How to be an IT survivor

IT has been changing right before our eyes, with outsourcing and offshoring, advances in communications and security, and the growing role of technology in business strategy. So what do all these changes mean for the typical IT employee? And what skills should an IT staffer be nurturing to enhance his or her career?

InfoWorld.com says several technologies stand out as enticing career opportunities: virtualization, unified communications, wireless, and modern application development.

Experts also say it helps to have multiple skills to be marketable. While training and certification programs exist for virtualization management, experts say the best way to enhance your virtualization career is to get real-world training on the job, especially through a large virtualization project. As for unified communications--the merging of voice and data networks through technologies such as VoIP--the best bet may be knowing how to set up the right controls, policies, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms.

Demand has exploded for wireless networking and related security issues, and getting smart in these areas can only be a plus. Experts also suggest there is a high demand for those with know-how in web application development, with Java skills, Oracle or SAP's development app, and C# and ASP.Net skills a must.
 
For more on job skills:
- see this InfoWorld.com article