evergreen cloud automation tools bring a unified approach to monitor multiple clouds, define custom security policies, and set compliance rules specific to unique business needs – such as file permissions and authorisation. By offering access only to those who they want to share information with, businesses reduce the potential for data leaks.
Due to a lack of resources, businesses often miss out on the extensive benefits of cloud cybersecurity – which is where Managed Services Providers (MSPs) come in. As experts in current and next-generation threats and vulnerabilities, MSPs allow internal IT consultancy teams to get on with managing the core business without having to worry about cybersecurity reskilling.
These security experts will cover firewall and antivirus management, endpoint protection, and identity governance to manage vulnerabilities and threats through their lifecycle by continuous monitoring, analysis, and reporting. This allows businesses to anticipate and target breaches before they occur.
Mind the gap – address the future of work challenges today
The skills shortage is not going to disappear overnight – but this shouldn’t limit future business growth. A robust digital infrastructure can support existing workforces – and expertise from Managed Services Providers can go the extra mile to alleviate ongoing pressure on internal teams.
Digital technologies can bridge the skills divide and support consultancy firms as they take the necessary next steps to become digitally mature. Continuous employee education and training is something that all businesses need to invest in to boost talent retention and satisfaction. After all, skilled employees are not only happier but bring more value to the business regardless of the industry they’re in.
Toby Mankertz is Principal Advisor for Business Transformation at Columbus UK.
