Expectations for the IT manager's skills today
The expectations on IT managers have never been higher. Recent surveys show that many Nordic IT managers are struggling to meet growing security requirements, implement new technologies, and simultaneously drive business-critical initiatives. The dual role – to both protect and innovate – makes the IT manager one of the most pressured leadership roles in today's organizations:
- Four out of ten IT managers state that their organization needs reinforcements to achieve the level of security they themselves consider necessary.
- At the same time, just as many say they lack sufficient resources to meet regulatory requirements and compliance.
- When it comes to new technology, knowledge is still low. Only one in five IT managers indicates that they have a solid understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with quantum technology.
- Regulations such as NIS2 create further pressure. 34% of IT managers state that their organization is covered by NIS2, 40% say no, while as many as 26% do not know whether the directive applies to them or not. This uncertainty points to a need for clearer knowledge and strategies to meet new regulatory requirements.
- Four out of ten IT managers believe that their organizations lack sufficient budget, competence, or both to future-proof their operations.
- 80% of IT leaders state that they are responsible for evaluating AI products, and 71% that AI initiatives are closely linked to business goals.
- 52% of technology leaders believe there is a skills gap within their department.
- 72% of organizations report that cyber threats are increasing and 77% state that it is a prioritized investment area.
Together, the figures paint a clear picture: the IT manager is expected to both manage increasing threats and regulatory requirements, while driving innovation, AI initiatives, and skills development.
The gap between expectations and available resources is significant, which makes change management, prioritization, and strategic leadership crucial for success.
52% av teknologiledare anser att det finns ett kompetensgap inom deras avdelning.
72% av organisationer rapporterar att cyberhot ökar.
How does the IT manager describe their everyday life?
Many IT managers describe an everyday life with disparate requirement profiles. They must deliver stability and security while being expected to contribute to new business models and revenue streams. The ability to combine technology and business is therefore crucial for the organization's competitiveness.
The IT manager can no longer be seen as an internal supplier of IT services. The role has become an integrated part of business development and the expectations on leadership, communication, and strategic thinking are increasing, but paradoxically, the future also requires you to have a technical understanding.
Something that has diminished as a requirement in recent years, but is on its way back. However, the IT manager does not want to be seen as a back-office technologist but more as a business model architect.
Expectations for the IT manager's skills tomorrow
Looking ahead, it becomes clear that the role is changing even more. The IT manager is moving from being a manager of technology to becoming a driving transformation leader. CIO.com describes that the role, in the future, will increasingly be about leading business change rather than just managing IT.
The expectations going forward can be summarized in a number of central competencies:
- Business and strategic understanding
The IT manager of the future must be able to link technology investments to business goals, revenue models, and market development. - Technological breadth
Cloud, AI/ML, APIs, data structures, and cybersecurity are areas where the IT manager needs to have sufficient knowledge to make informed decisions. - Data and AI competence
Organizations that can translate data into decisions and business value gain a clear advantage. The IT manager must therefore understand how data analysis and AI can be used as tools for management and development. - Change management and agility
The IT manager needs to be able to drive change, manage resistance, and quickly adapt the organization to new requirements. - Communication and Stakeholder Management
A core competence going forward is to translate technology into business language and create trust in management, the board, and the business. - Leadership and talent strategy
The IT manager needs to build strong teams, attract the right skills, and promote learning and reskilling. - Risk management and cybersecurity
The threat landscape is changing rapidly, and regulations such as NIS2 place new demands on organizations. Building security into both architecture and processes is a must. - Culture and ethics
The IT manager has an important role in creating a responsible culture around data, AI, sustainability, and compliance. - Budget and resource optimization
Balancing innovation with cost control is a central task for the IT manager of the future. - Partnerships and ecosystem understanding
The IT manager must be able to collaborate with external partners, suppliers, and consultants to supplement internal capacity.
How can you, as an IT manager, make your everyday life easier?
To free up time, many choose to bring in resource consultants. This can relieve the burden, but at the same time requires you to lead and set requirements for the external resource. Others invest in purchasing a standard system that partially solves the need, but often leaves important gaps.
A third alternative is to take the golden middle way: a customized solution built together with external expertise where requirements specification and business understanding are included from the start. In this way, you free up time for your developers, while you can focus on building a long-term talent strategy.
Another area that is growing in importance is to organize IT work more product-centered, where solutions are developed based on the business's actual needs and where design and reusability become a natural part. Here, Multisoft's model with requirements gathering, prototypes, and iterative development becomes a support that provides both control and flexibility.
Security must also be built in from the beginning and not added afterwards. Softadmin® comes with functions for authorization management, logging, and compliance that make it easier to work according to a zero-trust model.
To deliver faster and more securely, working methods that resemble DevSecOps are also needed. Multisoft's process with close dialogue and continuous deliveries makes it possible to combine speed and quality, where security and user-friendliness are woven in from the start.
And equally important is that the IT manager has a technology stack that can withstand changes. Softadmin® is built to integrate with other systems, automate processes, and function in both cloud and hybrid environments. In this way, the organization can withstand disruptions and at the same time quickly take advantage of new opportunities.
Why choose Multisoft?
Multisoft can build a customized system for you where we, through a clear process, gather what the business needs. You avoid spending internal resources on the need that the business has, you make the business satisfied (4.7 out of 5 in NKI after completed implementation project), avoid skills development and the solution is quickly in place (5–20 times faster with our low-code platform).
Which problem is the biggest right now? Holes in your system map? A process to be automated? We are here. We can't do everything for you, but we can make your life easier.
