2015 IT Salary and Careers Survey

CIO
n DIFFERENCES IN PAY BY IT ROLE

n S
ENIOR IT LEADER PAY
STABLE AMID BIG CHANGES
n J OB SATISFACTION, LEADER
ASPIRATIONS ON THE UPSWING
n T
RENDS: IT BUDGETS,
DEPARTMENT COUNTS, HIRING
salaries & careers n T

OP OVERALL PROJECT
IN 2016: SECURITY
n T
OP SECURITY TASKS: RISK
MANAGEMENT, COMPLIANCE
n C
OMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
SKILLS IN HIGH DEMAND
n B
I, BIG DATA PROS
LEAD PEERS ON PAY
n S
OFTWARE DEVELOPER PAY
n A
DMINS: IT MANAGEMENT LOWER,
SECURITY HIGHER PRIORITY
n D
ATA CENTERS SEEK CREATIVE
SKILLS
n I T CHANNEL PARTNERS:
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM
2015 IT Salary
& Careers Survey
We surveyed almost 1,800 IT pros to gauge
their compensation, IT budgets, headcounts,
organizational mood and tech priorities.

S U R V E Y OV E R V I E W
CTOs, execu-
S E N I O R I T EX ECUT I V ES C I OS,

tive vice presidents and directors of IT, MIS or
IScontinued to top the IT professional salary
charts in TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary

and Careers Survey, pulling in almost twice as
much on average as network managers and IT
staff.
2015 IT salary survey The average base salary for all U.S. respon-
highlights differences
dents to the 2015 IT salary survey, no matter
the role, was $100,333, and the average total
in pay by IT role compensationbase pay plus bonuseswas
$110,724.
Our 2015 IT salaries survey reveals the average
Senior IT execs made 41% and 50% more
pay for IT pros in the U.S., broken down by role
than those averages, respectively, pulling in
and region of the country, job aspirations,
optimism levels, and key tech projects. $141,371 in base salary on average and $165,798
in total compensation. IT staff, meanwhile,
BY SUE TROY
made 25% less in base salary and 28% less in
HOME
total compensation than the average survey
SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 2


respondent (see chart for full list of average those in the Midwest reported the lowest aver-
salaries and total compensation by role). age salary ($93,421) and the lowest average total
These figures are lower than what was re- compensation ($102,515). Those in the Western
ported inthe 2014 IT Salary and Careers Survey, region came in close behind the Northeast, with
when the average salary was $109,255 across all $104,428 in average base salary and $116,278
roles, and the average total compensation was in average total compensation. Southern U.S.
$126,548. While we wouldnt have expected a respondents reported an average of $99,460 in
drop between 2014 and 2015, the change could base salary and $109,656 in total compensation.
be explained by a difference in survey-respon- Survey respondents reported raises in line
dent demographics between the two years. The with 20145.3% of base salary in 2015 versus
HOME
respondent base for the 2015 IT salary survey 5% in 2014and 35% expect a bonus in 2016,
SURVEY OVERVIEW
had a higher mix of lower-level positions28% compared with only 20% who said the same
EXECUTIVE PAY
were senior IT execs in 2014, compared with in 2014. As for respondents career ambitions,
JOB FULFILLMENT
14% in 2015, while 14% of respondents were IT 41% reported that they most aspire to move
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
staff members in 2015, compared with only 11% up within their departments and/or companies
SECURITY
in 2014as well as more junior staff; in 2014, over the next three to five years, while 14%
COMPLIANCE
73% of respondents reported having from 11 to want to move to a larger company and only 5%
ANALYTICS 30 years of experience versus only 66% of re- want to leave IT entirelyother response op-
DEVELOPERS spondents who reported the same in 2015. tions were stay in my current role, move to a
SERVER Regional differenceswere reflected in the smaller company, and none of the above.
MANAGEMENT
surveys results. Those in the Northeast region The mood among IT professionals appears to
DATA CENTER
reported an average salary of $106,319 and an be more optimistic in 2015 than last. Thirty-
CHANNEL
average total compensation of $117,130, while eight percent describe their mood as optimistic,


while 39% chose neither optimistic nor pessi-

Salary and compensation by role mistic. In in 2014s survey, only 21% described
AVERAGE AVERAGE TOTAL their mood as optimistic, while 41% said they
BASE SALARY ($) COMPENSATION ($)
were neither optimistic nor pessimistic. And
Senior IT executives 141,371 165,798
respondents see brighter days ahead: 41% said
Director of business
applications 121,095 136,619 that the mood will be more optimistic in 2016
Systems integrator 109,377 120,772 compared with 2015.
Among those who said they were pessimistic,
Security manager 109,184 117,881
almost half (48%) said that one of the top-two
Project manager 106,899 115,616 reasons was that management was ineffective,
HOME Compliance or
privacy officer 106,882 113,288 followed closely by limited career advancement
SURVEY OVERVIEW
Database (46%). Of much lesser concern to respondents
EXECUTIVE PAY administrator 102,437 108,661
were the economycited as a top-two concern
JOB FULFILLMENT Programmer 95,843 100,256
or developer by only 12% of respondentsand the lack of
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
IT manager 95,222 103,023 innovation opportunity (14%). In terms of mea-
SECURITY Data center manager 93,650 101,240 sures of success, the most cited factors among
COMPLIANCE Non-IT corporate
respondents as a whole were helping achieve
or business staff 84,622 94,922
ANALYTICS abusiness goal or outcome, cited by 52% of
DEVELOPERS
Data analyst 81,736 85,416 respondents as a top-three measure of success;
SERVER Network manager 76,800 79,913 ensuring reliability of IT services, cited by
MANAGEMENT or administrator
50%; and completing projects on time, cited
DATA CENTER IT staff 75,628 80,164
by 43%. Coming in under budget, achieving ROI
CHANNEL SOURCE: TECHTARGET'S 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY, RESPONDENT TOTAL: 1,548
on projects and purchases, and creating new


business opportunities were at the bottom of professionals: security,risk managementand

the list of nine measures of successcited as a compliance, which were cited as top-three areas
top-three measure of success by 10%, 11% and of concern by about 75% of those respondents.
12% of respondents, respectively. Technology consultants, meanwhile, were the
As you might expect, respondents projects least likely to be occupied by the same technol-
of interest varied considerably by role, with
senior IT execs being most concerned with In terms of measures of
IT management50% chose this as one of
success, the most cited factors
the top-three areas that occupy most of their
among respondents were
timeapplication development and design
HOME helping achieve a business
(24%), and security. This compares with
SURVEY OVERVIEW
project managers, for instance, who were more
goal or outcome, cited by 52%
EXECUTIVE PAY
likely to be focused on business process man-
of respondents as a top-three
JOB FULFILLMENT
agement (31%), application development and measure of success.
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
design (29%), and IT management (28%).
SECURITY
Directors of business apps, meanwhile, were ogy areas. Application development and design,
COMPLIANCE
more likely to be focused on application man- business process management and security
ANALYTICS agement (46%), business process management were cited as top-three concerns by only 22% of
DEVELOPERS (42%), and app development and design (33%). those respondents. Project managers also seem
SERVER Among the various roles held by respondents, to have little in common with one another in
MANAGEMENT
compliance and privacy professionals were more terms of technology focus, with business pro-
DATA CENTER
likely to be concerned about the same tech- cess management, app development and design,
CHANNEL
nology areas as other compliance and privacy and IT management cited as top-three areas of


concern by 29% of respondents. Senior IT ex- to previous questions, or exclusion of errors or

ecs, IT managers and IT staff also ranked low on outlier data. The respondent mix by role was
the scale of technology areas held in common as follows: senior IT executives (14%), IT staff
with their peers, while security profession- (14%), IT manager (13%), systems administrator
als, database administrators and data analysts (9%), programmer/developer (8%), technology
ranked relatively high. consultant (8%), project manager (6%), network
manager/administrator (6%), sales and market-
ing (4%), database administrator (4%), security
ABOUT THE SURVEY manager (3%), data analyst (3%), non-IT cor-
TechTargets 2015 IT Salary and Careers Survey porate or business staff (2%), systems integra-
HOME
was fielded from June to September and had tor (2%), director of business applications (1%),
SURVEY OVERVIEW
1,783 U.S. respondents. Sample sizes varied by compliance/privacy officer (1%) and data center
EXECUTIVE PAY
question, depending on respondents answers manager (1%). n
JOB FULFILLMENT
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

E X E C U T I V E PAY
IT leaders
CO M P E NSAT I O N FO R S E N I O R

CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, executive vice presidents
and directors of ITwas stable in 2015, showing
little or no difference from executive pay trends

in 2014. The median total compensation for this
group was $153,420, a mere 2.3% change from
the median $150,000 in total compensation
Executive pay for senior reported in 2014. Thats according to TechTar-
IT leaders stable in 2015,

gets 2015 Annual IT Salary and Careers Survey
of 248 senior IT executives in the United States.
amid big changes The flat trend in IT executive pay, however,
belies the tremendous changes associated with
As senior IT leaders sought to adapt IT
this executive-level group, as companies across
strategies to a rapidly changing, digitally
industries adapt to a digitally enabled custom-
connected marketplace, one thing that didnt
change in 2015 was their pay. erand employee base. The digital revolution has
forced senior IT leaders toexamine how their
BY LINDA TUCCI
roles must also adapt. At least among the high-
HOME
est earners in this groupbase salaries ranged


