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IT in the UAE is now more crucial to business innovation than ever before, ManageEngine Study finds

ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, today announced results from its IT at work: 2022 and beyond study.

This newly released data which involves IT decision makers (ITDMs) and business decision makers (BDMs), examines the ability of IT teams to influence business decisions in large and enterprise-sized organisations in the UAE.

ManageEngine commissioned independent market research agency Vanson Bourne to survey 200 decision-makers across IT and other key business functions from a range of private-sector organisations in the UAE.

The study found that there is more cooperation within organisations between IT teams and other teams, which may have contributed to non-IT employees gaining more knowledge about IT now than they did before 2020.

IT structures within organisations are being increasingly distributed, and non-IT departments now enjoy complete independence when it comes to technology decisions.

However, any concerns over the role of IT teams being reduced are dismissed as the study found that they are pivotal in building stronger enterprises in the future. Around 76 per cent of ITDMs expect IT to play a greater role in setting the organisation’s overall strategy in the next five years. This is 11 per cent higher than the global average.

Over 91 per cent of all respondents indicated that there is a direct correlation between the performance of the IT team and the success of the organization. In addition, they agreed that they are increasingly expected to be innovators.

"Professionals are keen to gain new perspectives from industry peers in order to stay updated and advance in their career. Through this study, we hope to facilitate the sharing of knowledge among stakeholders in the UAE. These insights also help ManageEngine in its constant endeavour of evolving as a comprehensive and effective IT management platform," said Rajesh Ganesan, president at ManageEngine.

Here are the key findings from the study

1. There’s an increased collaboration leading to tech autonomy for non-IT teams.

The vast majority (90 per cent) of respondents report that collaboration between IT teams and other departments has increased during the past two years.

More than four-fifths (84 per cent) of respondents agree that non-IT employees in their organisation are more knowledgeable about IT now than they were before 2020.

Around 44 per cent of organisations have already decentralised their IT structure, with another 49 per cent currently attempting to do so.

Nearly all (98 per cent) BDMs say their department has autonomy when it comes to making technology decisions. This autonomy relates to not only purchasing software (64 per cent), and devices (47 per cent), but also to hiring tech talent (62 per cent).

2. There is a need to leverage AI and machine learning (ML) against cyberattacks.

Around 91 per cent of all respondents say AI and ML technologies will play a significant role in strengthening their organisation’s IT security framework.

Nearly all (95 per cent) BDMs say that their organisation has invested in AI and ML technologies and are doing so for more than one use case, on average. A notable proportion of BDMs report that they are using AI to prevent cyberattacks (52 per cent).

IT and security teams are held responsible when it comes to defending against cyberattacks. Around 73 per cent of decision makers (both ITDMs and BDMs) say it is the responsibility of IT and security teams to protect organisations.

3. Focus on development of skills and retaining talent

Two-fifths (41 per cent) of ITDMs in the UAE say they are actively looking for a new job, while pretty much the same number (45 per cent) say they feel less loyal to their current employers than than they were two years ago.

When it comes to what ITDMs want from their role in the next five years, these were cited as most important: the potential to learn new skills (55 per cent), the ability to step into a more senior role (49 per cent), and the ability to guide change within the organisation (48 per cent).

Around half of ITDMs say that they would be driven away from their organisation if their pay did not at least stay current with inflation (54 per cent), if there were no potential for advancement/promotion (52 per cent), or a flexible work model (50 per cent), or any of several other existing benefits cited, were taken away.

Visit ManageEngine's website for access to the IT at work: 2022 and beyond report at https://mnge.it/uae-itsurvey.