We had no choice. You can’t hold a Webcast called “Industry Insights and Trends” and not talk about the impact of the global recession.
The Webcast, which was the first of Microsoft Canada’s Ignite Your Career Series (which I’m co-hosting) included a panel of four experts who talked about skills development during tough economic times. Nestor Arellano captured the highlights his story, 5 career-boosting moves in a flat economy, but I thought I’d go over the Twitter updates I provided during the event and give a little context:
Discussing startup opportunities amid the downturn. #IYC200911:44 AM Mar 3rd from web
This was in response to a question from the audience about whether there are any potentially missed opportunities during a recession to make money or to boost your career. Consultants like Avanade CTO Jeff Kempiners and Jay Payette noted that a downturn can, in fact, be a great time to launch a business because the barrier to entry is lower and you can build slowly without a lot of scrutiny.
Paul Swinwood talking about IT competencies. #IYC200911:49 AM Mar 3rd from web I had asked the president of ICTC if there was any difference in how performance would be measured given the economic situation. He didn’t think so. Companies are still looking for productivity, ROI and good alignment with the business.
Avanade Canada's CTO talks about 'crisis of opportunity' for consultants. #IYC200911:53 AM Mar 3rd from web
An audience member had asked if the consultants were worried about being cut off by companies that are looking for ways to reduce their budgets. Kempiners said he wasn’t worried. This is where many companies are actually looking for help with their IT and associated projects, he said. Sure, you expect a consultant to say that, but I’m sure it’s true among some firms.
Top trends: predictability in IT, and multi-site operations – Avanade Canada CTO. #IYC200911:57 AM Mar 3rd from web
We asked people to give a sense of what’s coming. Kempiners suggested what people don’t want is the unexpected. We have enough of that now with our finances. We don’t need it in IT.
Top trends: RIAs for building user experiences and explosion of SharePoint. – Joel Semeniuk, Imaginet. #IYC200911:58 AM Mar 3rd from web
Joel’s points aren’t necessarily a future trend but a good reflection of what’s happening in the market today. RIAs are still in their early stages but Adobe’s AIR and Microsoft’s Silverlight will definitely have an impact on ISVs this year.
Top trends: Consumerization of IT — Accenture Canada's Jay Payette. #IYC200911:57 AM Mar 3rd from web
This was my favourite prediction of the day and one I’ve discussed often in this space. The more we start bringing personal devices and applications into the enterprise, the more conflicts we’re going to see. No, that doesn’t mean we should ban everything, but it’s a pain point more IT pros need to recognize.
Next up on Ignite Your Careers: Identifying Your Trusted Resources. This Webcast series, I think, will become one of them.