from a low of $36,275 to a high of $600,000 gionswhere the cost of living is relatively high.
the adaptation is well under way; their jobs On average, senior IT leaders working in the
have shifted from a primary focus ondelivering West earned the most in total compensation
reliable IT servicesto delivering business out- ($165,000), followed by the Northeast ($156,
comes, the survey showed. 500), the South ($153,420) and the Midwest
($125,000).
In terms of base salaries, senior execsearned
EXECUTIVE PAY: BY THE NUMBERS a medianof $138,000 in 2015, compared with
As noted, most of the executive pay metrics $135,000 in 2014. In 2015, over half of respon-
for senior IT leaders aligned closely with 2014 dents (53%) received raises and 49% got bo-
HOME
numbers, despite a difference in survey re- nuses, very much in line with the 54% and 46%
SURVEY OVERVIEW
spondent demographics between the two years. reporting raises and bonuses respectively in
EXECUTIVE PAY
(Senior IT execs represented 14% of the total 2014.
JOB FULFILLMENT
1,783 IT professionals polled in in 2015s survey For those who received raises, the median
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
versus 28% in 2014.) hike was 3.4% (average was 6.1%), virtually the
SECURITY
Total compensation (pay plus bonuses) rose same as the 3% median raise (average 5.8%) in
COMPLIANCE
for 61% of senior IT leaders in 2015 versus 64% 2014. Bonuses varied more from year to year:
ANALYTICS in 2014; 32% reported no change in compen- The 2015 median bonus was $20,000 (aver-
DEVELOPERS sation in 2015, a hair up from the 29% whose age $33,219) versus a median $25,000 (average
SERVER compensation was flat in 2014; 7% made less $35,427) for bonus pay in 2014.
MANAGEMENT
money in 2015, the same as in 2014. The outlook for IT executive pay in 2016 is
DATA CENTER
Geography mattered, as might be expect- cheery. Similar to 2014 and 2015, 60% of senior
CHANNEL
ed. Total compensation was greater in re- IT leaders expect to make more money in 2016,


according to the survey, but they are more bull- and Improving product or service delivery
ish on the particulars: 56% expect a raise in (42%).
2016, up from 42% a year ago; 47% look for- For some IT leaders, like the CIO who recently
ward to receiving a bonus versus only 27% in moved from one coastal financial services com-
2014. pany to another and expected to make $250,000
in total compensation in 2015 it was the busi-
ness unwillingness to treat him as a peernot
R-E-S-P-E-C-T better paythat motivated him to seek another
The unchanging compensation metrics give job. He requested anonymity so he could speak
little sense of thechanges afoot in the jobs of candidly.
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senior IT leaders. Follow-up interviews with a I had been hired on as their CIO, he said,
SURVEY OVERVIEW
few of the respondents reveal a strong desire to speaking of his former company, but I had been
EXECUTIVE PAY
play a strategic role at their companies, rather reduced to not much more than an order-taker.
JOB FULFILLMENT
than carry out orders from the business or, There was no strategic alignment. It was a total
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
equally as bad, be viewed simply as a cost cen- bait and switch.
SECURITY
ter. One of the aggravating factors for the CIO was
COMPLIANCE
And, indeed, many businesses appreciate the the reporting structure. Although the CIO title
ANALYTICS value their IT leaders offer, the survey showed. conferred executive team status, he reported to
DEVELOPERS In answer to the question, What are your top the president of the company, notthe CEO. (In
SERVER measures for success in your position? Help- the 2015 survey, 29% of respondents said they
MANAGEMENT
ingachieve a business goalor outcome was report to the CEO, about the same as in prior
DATA CENTER
the top metric (55%) cited by respondents, just years.)
CHANNEL
above Ensuring reliability of IT services (52%) I learned very quickly that when you dont


report to the CEO, youre left answering to BONUS PAY, BUSINESS ALIGNMENT, CIO ROLE
business peerswho youre trying to help Anthony Peters, director of information tech-
many of whom dont understand the strat- nology at Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM), a San Fran-
egic possibilities of IT, or even how you can cisco accounting firm, got a raise and bonus
gain efficiencies and economies of scale, he in 2015, earning above the surveys average
said. $165,798 in total executive pay. Peters bonus is
His new job, which he started in June, came tied to performance.
with a slight bump in pay. But the big differ- The IT strategy has to specifically align with
ence between the two positions is his ability the overall strategy of the business. The closer
to act as a strategic partner to the business, we impact that strategy, the more likely I am to
HOME
first by improving IT service delivery and get that bonus. In 2015, we did really well, he
SURVEY OVERVIEW
saving money by renegotiating IT contracts. said.
EXECUTIVE PAY
In the first three months on the job, I had He calculates his team has completed 70%
JOB FULFILLMENT
already paid back my salary to the company, of the goals. Some of them we were not able
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
he said. He has started to strategize how the to meet because either the firm was not quite
SECURITY
company can use cutting-edge technology in- there or the technology did not quite enable us
COMPLIANCE
cluding the Internet of Things as a competitive to do it, he said.
ANALYTICS differentiator. Two recent critical hiresa His firm, which is growing again after some
DEVELOPERS chief of information security and an assistant belt-tightening during the recession, aims to
SERVER IT manager to oversee day-to-day IT opera- differentiate itself in the competitive Silicon
MANAGEMENT
tionswill help him focus on business tech- Valley market by offering specialized accounting
DATA CENTER
nology strategy. It also doesnt hurt that he services, including IT, ERP and credit card au-
CHANNEL
now reports to the CEO, he added. dits. One of ITs big pushes has been to improve


Burr Pilger Mayerscustomer-facing systems, lytics. His ambition is to have the same scope
enabling the firms experts and their clients of responsibilities as that of a CIO at a large
to do business in real time on a secure, private firm (and the title), an ambition hes expressed
platform that is connected to all the relevant to his CEO.
back-end systems. I have the ear of my CEO, and I am able
to get things done through him, but I think
For one CIO who moved to that for me to be effective, I need to be the
a new job, it was the business one presenting at the table and not going
unwillingness to treat him through the CEO, he said. IT needs to be at
as a peer that motivated him the table explaining why the firm needs a tech-
to leave.
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nology.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
That is not to say the CEO cant do that,
EXECUTIVE PAY
Silicon Valley customers expect their client but that is not his job. His job is to run the firm.
JOB FULFILLMENT
firms to have thesame sophisticated technolo- My job is to put the technology in place that
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
gythey use, Peters said. He has been deeply in- enables us to run the firm and execute on the
SECURITY
volved in meeting those high standards, but he business strategyand that includes addressing
COMPLIANCE
wants to do more. With the companys support, the board of directors, as well as the manage-
ANALYTICS he is pursuing a second MBA in business ana- ment team, Peters said. n
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

JOB FULFILLMENT
mobile family in the

L I K E T H E U PWA R D LY

1970s sitcom The Jeffersons, senior IT leaders
and their staffs felt they were movin on upat
least when it comes to job satisfaction. Thats

according to TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Sal-
ary and Careers Survey of 248 senior IT leaders.
The survey found that nearly half (48%) of
IT job satisfaction, senior IT leadersCIOs, CTOs and IT direc-
IT leader aspirations on
torswho responded to a question about op-
timism in the workplace said the mood in their
the upswing in 2015 IT organizations is positive, up from 37% in
2014. The other half isnt all bad. About one
Technology executives have a rosier
fifth (22%) of respondents said the mood is
outlook on their careers, according to TechTargets
pessimistic, and 29% said its neither.
2015 Annual IT Salary and Careers Survey.
Respondents pointed to three main factors
BY JASON SPARAPANI
behind the rise in optimism: an atmosphere
that encourages innovation(54%), a strong
HOME
management team (43%) and accelerating busi-

JOB FULFILLMENT

ness (30%). Budget cuts provided the most fuel But there was far more IT job satisfaction
for pessimism in IT (55%). Ineffective manage- than dismay among senior IT leaders, with
ment was next (47%), followed by limited ca- 67% either content with their jobs or open
reer advancement (33%). to new opportunities but not looking for
OrganizationalWhy
mood
is the Why
mood inmood
is the yourinorganization
your organizationoptimistic?
optimistic?
Innovation is encouraged 54%

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We have a strong management team 43%
SURVEY OVERVIEW
EXECUTIVE PAY Our business is picking up 30%

JOB FULFILLMENT
BUDGETS
Training is increasing 25%
TOP PROJECT5 Career advancement is a priority 18%
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE The IT budget is increasing 3.2% 17%

ANALYTICS
Jobs are being brought back in-house 6%
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT
Other 7%
DATA CENTER
SOURCE: TECHTARGET'S 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY
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JOB FULFILLMENT

work, a percentage point higher than in 2014s 7% want to climb the ladder in IT, and 6% want
survey. to move into a business role.
The growing optimism among tech leaders
and IT job satisfaction may reflect opinions on
OPPORTUNITY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND the U.S. economy as a whole, which have taken
Count Robert Laszlo among the happy majority. an upbeat turn. CFOs in a Bank of America
The director of services at FFW, a global Web Merrill Lynch survey recently gavethe outlook
development business that builds websites for for 2016a score of 61 out of 100with 0 the
big corporations like NBC Sports and GE, said weakest and 100 extraordinarily strongup
the company is growing, having doubled the from 59 for 2015 and the highest since the
HOME
number of employees in the two years hes been 2008 recession. Theunemployment rate, too,
SURVEY OVERVIEW
there. I absolutely have every reason to be opti- is showing promise, hitting 5%, the lowest in
EXECUTIVE PAY
mistic, he said. seven and a half years.
JOB FULFILLMENT
One of those reasons isopportunity for ad- Laszlo, whose salary is above the2015 aver-
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
vancement. Laszlo started as program manager, agefor senior IT execs, said hes paid well and
SECURITY
juggling a variety of web development projects grateful for it. He said his company is making
COMPLIANCE
at a time, before being promoted to his current money, so heand everyone else thereshould
ANALYTICS positionoverseeing and supporting multiple be as well. But moneys not everything.
DEVELOPERS programs and teams. He hopes someday to I think you reach a point where hopefully
SERVER reach thec-level. Other technology executives youre not thinking about money every day.
MANAGEMENT
have like-minded aspirations. In the survey, Youre not worried about it, he said. The prime
DATA CENTER
23% said they want to move up in their orga- motivator is feeling like youre contributing, feel-
CHANNEL
nizations, another 23% are content to stay put, ing like what youre doing matters to somebody.

