(BPT) - In many companies, IT administrators are the unsung champions - and this has never been more true than it is today. With the sudden switch to remote work due to the pandemic, IT systems have coped with a huge variety of stressors - from the increased connectivity burden as employees work from home to the urgent need for heightened cybersecurity. While you might expect IT admins to experience burnout from these increased demands, a new survey shows how grateful they are for their jobs - and for what they've accomplished against overwhelming odds.
The study, conducted by JumpCloud, reveals how thankful IT administrators feel. Almost two years into the pandemic, IT teams responsible for securing remote work feel plenty of gratitude for their jobs, for remote work, and for their ability to secure their workplaces into the new hybrid models.
Here are top things IT admins are most thankful for today - and what they're confident about moving forward.
Appreciation for their jobs overall
When asked what they were most grateful for, the IT administrators surveyed expressed gratitude for these top three things:
- Their jobs (27%)
- Cybersecurity (21%)
- Remote work (20%)
One IT admin reported feeling gratitude primarily for 'the hard work of the IT staff in learning to expand our network,' while another was thankful that 'there were no major breaches, and for overall continued productivity in a hybrid environment.'
Confidence in meeting the challenge
The overwhelming challenge of the past two years has been ensuring that all remote employees have everything they need to be productive from home, while also ensuring cybersecurity for the business.
Fortunately, 79% of IT admins surveyed in the U.S. agreed or strongly agreed that they've been able to meet or exceed employee expectations for ongoing support in remote or hybrid work environments. And while more than half (57%) reported feeling somewhat or very overwhelmed with the job, 86% said they were as happy as or happier than they were a year ago.
Job satisfaction comes from contributions they're making
This satisfaction with their work isn't coming from raises. Since the start of the pandemic, 43% of IT admins reported their salaries remained the same, while 37% saw an increase - but for those who got raises, most were 5% or less.
Instead, IT admins may feel more job satisfaction because their roles have become so critical to every business. Overall, 83% of U.S. IT admins reported that decision-makers in their organization listen to their recommendations, especially when it comes to enhancing cybersecurity.
For example, one IT admin was grateful 'that we have senior leadership who actually understands the threat of ransomware and how it targets healthcare, and are willing to expend capital on the tools to combat it.'
Gratitude for the technology to do their jobs
Many IT professionals surveyed expressed appreciation for innovative software and applications that enable remote work and keep it secure.
'Thanks to the increasingly mature network technology, the vulnerabilities of my system have been repaired in time without causing losses,' said one IT admin.
For example, the JumpCloud Directory Platform, built for remote work, allows IT admins to connect remote users to virtually any resource and configure and secure their remote devices.
'We're thankful for the herculean efforts IT admins undertook to get users connected to what they need, and to secure company resources in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats,' said Cate Lochead, chief marketing officer, JumpCloud. 'That these admins report being happy in spite of their increased responsibilities speaks to their creativity and resilience, and we'll continue to develop the JumpCloud platform to meet the evolving challenges of new workplace models.'
Holiday gifts for your IT admins
How can you celebrate your IT team this holiday season? Apart from making sure they have the technology they need to succeed, what else can you do to show your appreciation?
The survey discovered top items on IT admins' holiday gift wish lists:
- Gaming gifts (23%)
- New laptop (17%)
- New phone (17%)
Other holiday requests from IT admins included: an airplane simulator, a self-driving car - and not surprisingly, 'just rest.'
Survey methodology: JumpCloud surveyed 1,012 U.S. and U.K. IT decision-makers across a variety of industries. The survey was conducted via Propeller Insights, Oct. 21, 2021 to Oct. 25, 2021.