Information Technology Issues in the UK

Abstract

This chapter addresses the top issues in the United Kingdom (UK) for IT professionals. The information technology (IT) profession is a growth industry in the UK and the demand for IT employees continues to rise. While London is still the largest tech hub in the UK, several other areas have seen a rise in technology innovation in the recent past. Because of technical innovations in the country, the UK has been ranked as the most entrepreneurial country in Europe, and the fourth most entrepreneurial country in the world. Reported in this chapter are the results of a survey which was completed by 95 IT employees. The typical response profile was a full-time, managerial IT employee with at least a bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of IT experience. The top three organizational IT issues were (1) IT reliability and efficiency, (2) security and privacy, and (3) alignment between IT and business. The top three technology issues were (1) mobile and wireless application, (2) business intelligence/ analytics, and (3) software as a service (SaaS). IT employees in the UK are largely satisfied and believe they contribute value to their company. The participants are not concerned about their jobs being outsourced and most expect to stay within the IT industry in the near future.