JOB FULFILLMENT

JOB FULFILLMENT TIED TO TEAM SPIRIT New Zealand, and pay there is at the lower end
Money isnt the prime motivator for the four- of the scale. But brisk business, an innovative
person IT team at Millar Inc., a Houston-based atmosphere and apassion for helping oth-
producer of cardiac and neurological catheters, erskeep his teams spirits climbing, he said.
said director of IT Todd Miller. The company Miller said he is proud of his tightknit,col-
is small, with 140 people in the U.S., U.K. and laborative team. Though each member has a
Ambition Toofwhich
To which of the
the following do following do you most aspire?
you most aspire?
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SURVEY OVERVIEW
Move up higher in my overall organization 23%
EXECUTIVE PAY Stay in my current role 23%
JOB FULFILLMENT
BUDGETS Move to a larger company 22%

TOP PROJECT5
Move up higher in my IT organization 7%
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE Move out of IT into a business role 6%

ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS Move to a smaller company 3.2% 5%

SERVER
MANAGEMENT None of the above 15%
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

JOB FULFILLMENT

particular expertisewhether its networking account and resetTCP/IPtraffic. That isolates

or virtualization or information securityeach the computer from the network without having
helps any of the others when needed, even if to physically pull the cable from the PC.
its something as basic as resetting a password. The teams ability to build and deploy cutting
Thats worth a lot in a hot technology market edge technology is kind of neat for a company
like Houston, where many companies pay a pre- Millars size, Miller said.
mium for talent, Miller said.
You might get more money in a different
situation, but at the end of the day you have TIME TO MOVE ON
better job satisfaction getting along with the But optimism and IT job satisfaction havent
HOME
people you work with, he said. touched every organization. For the director
SURVEY OVERVIEW
Optimism runs high there also because IT is of information systems in a midsize Wiscon-
EXECUTIVE PAY
well regarded at the company and given a lot of sin city, things cant get much worse. He has
JOB FULFILLMENT
room to do some cool things. One innovation requested anonymity because hes looking for
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
hatched by Millers network security manager another job.
SECURITY
is usingbig dataplatformsSplunkand Varo- In the city government, he said, There isnt
COMPLIANCE
nisand WindowsPowerShelltask automation an emphasis on technology, so its getting hard-
ANALYTICS software to create a self-healing network that er for me to stay current and stay relevant in my
DEVELOPERS can instantaneously take action if anything out field.
SERVER of the ordinary occurs. What hed like to see are more real-
MANAGEMENT
For instance, if Splunk and Varonis detect any timedashboard technologiesthat would help
DATA CENTER
malicious activity on a user account, the Pow- business units make better decisions. Instead,
CHANNEL
erShell scripts will automatically disable the the city, like others in Wisconsin and elsewhere,

JOB FULFILLMENT

has focused on protective services like the po- ness intelligence at Great Western Bank, based
lice and fire departmentswhile forcing IT to in Sioux Falls, S.D., to senior VP of data man-
cut its budget by 7%. The irony is, the director agement and BI at Meta Payment Systems, the
said, technology is needed for a lot of the proj- electronic payments arm of MetaBank,
ects the city wants to pursue, likebody cameras also headquartered in Sioux Falls. Great West-
on police officersin the field, which towns and ern didnt have the data needs of Meta, as its
cities across the U.S. are looking into or imple- called, which owns several hundred thousand
menting following the 2014 police shooting of white label automated teller machines in gas
unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, stations and convenience stores across the
Mo. country. Meta also issues gift cards and other
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The director said hes seeking either an IT reloadable cards.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
director orCIO roleat an organization that It was the challenge of managing and stan-
EXECUTIVE PAY
sees IT as an asset, not a cost center. Others in dardizing the data from dozens of card proces-
JOB FULFILLMENT
his department are looking, too, and he knows sors and partners that enticed Van Zanten. The
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
it. To help keep morale healthy, he even helps small bump in his above-average pay was sec-
SECURITY
them look so that they dont have to hide any- ondary.
COMPLIANCE
thingand so they make good career choices. Here, because theyre always looking for
ANALYTICS If they do leave, what Ive gotten out of it is different channels, different products to offer,
DEVELOPERS not a dissatisfied employee but a more produc- theres always going to be something new to
SERVER tive employee as theyre looking, he said. I consider, he said. Theres just more aggres-
MANAGEMENT
handle it a little bit differently than most. siveness in trying to expand the company.
DATA CENTER
Farther west,Ron Van Zantendid find anoth- And thats where my data systems can provide
CHANNEL
er job. He moved from vice president of busi- value. n

BUDGETS
among a select group of senior

P H I L STA S KO I S

IT leaders who saw both their headcounts and
IT budgets rise sharply in 2015. Stasko, direc-
tor of IS at environmental consultancy Apex Co.

LLC, not only saw his IT budget increase by an
impressive 20% in 2015 over 2014, but he also
boosted his IT staff by 30%.
2015 salary survey: Staskos experience, howevera healthy
IT budgets rise for two-fifths

budget increase combined with robust hiring in
2015was not the case for many IT leaders, ac-
of senior IT leaders cording to TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary
and Careers Survey.
According to TechTargets 2015 IT salary survey, a
Specifically, the 2015 salary survey reported
majority of senior IT executives said their IT budget and
that 39% of IT budgets increased in 2015; 35%
headcount either grew or remained stable in 2015.
of budgets were flat. The results are similar to
BY FRANCESCA SALES
those in 2014 and 2013, when the majority of
IT organizations either saw budgets go up (42%
HOME
and 40%, respectively) or stay the same (39%

BUDGETS

2015 IT department
2015 IT department budgets
budgets 2015 IT 2015
department headcount
IT department headcount
39% 35% 21% 33% 44% 19%

Larger than The same size Smaller than Larger than The same size Smaller than
in 2014 as in 2014 in 2014 in 2014 as in 2014 in 2014
SOURCE: TECHTARGET'S 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY SOURCE: TECHTARGET'S 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY
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and 36%, respectively). In addition, the average identified as CIOs, CTOs, executive vice presi-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
budget increase in 2015 was also the same as in dents, and directors of IT and information se-
EXECUTIVE PAY
201414%. curity. Nearly half (44%) of all senior leaders
JOB FULFILLMENT
In what may prove to be a worrisome sign, described headcount as flat or lower (19%) in
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
21% of IT leaders saw budgets decrease in 2015, 2015, virtually the same as in 2014 (44% flat
SECURITY
up from 15% in 2014, and the average decrease and 21% lower); 33% said they added staff in
COMPLIANCE
was larger: 13% in 2015 versus 9.9% in 2014. 2015, the same percentage as in 2014. In 2015,
ANALYTICS 19% of IT organizations saw headcount go
DEVELOPERS down, about the same as in 2014 (21%).
SERVER 2015 SALARY SURVEY SAYS IT HEADCOUNTS FLAT Moreover, the outlook for staffing does not
MANAGEMENT
The numbers on IT staffing also showed few look especially bright. Only 31% of those sur-
DATA CENTER
signs of change, according to the 2015 salary veyed said they were looking to hire in 2016,
CHANNEL
survey, which polled 248 senior IT executives, slightly less than the 36% in 2014. Plus, close

BUDGETS

about the value of IT by top management.

2015 IT department hiring
2015 IT department budgets A couple of years ago, his IT organization
was focused primarily on cost-cutting. Getting
approval for hardware and software purchases,
46% 31% 11% even modest ones, typically hinged on finding
Fully staffed Looking for Shrinking the least expensive option, Stasko said.
new hires by attrition That changed with the arrival of a new CEO
two years ago. He immediately said, Weve got
to improve everything; weve got to get up to
speed, he said.
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to half (46%) said their organizations are fully Getting up to speed included a major upgrade
SURVEY OVERVIEW
staffed, a big jump over the 34% reporting the to the companys network system, replacing old
EXECUTIVE PAY
same in 2014 and another indication that IT or- switches with gigabit, high-end wireless ac-
JOB FULFILLMENT
ganizations are not looking to get bigger. On the cess points and implementing a new accounting
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
upside, only 11% said they were under a hiring system.
SECURITY
freeze versus 18% in 2014. The latter project, which began in June 2014
COMPLIANCE
and continued through April, accounted for
ANALYTICS much of the budget and hiring increases in 2015,
DEVELOPERS ACQUISITIONS, CHANGE IN Stasko said, requiring not only a large team of
SERVER LEADERSHIP SPUR BUDGET INCREASE internal staff, but also six consultants.
MANAGEMENT
Apexs Stasko said the 20% boost in his IT Many of the new hires are developers tasked
DATA CENTER
budget went mainly to deferred maintenance with building out user-friendly, Web-based ap-
CHANNEL
and was due largely to a change in attitude plications for the accounting system, with the

BUDGETS

aim of improving how people do their jobs. T-SHAPED EMPLOYEES MAKE UP FOR BUDGET CUTS
Instead of [employees] having to go learn the Unlike Stasko, Rick Fortney, CIO of Laramie
accounting system ... were serving it up via the County in Wyoming, saw his $1.8 million
cloud, with minimal training; its more intuitive, IT budget shrink by 1.5% in 2015, and he
he said, adding that the IT organization is now expects more cuts to come in 2016, as his
seen as a value-add, rather than just a cost center. staff wraps up major IT projects involving mi-
Not surprisingly, Stasko was among the 65% grating legacy systems. The work includes the
of respondents who said the mood at their conversion of the countys legacy mainframe
organizations was optimistic in the 2015 salary system to a Windows-based system, which
survey. You do all the stuff, you feel like youre Fortney said will better meet the needs of the
HOME
pounding your head against the wall, you dont countys many agencies, including the 911
SURVEY OVERVIEW
think its doing anythingthen you hear people center, the sheriffs office and the Cheyenne
EXECUTIVE PAY
actually say that this went well. police department.
JOB FULFILLMENT
The major upgrades are happening as Apex IT consolidation is a high priority for Fortney,
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
is growing dramatically through acquisitions. who has served as Laramie County IT direc-
SECURITY
The company added three or four companies tor since 1993. Consolidation offers economies
COMPLIANCE
in 2014, and is planning to buy up to six more of scale his department couldnt leverage when
ANALYTICS companies in 2016. each agency used its own systems.
DEVELOPERS Indeed, Stasko predicts that his will budget You couldnt necessarily afford the security
SERVER go up another 10% in 2017 to help integrate the and the high availability that we build into our
MANAGEMENT
new companies, beef up his application devel- environment if we were supporting the county
DATA CENTER
opment group and add business intelligence treasurers office only, because on one hand, it
CHANNEL
expertise. would be hard to justify that high level of secu-

BUDGETS

rity and high availability, he said. Consolidat- electronic security.

ing everythingeverybody gets the benefit of The workload is getting too much, plus too
what were doing. critical to just have one person whos knowl-
That said, finding the right IT people to do edgeable on it, Fortney said.
the work is one of his perennial challenges, Fortneys approach to hiring someone with
added Fortney, who currently has a staff of 15. broad technology expertisesometimes re-
He felt fortunate to add a staff member in 2015 ferred to a T-shaped personis consistent with
who not only knew systems and services, but the hiring practices by Laramie County, where
could also work as backup support to the one employees are highly valued and layoffs are rare,
employee running telecommunications and he said. n
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SURVEY OVERVIEW
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DEVELOPERS
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the top IT project for

