Cisco AppDynamics, a provider of Observability and Application Performance Monitoring technology, has released findings from its fourth annual report, Agents of Transformation 2022, which examines the skills and attributes of elite global technologists.
It reveals the emergence of a new class of technology experts stepping up to meet critical challenges that are blurring the lines between business strategy and IT operations in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The report also mentions the demand in the Experience Economy for all products and services to be digitally available, citing increased security threats, increasing complexity, and the accelerated shift to hybrid work and the cloud.
“The bar continues to rise, and over the last year, we have seen a redefinition of what it means to be an Agent of Transformation. These leaders are looking to better understand how issues in their respective domains impact the total experience of users and applications, adapting to change with solutions that positively affect the overall business,” said Liz Centoni, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, GM of Applications.
According to the Cisco AppDynamics report, 74% believe that their recent experiences, particularly during the pandemic, have accelerated their careers, and 88% now consider themselves business leaders. Only 10% of technology experts have achieved the elite status of ‘Agents of Transformation.’ These individuals represent top-tier leaders who are reimagining and delivering high-value applications and services that enable end-users and customers to have always-on, secure, and exceptional user experiences.
Respondents point to a fundamental shift in technologists’ roles, including the skills and resources needed to operate effectively and proficiently. At the same time, they claim to be dealing with increasing complexity and data volumes from across the technology stack, as well as the need to integrate a massively expanding set of cloud-native services with existing on-premises systems and tools.
· 88% believe that what it means to be a technologist has changed
· 84% say the skills and qualities that define an Agent of Transformation have evolved
· 66% indicate that it is now more difficult to be an Agent of Transformation
· One in four say their organization remains stuck in reactive, “fire-fighting mode”
“The new Agents of Transformation recognize a need to reimagine applications not just in response to post-pandemic challenges, but also, to create flawless, reliable digital experiences that address some of the world’s greatest problems—from meeting critical human needs to giving people the skills and resources to succeed in the digital economy,” Centoni said.
While acknowledging the far-reaching implications of this change, respondents in the Cisco AppDynamics report state that they require assistance in navigating the technical and operational complexities of digital transformation. They are specifically seeking unified visibility into their IT environments in order to better manage and optimize application availability and performance. This necessitates a focus on application security, observability of cloud-native applications and infrastructure, and linking IT performance to business decisions.
· 77% believe it will be important to invest in application security over the next 12 months to meet customer and employee needs
· 71% think their organization will need to invest in observing cloud-native applications and infrastructure
· 84% say that the need to maintain the performance of business applications is now more important than ever
· 85% state that full-stack observability is core to sustainable transformation and innovation in their organization