S ECU R I TY W I L L B E

CIOs and senior IT leaders in 2016, according to
TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary and Careers
Survey of 248 senior IT leaders (CIOs, CTOs,

CISOs, executive vice presidents and directors
of IT). When asked to choose their three top
IT projects for 2016 out of a list of 30, 27% of
Security is the respondents selected security, followed by ap-
common theme in 2016

plication development (24%), cloud computing
(19%), and business intelligence/big data (18%).
top IT projects The survey results show how priorities
continue to evolve for IT departments, and,
based on interviews with survey respondents
Survey results reveal how CIOs and senior IT leaders
conducted for this article, reflect how the IT
are coming to terms with shadow IT.
security conversation continues to mature.
BY NICOLE LASKOWSKI
Rather than viewed by IT leaders as a stand-
alone project, security is becoming integral to
HOME
just about everything IT does. Dennis Vlasich,

TOP PROJECTS

CIO for the City of Fontana, Calif., for example, EVERGREEN PROJECTS
cant talk about cloud computing without talk- Selected by survey respondents as the top proj-
ing about security. ect for a third year in a row, security is expected
The real issue of cloud computing is proce- to become an even bigger part of the IT project
dural and legal more than it is technical. Were portfolio. According to2013and2014Tech-
finding that the [software as a service] vendors Target survey results, 21% of senior IT lead-
are going to departments and enticing them ers selected security as a top project. In 2015,
to sign up for services without [consulting] the percentage was closer to one-third of those
IT,Vlasichsaid. Thats causing more silos, for surveyed.
one thing. But it also creates a lot of problems The heightened interest doesnt come as a
HOME
because [city employees] dont consider some surprise to experts. Everyones concerned with
SURVEY OVERVIEW
of the security and connectivity issues associ- security issues due to the nature of whats been
EXECUTIVE PAY
ated with cloud computing. happening recently, said Turner, who works
JOB FULFILLMENT
The emphasis on security is also true for a non-profit organization in western New
BUDGETS
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forGregory Turner, COO and head of IT at York thats striving to better connect Medicaid
SECURITY
the health care non-profit organization Millen- patients with health care providers. After an-
COMPLIANCE
nium Collaborative Care. For Turner, applica- other turbulent year of high-profile breaches,
ANALYTICS tion development and design, which was including Ashley Madison,CVSand theOf-
DEVELOPERS relatively low on the totem pole of top IT proj- fice of Personnel Management, security threats
SERVER ects for CIOs and senior IT leaders in the 2014 aretop-of-mind for board members and CEOs,
MANAGEMENT
survey, will be a top project 2016. But when dis- alike, putting a spotlight on CIOs and senior IT
DATA CENTER
cussing app dev plans for 2016, he highlighted leaders.
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security as a priority. For Vlasich, security and cloud computing,

TOP PROJECTS

which ranked as a top IT project for the sec- Vlasich, who plans to retire in 2016, doesnt
ond year in a row, are intertwinedthanks, in want IT to be a hurdle for departments looking
part, to rogue IT. SaaS-based solutions make it for new functionality; instead, he wants ITto
easy to sign up for services, but city employees ensure any servicesthe city invests in make
dont always think about nuances like open sense to the organization as a whole. When his
APIs,federated identity management, and HR department was searching for an online
things like an exit strategy, who owns the data applicant tracking system, Vlasich assigned an
when the contracts over, he said. analyst to do research and find a solution that
HOME
SURVEY OVERVIEW
Highest-ranking project areas for 2016
Highest-ranking project areas for 2016
EXECUTIVE PAY
JOB FULFILLMENT 27%

24%
BUDGETS
19% 18%
TOP PROJECT5
16%
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
SERVER Security App dev/design Cloud Computing Business Businessness

MANAGEMENT intelligence/ process
DATA CENTER big data management
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worked for HR and met the citys regulatory to help improve the quality of care. In 2016, the
standards. Now, itssupported by ITas if it non-profit organization plans to roll out a ver-
was a premise system, he said. Were not pro- sion of its integrated delivery solution, which
viding the server, but were providing the sup- will be a combination of healthcare-related
port, training and technical back-end stuff. technology to ultimately provide the right care
from the right provider at the right time, Turn-
er said.
THE RISE OF APP DEV Part of the organizations objective is to en-
Cloud computing isnt the only area where sure the type of care providers give patients is
security figures large in the conversation be- performance- and not volume-based, which
HOME
tween business and IT. For Turner, a top project hinges on data and analytics. Applications, in
SURVEY OVERVIEW
in 2016will be application development, which other words, are vital data pipelines for the
EXECUTIVE PAY
saw a meteoric rise in in 2015s survey results. organization. When were working with a
JOB FULFILLMENT
In 2014, app dev ranked seventh, with 14% of workforce that isnt our employees, we have to
BUDGETS
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respondents reporting it as one of their top IT be cognizant of the fact that we dont have the
SECURITY
projects for 2015. In the 2015 survey, 24% of same sphere of influence over [them], he said.
COMPLIANCE
respondents indicated it would be a top project
ANALYTICS in 2016, ranking it second only to security.
DEVELOPERS When discussing app dev, Turner said that APP DEV AND ROGUE IT
SERVER strong, seamless security ranks high on his list Turners biggest security concern isnt that
MANAGEMENT
of priorities. Millennium Collaborative Care will someone will hack into the system; instead, he
DATA CENTER
operate as a liaison between Medicaid patients worries about theft or misplacement of a mobile
CHANNEL
in western New York and health care providers device or a thumb drive that contains sensi-

TOP PROJECTS

tive information. And he worries that applica- backlash is in the offing and spur a quest for
tions wrapped in too many security layers will standardization, said Jill Dyche, vice president
prove cumbersome. A lot of it comes down to of best practices at SAS Institute Inc., where she
good design, he said. Hes looking for the right works closely with CIOs and senior IT leaders.
partners to meet his standards, he said. Five to seven years ago, the business was
Application developments rise in popular- like, Well do this ourselves, IT, Dyche said.
ityand the security risks a self-service app The [business] still wants to own the applica-
environment posescould suggest a cloud tion, but they dont want to own the relation-
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SURVEY OVERVIEW Lowest-ranking project areas for 2016

Lowest-ranking project areas for 2016
EXECUTIVE PAY
JOB FULFILLMENT
4% 4%
BUDGETS
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SECURITY
2%
COMPLIANCE
1% 1%
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT Web services Internet of Things Help desk Social media Privacy
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

TOP PROJECTS

ship with the cloud vendor or procurement or identity management, Vlasich said.
renewal. He asked the purchasing department to put
In the City of Fontana, Vlasich set up an him in touch with Bank of America so he could
active federation service and asks that SaaS ensure the financial institution was compliant
vendors be compliant inSecurity Assertion with SAML. Turned out, it wasnt. The good
Markup Language (SAML), a standard protocol news is, they are planning to be SAML compli-
for federated identity management. When em- ant in 2016, he said.
ployees are terminated, theyre removed from To ensure better visibility into SaaS invest-
the directory, effectively cutting off any access ments, Vlasich plans to work with the purchas-
they had to SaaS-based services. ing department, which monitors all purchases,
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But theres still work to do. When the City including those made with credit cards. They
SURVEY OVERVIEW
of Fontanas purchasing department struck a can flag the purchase, take a look and ask, Is
EXECUTIVE PAY
deal with Bank of America for a new purchasing this ascribing to some sort of service, and then
JOB FULFILLMENT
card(PCard) system, it didnt consult IT. They route it to IT so we can intervene, he said.
BUDGETS
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didnt even think it was something IT could or Thats something we are going to put in place
SECURITY
should be involved in until we brought up the because of the way SaaS solutions are being
COMPLIANCE
fact that this was going to be a problem with marketed. n
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
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survey found that while

A 2 0 15 T EC H TA RG ET

cybersecurity managers in enterprises have
many responsibilities, IT risk management and
regulatory compliance take up the most work

time.
The TechTarget 2015 Annual IT Salary and
Careers Survey polled 1,783 IT professionals in
In security realm, North America between June and September
IT risk management,
of 2015. Among those who said that security
was one of their top three concerns (354 re-
compliance top tasks spondents), IT risk management and regulatory
compliance were also cited as top concerns by,
TechTarget 2015 Annual IT Salary and Careers Survey:
respectively, 34% and 25% of those respondents.
Out of the myriad of security responsibilities
Among senior IT executives with a security
for an enterprise, IT risk management and regulatory
compliance occupy the most time. focus who were planning for 2016, however, the
order of importance shifted: 23% cited compli-
BY MICHAEL HELLER
ance as a top three concern, while 18% cited
HOME
risk management.

SECURITY

More than anything else security-focused Jeff Schilling, CSO for Armor Defense Inc.,
respondents are aiming to improve operational said that understanding time and resource limi-
efficiencies in 2016, but experts said it may be tations is often the key to risk management.
difficult to improve efficiency when it comes to First, set up three risk categories (high, me-
IT risk management and regulatory compliance. dium and low). Next, build your IT architec-
ture to allow you to have the best visibility and
detection capabilities across your high-risk
RISK MANAGEMENT TIME DRAIN category workloads and focus your patching,
Ryan Barrett, vice president of security and protection and detection operations on the
privacy at Intermedia, said risk management highest-risk workloads, Schilling said.You
HOME
can feel time-consuming because the process may make the assessment that your organic
SURVEY OVERVIEW
can be very long and results may not appear for security may not have the tools or experience
EXECUTIVE PAY
months or years. to protect your highest-classification data. At
JOB FULFILLMENT
It involves constantlymeasuring risk (which that point, you should consider outsourcing to
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
is subjective), guessing at the likelihood (also a secure hosting environment that does have
SECURITY
subjective) and coming up with a plan to miti- the needed tools and skilled security team. The
COMPLIANCE
gate the risk. Following that risk from the be- other thingI would recommend is assume your
ANALYTICS ginning (identification) to the end (mitigation) user environment is compromised. Build your
DEVELOPERS can be long and boring, Barrett said. Its not access management systems with two-factor
SERVER the sexiest part of Information Security, but it authentication and role-based access [con-
MANAGEMENT
truly can yield some tangible results in keeping trol]to narrow the risk.
DATA CENTER
the business safe. The road may be long, but its Paul Nicholson, director of product market-
CHANNEL
worth traveling. ing atA10 Networks, said the act of prioritizing

SECURITY

risk can be time-consuming because of where more completely engage the c-staffand board of
sensitive data is located, and the emerging risks directors to build an agreed-upon risk appetite,
faced can be unique to each company. from which I can then apply technical controls
Risk management is so time-consuming to support.The real challenge right now is that
because organizations must understand where Im largely operating in a vacuum. Assuming I
sensitive data is in their organization by dis- can gain traction with the c-staff, Ill gain a rea-
covering and classifying that data and then sonable budget, and from that, I will definitely
continually assess[ing] and [prioritizing] their be automating as much as possible.
risks based on this information, Nicholson
said. IT teams must look at emerging risks that
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are unique to their organization or their indus- COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES
SURVEY OVERVIEW
try and look at general security riskssuch as a In terms of compliance, Barrett said that every
EXECUTIVE PAY
critical application vulnerabilityto effectively industry offers unique regulatory challenges and
JOB FULFILLMENT
manage risks. many industries are required by legislation to
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
A vice president of IT Security and Compli- comply with long-term data management regu-
SECURITY
ance at a small business who responded to the lations.
COMPLIANCE
survey, but wished to remain anonymous, said Compliance is often determined on three
ANALYTICS risk management was time-consuming because factors, Barrett said, security: data must be
DEVELOPERS of limited resources. safeguarded against all threats to its integrity;
SERVER In the ideal world, Id have an unlimited permanence: data must be retained in its origi-
MANAGEMENT
budget, and a business model that is inher- nal state without being altered; and auditabil-
DATA CENTER
ently safe, the respondent said. However, in ity: data must be accessible in a timely manner
CHANNEL
the absence of those two items: Im striving to when required.

SECURITY

Schilling said a problem with regulations is ment controls, but they need to document these
that many are based on a potentially outmoded controls to auditors and regulators, Nicholson
network-centric approach to security, and he said. Automation tools and technologies can
suggests a data-centric approach would be better. help organizations accelerate compliance pro-
You should focus your biggest efforts on
protecting your data centers where your ap-
plications and databases live. After all, that is
Schilling said a problem with
what the threat actors are after, Schilling said.
regulations is that many are
Start security from the inside out. Protect the based on a potentially outmoded
database with application-level encryption that network-centric approach to
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keeps only those with access to the keys from security; he suggests a data-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
ever getting access tounencrypted data; put centric approach would be better.
EXECUTIVE PAY
anomaly monitoring between the database and
JOB FULFILLMENT
the application; and put strong authentication cesses. Dedicated products, such as Web appli-
BUDGETS
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(multi-factor) between the application and the cation firewalls and network firewalls and DDoS
SECURITY
user and only allow the user to view and/or in- mitigation tools, can help organizations address
COMPLIANCE
teract with the data, not download it. compliance requirements, like PCI DSSrequire-
ANALYTICS Nicholson said regulatory compliance is time- ment 6.6, the Health Insurance Portability and
DEVELOPERS consuming because organizations often need to Accountability Act(HIPAA), and regional finan-
SERVER comply with multiple regulations with different cial regulations, by protecting credit card data,
MANAGEMENT
objectives and requirements. personally identifiable information and finan-
DATA CENTER
Not only do they need to implement ap- cial records from compromise. Many security
CHANNEL
propriate security, privacy and change manage- tools can also produce reports and logs then can

SECURITY

document compliance. taining regulatory compliance, the respondent

The unnamed survey respondent said dealing said it did improve security but that may not
with multiple regulation standards was painful. always be the case.
Maintaining compliance would be easier if I At this stage, compliance is actually help-
had a single-source location where the various ing me call out security issues that expose the
regulations that apply to our company could be company to regulatory compliance issues, the
lined up, and all the common facets, as well as respondent said. However, I can see a point in
the uncommon facets of the regulations, would the future, where certain compliance issues will
be called out so that compliance efforts could no longer be directly related to security issues,
be weighted for maximum effect across mul- and that divergence will be where I start to have
HOME
tiple regulations. a negative correlation between security and
SURVEY OVERVIEW
Despite the time-consuming chore of main- compliance. n
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COMPLIANCE
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a huge asset for businesses

DATA H A S B ECO M E

in the digital age, making regulatory compliance
a competitive differentiator for many modern
companies. And as both regulations and data

threats have become increasingly complex, GRC
professionals skill sets have become a prized
commodity.
IT compliance Compensation for these professionals seems
management skills remain

to be keeping up with the trend, according to
in high demand Survey. From a sample size of 176 respondents
who selected Compliance when asked to select
As organizations data threats and regulatory
the top three technology areas that occupy the
demands increase, GRC professionals are seeing their
most of their time, the average salary reported
skill sets become highly prized across industries.
was $107,888. Fifty percent received a raise in
BY BEN COLE
2015, and 54% anticipate a raise in 2016.
The lucky IT compliance management pro-
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fessionals are getting more resources, too, with

COMPLIANCE

33% saying IT budgets increased in 2015, and isfied with their current position. In the next
38% reportingadditional staffing in their de- three to five years, 41% said they want to move
partments. These employees have taken on up within their current company or department,
much more responsibility in recent years: In ad- and only 14% are seeking employment with a
dition to risk management, GRC professionals larger company.
are often responsible for the administration and
development of the companys technology plat-
Corporate risk specialists
form and associated IT processes, said Marci
and IT professionals are
McCarthy, CEO and Chairman ofISE Talentand
increasingly tapped to fill
CEO and president ofT.E.N.
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Additionally, theyre responsible for config-
GRC responsibilities and help
SURVEY OVERVIEW
uring, maintaining and reporting on the tech-
maintain regulatory compliance.
EXECUTIVE PAY
nology platform and its subsequent data, Mc-
JOB FULFILLMENT
Carthy said. Other duties may include liaising Professionals IT compliance management ex-
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with various business groups for the identifica- perience has become invaluable to companies as
SECURITY
tion, remediation and tracking of organizational regulatory compliance rules have spread across
COMPLIANCE
risks and vulnerabilities. industries, said Geoff Harris, CEO of Alder-
ANALYTICS bridge and International board directorof the
DEVELOPERS Information Systems Security Association.
SERVER IT COMPLIANCE PROS SATISFIED Organizations are having to demonstrate to
MANAGEMENT
The heightened profile and additional responsi- regulators and regulatory bodies that they are
DATA CENTER
bilities have not had a negative impact on satis- compliant, and they need people to do that,
CHANNEL
faction, however: 68% reported they were sat- Harris said.

COMPLIANCE

To fill the gap, companies have turned to a processes up to speed as large data volumes
wide range of departments and potential skill have caused big GRC complications. The combi-
sets, Harris said. Corporaterisk specialists and nation of increased data threats;well-publicized
IT professionals, for example, are increasingly breaches and new regulations have forced com-
tapped to fill GRC responsibilities and help
maintain regulatory compliance.
Companies have sometimes
I think there is quite a good flow of candi-
struggled to keep processes up to
dates, generally, and from across professions
that move into this area, Harris said. I see
speed as large data volumes have
people moving across from all sorts of areas,
caused big GRC complications.
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from within cybersecurity but also other ar-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
easmoving across to take on those roles. panies to develop detailed security programs on
EXECUTIVE PAY
the flyand the staff to go with it, McCarthy
JOB FULFILLMENT
added.
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GRC REMAINS A TOP CONCERN As a result, most face a steep learning curve
SECURITY
Not surprisingly, the respondents that special- regarding hiring best practices, understanding
COMPLIANCE
ize in regulatory compliance reported that their qualifications and offering competitive compen-
ANALYTICS top areas of greatest concern in 2015 were sation packages, McCarthy said.
DEVELOPERS compliance,security and risk management. In the face of these increased responsibilities,
SERVER These issues arent going away, either: In 2016, the moods at survey respondents IT depart-
MANAGEMENT
many predict that their work projects will focus ments seem divided between optimistic and
DATA CENTER
on compliance (67%) and security (44%). neutral: 36% described the mood as optimis-
CHANNEL
Companies have sometimes struggled to keep tic, but 38% report being neither optimistic

COMPLIANCE

nor pessimistic. The 2016 outlook seems a bit likely continue to expand in the near future:
more positive, with 38% predicting the mood Demand for GRC professionalswill only in-
will be more optimistic in 2016, while 31% said crease, McCarthy said, especially at larger orga-
it would be neither optimistic nor pessimistic. nizations. But when it comes to GRC staffing,
As for theregulatory complianceprofession- human resource and talent management organi-
als who were more pessimistic about their IT zations are at a crossroads, she added.
departments mood, ineffective management They have a task and a mission to fill these
(68%) and limited career advancement (53%) positions, McCarthy said. However, these jobs
were cited as the biggest reasons for the in- are not very easy ones to fill. Theyre not like
creased feelings of pessimism. general IT jobs, and many of them are very spe-
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Those with a more pessimistic view should cialized and require specific kinds of industry
SURVEY OVERVIEW
take solace that their career opportunities will backgrounds. n
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MANAGEMENT
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A N A LY T I C S
Dushek is feeling satis-

T H ES E DAYS, D E N N I S

fied with his job. The business systems analyst
at linen and uniform rental company Bay Towel
in Green Bay, Wis., said management takes his

recommendations seriously, and workers in
sales, accounting and other departments value
the reports he creates for them. Theres a lot of
Survey: BI and big data looking for optimistic projects and results, Du-
professionals ahead
shek said. Were not just fighting fires. Were
able to plan for the future.
of peers on pay Dushek isnt alone in his optimism. Accord-
ing to TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary and
Employees who have BI and big data jobs are feeling
Careers Survey, business intelligenceandbig
pretty good about them, according to TechTargets
data professionals are relatively upbeat about
2015 salary survey. High pay and strong job prospects
are a couple reasons why. both their current jobs and their prospects for
the futureand there are plenty of reasons why.
BY ED BURNS
Results show that the average base salary for
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the 114 survey respondents who said they pri-

A N A LY T I C S

marily focus on BI and big data initiatives was But the positive feelings arent just about per-
$120,446; thats 20% higher than the average of sonal compensation. In the survey, 68% of the
$100,333 for all 1,548 respondents who reported responding BI and big data professionals said
their salaries. When bonuses are factored in, they dont have career changes in mind; of that
the average total compensation for the BI and group, 22% plan to stay in their current posi-
tions for the foreseeable future, while 46% said
theyre open to new opportunities, but arent
When bonuses are factored in,
actively seeking a different job.
average total compensation for
Separately, 39% said the mood in their IT
BI and big data respondents rose
department is optimistic, compared to just 19%
HOME to $136,28225% more than who said its pessimistic. In addition, 41% of
SURVEY OVERVIEW the overall figure of $110,724. respondents said the head count in their de-
EXECUTIVE PAY
partment is larger than it was in 2014, compared
JOB FULFILLMENT
big data respondents rose to $136,28225% to 20% who said their departments workforce
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
more than the overall figure of $110,724. shrank in 2015.
SECURITY
Fifty-three percent of the respondents in
COMPLIANCE
the BI and big data category said they received
ANALYTICS a raise in 2015, and 45% got a bonus. Look- GOOD TIME TO BE IN BI, BIG DATA JOBS
DEVELOPERS ing ahead, 55% expect a raise in 2016 and 47% Satisfaction is trending up, because people are
SERVER expect a bonus. Each of those figures is higher thinking about keeping their workers happy, said
MANAGEMENT
than the corresponding ones for all respondents Matt Mueller, president of CBIG Consultings
DATA CENTER
to the survey, which was conducted online from Recruiting & Staffing, a Rosemont, Ill., company
CHANNEL
June to September. that helps place BI and big data workers in jobs.

A N A LY T I C S

I think IT is becoming more and more special- who doesreporting for the various business
ized, so for the folks who have the right skill set units. As a result, he said hes pretty confident
and right background, it is a good time. that Bay Towel is unlikely to pull back from its
For example, Mueller said the percentage of BI investment in him and his position.
and big data survey respondents who received The other thing thats keeping many BI and
bonuses in 2015 is higher than he personally has big data professionals satisfied is that their
seen in previous yearsthough the 45% figure work is increasingly valued by corporate man-
is unchanged fromthe 2014 TechTarget salary agement, Mueller said. He added that more and
survey. In the years following the recession that more companies are basing theirentire business
ran from late 2007 into 2009, bonuses were the strategy around data and analytics, so workers
HOME
first thing to go, as businesses tightened their in the BI and data management fields are enjoy-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
belts, he noted. But the fact that so many re- ing relatively high esteem within their organiza-
EXECUTIVE PAY
spondents are now receiving bonuses signals to tions.
JOB FULFILLMENT
Mueller that organizations are investing more in
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
executives and other workers involved in BI and
SECURITY
big data programs. GOING SEPARATE WAYS ON ANALYTICS TASKS
COMPLIANCE
Bay Towels Dushek said he thinks the com- In some cases, the specialization of roles within
ANALYTICS pany has made efforts to keep him and his IT IT is also helping BI and big data professionals
DEVELOPERS co-workers happy. In a smaller company, such spend more time on tasks they enjoy. That has
SERVER as Bay Towel, its often harder to retool with been an important factor in keeping data sci-
MANAGEMENT
new employees if someone leaves than it is in entists at the Yellow Pages telephone-listings
DATA CENTER
larger organizations, particularly for a role like operations in Canada happy with their work, ac-
CHANNEL
Dusheks: Hes the only one in the department cording to Richard Langlois, director of big data

A N A LY T I C S

and analytics at Montreal-based Yellow Pages retain top BI and big data talent going forward.
Ltd. Theres a lot of buzz about how data scientists
Langlois said his team primarily works to set and other analytics professionals are motivated
up data pipelines, and ensures that the infor- by interesting challenges and engaging work
mation in them is clean and ready to use. More environments, and that may be true to an ex-
technically oriented data engineers handle the tent. But most skilled IT and analytics workers
process of building data architectures, enabling are still going to go to the companies that offer
the data science team to spend virtually all its them the best compensation packages, Mueller
time on actual analytics applications. The sepa- said.
ration of duties allows the data scientists to fo- Given that reality, he would have expected a
HOME
cus on analysis activities as opposed to hunting greater percentage of the BI and big data survey
SURVEY OVERVIEW
and gathering of the actual data, he said. respondents to have reported receiving a raise
EXECUTIVE PAY
Mueller said hes seeing heavy demand for in 2015, but he thinks higher numbers will come
JOB FULFILLMENT
data developers and architects right now, as as the business importance of BI, analytics
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
well as workers with specialized big data skills and big data continues to grow. Compensation
SECURITY
involving technologies such as Hadoop and is going to be key to retention, Mueller said.
COMPLIANCE
NoSQL databases. Challenging work is important, but there are
ANALYTICS Ultimately, he believes compensation will lots of open jobs right now, so you really have
DEVELOPERS play an important role in companies ability to to pay people. n
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MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

D E V E LO P E R S
a great time to be a
A P PA R E NT LY, I T S ST I L L

software developer.
According to TechTargets Annual IT Salary
and Careers Survey, software developers in 2015

were largely happy with their jobs, optimistic
about the future and still relatively well-paid.
And with a worldwide shortage of software de-
An inside look at software velopers not likely to end soon, the future con-
developer pay in 2015

tinues to look bright for the profession.
Between June and September of 2015, Tech-
TechTargets 2015 salary survey shows developers Target conducted an online survey of 1,783 IT
are mostly optimistic, content and challenged professionals, of which 392 described them-
by new technology. Find out why software developer selves as working in application development
pay could stand to be increased. and design.
BY VALERIE SILVERTHORNE In 2015, software developer pay averaged
$108,738, down slightly from 2014s $110,340,
and reported a total average compensation pack-
HOME
ageworth $119,783. The reason for the slight

D E V E LO P E R S

decrease in salary: The 2014 survey included garage doors.

almost double the number of IT executives than The problem is that some of these companies
those who responded in 2015. Overall, 60% said that are more conservative do not understand
their total compensation improved in 2015 over developers. At this previously mentioned ga-
2014. In that time, 48% got raiseswith an av- rage door company,I was told during the inter-
erage salary bump of 5.6%while 43% received view that it took management a long time to
bonuses, which averaged $14,614. realize that if a developer was not typing on his
Whyd they get those raises and bonuses? For keyboard, he was still working, because a lot of
58%, it was successfully helping achieve a busi- the job is mental and thinking. Needless to say,
ness goal or outcome. Other measures of suc- I didnt pursue that opportunity, as I know it
HOME
cess included on-time completion of projects would lead to a lot of frustrations with manage-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
(54%), improved product or service delivery ment.
EXECUTIVE PAY
(42%), ensuring reliability of IT services (33%)
JOB FULFILLMENT
and meeting productivity goals (30%).
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
But, clearly, not everyone who took the sur- THE FUTURE OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPER PAY
SECURITY
vey is happy with software developer pay these Frustrations aside, survey participants predicted
COMPLIANCE
days. The problem, said survey respondent and application management, big data and business
ANALYTICS developer Shayne Gray, is that nontechnical process management will be the largest areas of
DEVELOPERS companies really dont know how to treator focus for 2016. But cloud, security and mobile
SERVER paydevelopers. It is my belief that a lot of were also mentioned as priorities. As COO of
MANAGEMENT
developers feel underpaid, Gray said For in- healthcare provider systemMillennium Col-
DATA CENTER
stance, at one point, I applied for a position laborative Carein Buffalo, N.Y., administrative
CHANNEL
for a developer job at a company that makes director Greg Turner, who was a survey respon-

D E V E LO P E R S

dent, is experiencing interest in those areas their current role, while 43% arent looking for
firsthand. another job, but would be open to a new oppor-
With telemedicine, were looking at being tunity. Only 14% are actively looking for a new
able to capture vital stats from smartphones job.
about patients and get real-time measures, so They wont have to look too hard. Over the
we can continually get a real-time view of our past year, 57% of developers received at least
population and a 360 [degree] view of the in- five qualified job offers from recruiters, accord-
dividual, he said. The data scientist analytics ing to The Harvey Nash Technology Survey
role is going to be a huge, critical success factor 2015. Harvey Nash, which is an international
for us. recruitment firm based in London, also found
HOME
Those areas are mission-critical for Turners that Web developers, software engineers and
SURVEY OVERVIEW
company, but what are the reasons other com- software developers were the least likely people
EXECUTIVE PAY
panies are focusing on those specific technolo- to actively look for and apply for jobs, said as-
JOB FULFILLMENT
gies? New customer acquisition was the most sociate director Bhavin Joshi.
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
important, with 46% citing it. Other reasons Joshi suggested that means developersin de-
SECURITY
included operational efficiencies (34%), better mand around the world thanks to the shortage
COMPLIANCE
customer service (30%), new product or service dont actually have to go out and look for work.
ANALYTICS delivery models (30%) and simplified business Rather, the jobs will come to them, he said.
DEVELOPERS processes (29%). Just 2% of respondents said it Thats apparently even more true in the U.S.:
SERVER was too early to know for certain. Joshis survey showed only 16% of U.S.-based
MANAGEMENT
Software developers mostly like where they developers were actively job seeking, versus 22%
DATA CENTER
are, but are also likely to at least listen to a job in the U.K., which means American developers
CHANNEL
offer. A full 24% are completely satisfied with are more likely to wait for the phone to ring.

D E V E LO P E R S

Developer Richard Bober, who was a survey ing for work, it might be tempting to think the
participant, said hes gotten 20 unsolicited of- overall IT mood is optimistic, but the reality
fers from headhunters over the last two years. might be best described as neutral. For example,
None were sufficiently attractive to tempt him 41% of developers surveyed said the mood in
to leave his current position. their IT department was neither optimistic nor
Changing employers is something of an pessimistic, while 38% said it was optimistic.
ordeal, he said. There is a comfort zone that Why are the optimists happy? The No. 1 reason
develops with your co-workers and the projects was because innovation is encouraged (55%),
youre assigned to. If you like your co-workers followed by improving business conditions
and you like the work, unless there is a big jump (42%) and strong management (41%).
HOME
in salary offered, the new job isnt as appealing. However, the naysayers agreed with Bobers
SURVEY OVERVIEW
However, if you dont like the direction of your analysis: 56% blamed ineffective management.
EXECUTIVE PAY
IT department, or you dont like your manager But that wasnt all: 36% pointed to continuing
JOB FULFILLMENT
or co-workers, and you dont feel appreciated, IT budget cuts, 35% said career advancement
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
then it doesnt take much to convince someone was limited and 25% put the blameon job out-
SECURITY
to make a move. sourcing.
COMPLIANCE
More than one-third of respondents said their
ANALYTICS budgets and their head counts were larger in
DEVELOPERS INNOVATION LEADS TO BETTER MORALE 2015 than 201433% in both casesand 37%
SERVER With so many developers not actively look- said their departments are fully staffed. n
MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

SERVER MANAGEMENT
took less of systems

I T M A NAG E M E NT TA S KS

administrators time in 2015 as they turned
their attention to other areas of the data center.
Networking, virtualization, IT management, and

storage and backup ranked as the top four most
time-consuming technology areas in TechTar-
gets 2015 survey, followed by security.
IT management Among IT pros who cited server management
less time-consuming;
as one of their top three areas of concern (265
respondents), virtualization held strong at 25%
security concerns grow from 2014 to 2015, as it continues to ensure
flexible, cost-effective infrastructure and easy
While virtualization, networking, IT management,
deployment of applications and servers.
and backup and storage remained in the top-
We have a couple of physical servers left for
five list of IT tasks in the 2015 survey, another
area crept up the list. legacy applications, said Ross Eberle, a techni-
cal support supervisor for the Rockford School
BY AUSTIN ALLEN
District in Illinois.
HOME
The rest of their servers, 95%, are virtualized.

SERVER MANAGEMENT

More virtualization means more storage and though, in the in 2014 or so, backup has taken
more backups. less of our time because we migrated to a [new-
Over the course of a few years, storage has er] product.
grown immensely, Eberle said. The survey results coincide with the growing
need for IT teams to have broader skills. IT has
The survey results coincide become integral to the business with a smaller
budget. To be successful, employees must
with the growing need for IT
switch between several different roles in a given
teams to have broader skills.
day.
To be successful, employees
Businesses look for versatile people who are
HOME must switch between several techno-functional, said Daniel Lozovsky, a
SURVEY OVERVIEW different roles in a given day. senior business IT manager and technical archi-
EXECUTIVE PAY
tect for AT&T Mobility based in Seattle.
JOB FULFILLMENT
You would think, then, that backups would [IT] roles are being redefined and they are
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
take up more time. However, the TechTarget fluid, Lozovsky said. It requires masters of a
SECURITY
survey showed that storage and backup takes very strong technical kind of skill to operate in
COMPLIANCE
up less time than it used to, droppingfrom the infrastructure or development.
ANALYTICS third biggest time consumer in 2014 to the IT management dropped 8% from 2014 to
DEVELOPERS fourth in 2015. Eberle credits new, more capable 2015, bringing it from first to third on the re-
SERVER software that eases backup management. spondents list of tasks that occupy their time.
MANAGEMENT
When the storage increased, the backup time However, this decrease actually equalizes it
DATA CENTER
increased as well because there is more data, so with networking, virtualization, and storage and
CHANNEL
we have to do more with it, Eberle said. Al- backup. In fact, Lozovsky claimed IT manage-

SERVER MANAGEMENT

Top time-consuming areas for data center pros
Networking (WAN/LAN)
26%
23%
Virtualization 25%
25%
IT management (general) 23%
31%
Storage/backup
22%
24%
Security 13%
9%
HOME
Desktops/laptops/client services 12%
SURVEY OVERVIEW
12%
EXECUTIVE PAY
Help desks 11%
JOB FULFILLMENT 13%
BUDGETS
Application management 9%
TOP PROJECT5 8%
SECURITY
Database administration 9%
COMPLIANCE 5%
ANALYTICS
Data management 8%
DEVELOPERS 2% n 2015
SERVER
Data center management
7% n 2014
MANAGEMENT 10%
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

SERVER MANAGEMENT

ment will continue to be integral as more IT and strategic planning and thinking, he added.
jobs are outsourced. While he doesnt manage remote IT teams
We spend less time hiring employees and like Lozovsky, Eberle agreed that coaching IT
more time dealing with outsourcing companies teams and designing workflows for new initia-
... whether its India or somewhere in Eastern tives consumes the majority of his day.
Europe, Lozovsky said. The newest entrant into the top five in 2015 is
There will be more emphasis on leadership ... security, up from eighth place in 2014. n
HOME
SURVEY OVERVIEW
EXECUTIVE PAY
JOB FULFILLMENT
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

D ATA C E N T E R
placed increased impor-

DATA C E NT E R T E A M S

tance on creativity and innovation in 2015 in
search of new ways to achieve traditional goals.
As expected, reliability of IT services, on-

time project completion, achieving a business
goal, improving service delivery and meeting
productivity goals topped a list of measures for
Data centers seek success in TechTargets 2015 survey of systems
creative skills to drive

administrators, IT managers and executives, and
those who work with the data center.
innovation in IT
Now more than ever, data centers need creative
LESS FOCUS ON THE BUDGET
employees to adapt and outwit problems for a more
Those IT pros who cited server management as
efficient, reliable IT infrastructure.
one of their top three areas of concern (265 re-
BY MEREDITH COURTEMANCHE
spondents) put a higher premium on creativity
and innovation in IT in 2015 than in 2014, ahead
HOME
of achieving returns on investments and coming

D ATA C E N T E R

in under budget. Creativity and innovation have more to do

Creativity and innovationwere defined as im- with the hierarchical, logical IT world than peo-
portant measures of success by 18% of respon- ple may think, said James Stanger, senior direc-
dents, up three percentage points from 2014. tor of products forCompTIAInc., a nonprofit
Coming in under budget fell in importance by IT industry association involved in training and
six percentage points from 2014 to 2015, land- certifications.
ing in the single digits.
I think [creativity is] critically importantI
wouldnt hire someone if I didnt think they had FINDING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS
it, said Jamie Rabenstein, information tech- Innovation and creativity enhances an IT pros
HOME
nology manager at Victor Community Support ability to troubleshoot, design architectures and
SURVEY OVERVIEW
Services (VCSS), an agency that delivers mental optimize performance to meet traditionally im-
EXECUTIVE PAY
health and family support services, based in portant metrics, such asreliability, stability and
JOB FULFILLMENT
Chico, Calif. efficiency of IT operations. Stanger calls it the
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
With moredynamic data centersmeeting IT ability to make an informed choice.
SECURITY
demands, deep technical expertise is still valu- Combine an ability to see the spaces between
COMPLIANCE
able, but so is the ability to adapt to a new ap- the systemshow everything interconnects
ANALYTICS proach and work with different groups of people. and works in your environmentwith a deep
DEVELOPERS You need to think about your job, Raben- knowledge of the protocols and procedures in
SERVER stein said. You cant do more with less unless use, and the IT worker can create the best archi-
MANAGEMENT
you have creativity and innovation. And were tecture and operations possible for their busi-
DATA CENTER
in the do-more-with-less phase in data center ness, he said.
CHANNEL
technology. Without creativity and innovation, [IT pros

D ATA C E N T E R

are] going to overlook something, Rabenstein cal support supervisor at the Rockford School
said. They could have increased server per- District in Illinois. There is no budget available
formance, bettered [service level agreements], for turnkey new products to meet a requirement
prevented downtime. You cant do that if you as IT demands change, he added, but end users
just follow. must be supported nonetheless.
Rabenstein experienced this over the past
year, as VCSS replaced Dell servers with Cisco
Especially in the education
Unified Computing System blades, and added
field, a lot of creativity and
Nimble hybrid solid-state drive and hard disk
drive storage with Condusiv Technologies
innovation is required, due
HOME
V-locity I/O reduction software. It requires
to resource constraints.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
a different approach than the old way of do- Ross Eberle, technical support
EXECUTIVE PAY supervisor, Rockford School District
ing things, but he sees performance and space
JOB FULFILLMENT
utilization payoffsespecially as VCSS moves
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
about 1,000 end usersonto virtual desktops. A new relationship is alsoforming between IT
SECURITY
Creativity saves companies money, Stanger and the business. The IT services sector hiring
COMPLIANCE
said, which is why CIOs and directors should is strong, with a concentration on IT-business
ANALYTICS seek it out.Small and medium-sized business- hybrids, such as software engineers, analysts,
DEVELOPERS esespecially look for creative IT people to solve architects, and program and project managers
SERVER problems within the available budget, he said. over traditional tech infrastructure jobs, accord-
MANAGEMENT
Especially in the education field, a lot of ing toresearchfrom Foote Partners LLC in Vero
DATA CENTER
creativity and innovation is required, due to Beach, Fla.
CHANNEL
resource constraints, said Ross Eberle, techni- You need an entrepreneurial spirit in the

D ATA C E N T E R

back end, said Jeff Einhorn, group manager of whiteboard in front of CEOs, VCSSs Raben-
rAPId Infrastructure Services at Target. stein said. But you can seek out the sales per-
Service managers should be empowered to sonality in engineering types during the in-
make changes, with stability and efficiency in terview process, using Myers-Briggs or other
mind. Otherwise, business units might seek the
autonomy and short-term payoff of shadow IT
Target uses short-term
on public cloud services, Einhorn said.
challenges and hack-a-thons
Innovative and creative traits also increase
to encourage employees to
satisfaction with the job. Innovative thinking
was the second most cited reason for upbeat
work with strangers in the
HOME
data center leaders. A total of 33% of data cen-
IT organization.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
ter respondents said the mood in their orga-
EXECUTIVE PAY
nization is optimistic. Of those, 45% claimed personality tests. Then, place those people in
JOB FULFILLMENT
innovation is encouraged in their organization. positions where they can step up with ideas.
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
If you leave them alone for a few hours,
SECURITY
maybe theyll design something youve never
COMPLIANCE
HOW TO INJECT INNOVATION INTO IT seen before, Rabenstein said.
ANALYTICS IT organizations can increase the creative en- Target usesshort-term challenges, hack-a-
DEVELOPERS ergy and interest in innovation around the thons and other activities to encourage employ-
SERVER data center through rewards, selective hiring ees to work with strangers in the IT organiza-
MANAGEMENT
andstrong leadership. tion, according to Einhorn.
DATA CENTER
You cant turn people into something theyre Time for structured play in a pilot lab will
CHANNEL
not. People who need to write databases cant pay off, Stanger said, whether its simply evalu-

D ATA C E N T E R

ating a network router or setting up a Raspberry IT workers with conference attendance and
Pi server to test its limits. trainings where they can cultivate ideas along-
Eberle looks for technical skills, as well as side peers at other companies. It may be easier
a desire to learn and take on new tasks, when to give a cash bonus, Stanger said, but the best
bringing an employee along on his team. companies foster curiosity through education
In the IT industry, everyones got to learn on vacations.
a constant basis, he said. As a manager, Eberles They come back and their creativity goes off
role is to keep these creative people engaged and the charts. n
supply the information they need to make deci-
sions. EDITORS NOTE: This report was based on response
HOME from survey takers who selected data center and server
Theyre part of the solution, Eberle said. A
SURVEY OVERVIEW management as one of the top-three areas that occupy
lot of times, we overlook that. We expect tech- their time. They were allowed to choose multiple
EXECUTIVE PAY
nicians to go out and get it done. options in response to what they considered measures
JOB FULFILLMENT
In addition to encouraging free time, reward of success.
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE
ANALYTICS
DEVELOPERS
SERVER
MANAGEMENT
DATA CENTER
CHANNEL

CHANNEL
professionals appear
I T C H A N N E L PA RT N E R

cautiously optimistic on the industrys pros-
pects for 2016, with the mood buoyed by a
combination of general economic trends and job

satisfaction.
That observation is among the findings
stemming from TechTargets 2015 Annual IT
IT channel Salary and Careers Survey, which polled 341
partner survey reveals

people who either work directly for, or are self-
employed and work for, a value-added reseller
cautious optimism (VAR), systems integrator or managed service
provider. A bit more than half of the survey
Value-added resellers and managed service providers
respondents (53%) said they believed the mood
expressed cautious optimism regarding their prospects
will be more optimistic in 2016, while just un-
in 2016, sentiments that reflect an uptick in business.
der a third (31%) were neutral, anticipating the
BY JOHN MOORE
mood to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic.
Pessimists were in the minority at 16% of the
HOME
respondents.

CHANNEL

Those results are somewhat more positive Market Intelligence at CompTIA.

than the survey participants current senti- In addition, CompTIAs IT Industry Business
ments: 46% of the IT channel partner staff- Confidence Index reversed a downward pattern.
ers said the IT mood was optimistic, 37% were The fourth-quarter index saw an increase of 2.2
neither optimistic nor pessimistic and 17% percentage points, reversing two consecutive
expressed pessimism. quarters of decline, CompTIA noted. The in-
Optimists cited a number of reasons for dex is based on an opinion survey of IT execu-
their feelings, withincreasing business, a strong tives, polling them on their views of the U.S.
management team and aninnovative work economy, the IT industry and their own compa-
environment ranking as the top three factors. nies. CompTIA said all three index components
HOME
Overall, most channel professionals62% posted gains in Q4, with the rating of the overall
SURVEY OVERVIEW
expressed satisfaction with their jobs. economy seeing the largest increase.
EXECUTIVE PAY
For the most part there is pretty strong op-
JOB FULFILLMENT
timism among channel partners and channel
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
TRACKING WITH OTHER RESULTS companies right now, Herbert said.
SECURITY
TechTargets findings are generally on track John Reed, senior executive director at Rob-
COMPLIANCE
with other IT survey results. CompTIAs IT ert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm, said he
ANALYTICS Career Insights survey of nearly 2,000 IT thinks the optimism is due to themore strategic
DEVELOPERS professionalsroughly split between U.S. and application of technology within organizations.
SERVER international respondentsfound that 73% As technology continues to impact most
MANAGEMENT
of U.S. participants said they were either satis- departments within organizations, the need for
DATA CENTER
fied or very satisfied with their jobs, noted professionals to implement and maintain these
CHANNEL
Tim Herbert, senior vice president, Research & technologies will continue to be important to

CHANNEL

overall success and increased efficiency and remains in her current job.
productivity, he said. IT is becoming much The company has a new CEO, and theyre
more involved in strategic discussions for pro- looking to cut costs all over, said the developer,
gressive organizations, which is providing a
renewed sense of confidence and optimism for
There are some currents of
technology workers as they are seeing their
roles expand.
unease among channel respon-
Reed added that his company is seeing tech
dents to the TechTarget survey.
leaders adding to their teams or implement- Less than half of the respondents
ing new technology initiatives such as digital or expect to receive a raise in 2016.
HOME
cloud projects.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
who requested anonymity. They already said
EXECUTIVE PAY
we wouldnt get [a raise] in 2014. ... I think its
JOB FULFILLMENT
SOME UNEASE AMONG probably going to be the same in 2016.
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
IT CHANNEL PARTNER STAFF The developer said she might look for a dif-
SECURITY
There are some currents of unease, however, ferent job and is interested in becoming a soft-
COMPLIANCE
among the respondents to the TechTarget sur- ware architect.
ANALYTICS vey. Less than half of the respondents expect to Tony Adams, owner ofbetaTech LLC, an MSP
DEVELOPERS receive a raise in 2016 and 31% said they believe in Omaha, Neb., also finds himself at a career
SERVER no salary increase is in the offing. crossroad. Adams formed betaTech two years
MANAGEMENT
One survey respondent, a software devel- ago more or less to make money to get through
DATA CENTER
oper at a consulting firm, said she believes her [graduate school]. His graduate studies focus
CHANNEL
compensation will stay the same in 2016 if she on software development.

CHANNEL

With the masters degree almost in hand, Ad- indicates an overall average starting salary thats
ams is now weighing his options about what his 5.3% higher in 2016 compared with 2015 salary
next step will be. The options include focusing levels. He said salary increases for employees
exclusively on growing his managed services
businessor taking a full-time software develop-
Robert Halfs 2016 Salary
ment job, running his business on the side to
Guide indicates an overall
grow it out later. The decision is hard because
average starting salary thats
he loves being a business owner. He said it
would take a while to get to the point where he
5.3% higher in 2016 than 2015.
could find and take on new clients to make
HOME
the business more sustainable to support his already in a role may or may not prove as signif-
SURVEY OVERVIEW
family. icant. He added, It is important for employed
EXECUTIVE PAY
Where Im going I dont know yet. ... I want professionals to stay up to date with salaries in
JOB FULFILLMENT
to make the right decision. I dont want to take their role and region if they plan on having dis-
BUDGETS
TOP PROJECT5
on a job and then close down the business and cussions around raises with their managers.
SECURITY
then figure out that thats not what I want to The differing employee fates with respect
COMPLIANCE
do, he said. to wage hikes may have something to do with
ANALYTICS This ambiguity spills over into compensation. where they stand on the salary scale. Herbert,
DEVELOPERS While many IT channel partner professionals while warning against over-generalizing, said he
SERVER dont expect any salary increase in 2016, those discovered a possible correlation between salary
MANAGEMENT
who do expect a raise, on average, anticipate a level and size of salary increase when comparing
DATA CENTER
sizeable 6.4% boost. the Department of Labors Occupational Em-
CHANNEL
Reed said Robert Halfs 2016 Salary Guide ployment Statistics for IT occupations in 2013

CHANNEL

and 2014. He found that workers in the 25th salaries but not others. Employees working in
wage percentile received an average increase of those niches are likely
1.5%, while those in the 90th percentile re- to be paid more and companies will try harder
ceived a 3% increase. to retain them. But if employees at the top
Herbert said that finding could show that of the organization get the biggest raises,
certain technology niches experiencing high organizations with fixed workforce budgets
employer demand will look to make offsets elsewhere. The result,
STAY CONNECTED!
and scarce em- Herbert added, is fewer dollars for increases
Follow @SearchCIO today ployee supply are and bonuses in other parts of the organiza-
pushing up some tion. n
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A B O U T T H E AU T H O R S

SUE TROY
is editorial director for TechTargets CIO,
IT Strategy and Channel Media Group.
LINDA TUCCI
is senior executive editor for SearchCIO. Special Report: 2015 IT Salary and Careers Survey is a
SearchCIO.com e-publication.
JASON SPARAPANI
is features writer for SearchCIO.
Sue Troy Harvey Koeppel, Neva Maniscalco
FRANCESCA SALES Editorial Director Niel Nickolaisen, Graphic Designer
is site editor for SearchCIO and SearchCompliance. Mary K. Pratt
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DEVELOPERS MEREDITH COURTEMANCHE 2016 TechTarget Inc. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form
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DATA CENTER is senior site editor for SearchITChannel than 100 focused websites enable quick access to a deep store of news, advice and analysis
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n DIFFERENCES IN PAY BY IT ROLE

salaries & careers n T

IScontinued to top the IT professional salary

charts in TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 2

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 3

while 39% chose neither optimistic nor pessi-

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 4

business opportunities were at the bottom of professionals: security,risk managementand

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 5

concern by 29% of respondents. Senior IT ex- to previous questions, or exclusion of errors or

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 6

and directors of ITwas stable in 2015, showing

little or no difference from executive pay trends

IT leaders stable in 2015,

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 7

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 8

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 9

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 10

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 11

mobile family in the

and their staffs felt they were movin on upat

least when it comes to job satisfaction. Thats

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 12

Innovation is encouraged 54%

EXECUTIVE PAY Our business is picking up 30%

COMPLIANCE The IT budget is increasing 3.2% 17%

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 13

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 14

BUDGETS Move to a larger company 22%

COMPLIANCE Move out of IT into a business role 6%

DEVELOPERS Move to a smaller company 3.2% 5%

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 15

particular expertisewhether its networking account and resetTCP/IPtraffic. That isolates

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 16

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 17

among a select group of senior

IT budgets rise sharply in 2015. Stasko, direc-

tor of IS at environmental consultancy Apex Co.

IT budgets rise for two-fifths

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 18

39% 35% 21% 33% 44% 19%

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 19

about the value of IT by top management.

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 20

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 21

rity and high availability, he said. Consolidat- electronic security.

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 22

the top IT project for

TechTargets 2015 Annual IT Salary and Careers

Survey of 248 senior IT leaders (CIOs, CTOs,

common theme in 2016

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 23

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 24

JOB FULFILLMENT 27%

SERVER Security App dev/design Cloud Computing Business Businessness

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 25

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 26

SURVEY OVERVIEW Lowest-ranking project areas for 2016

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 27

SPECIAL REPORT 2015 IT SALARY AND CAREERS SURVEY 28

survey found that while