IT Pros to the World: Bring IT On

That’s what they say. Bring it on. I’m ready for this. I’m prepared. But no one could prep for what happened and how things evolved, right? So is preparation not necessary after all? I’ve had numerous discussions with my colleague and fellow Head Geek Leon Adato about this topic, and we even created a video with the background theme of preparation vs. instant action. Leon is kind of a doctoral student in chaos theory—or so it seems—while I try to plan things out. Okay, the emphasis is on “I try.” Therefore, I was really impressed how IT pros around the globe managed to keep things rolling. One could say “it’s their job,” and I’m certain this is a phrase some of you actually heard. But mostly from other business units who don’t understand the complexity and the impact even a minor glitch might have on the organization. Let’s face it—IT is no longer just supports the business. IT is basically running it. In our SolarWinds^® IT Trends Report 2021: Building a Secure Future, we asked how far businesses had to “bend their policies” to adjust for the change, and around the world, we saw entirely different responses. In Japan, around 70% reported they managed to stay compliant with their rules. This is extremely impressive and is most likely the result of great preparation. And great prep doesn’t mean covering each detail—instead, it should be a mix of tested and proven scenarios along with guidelines and suggestions to remain agile in case something unexpected happens. And you managed. Not just in Japan, but everywhere. You convinced your leaders to put more trust into the cloud and convinced stubborn legacy gear to work hybrid. You explained to non-IT employees that although they can no longer show up at your desk with their problems, you’re still there for them. You had to learn new tech within a very short time frame. And you created wiggly patchwork just to keep the boat afloat. Look, I’m not exactly in my 20s anymore. But during my 20s, I was working as a one-size-fits-all admin in a public school. One of the worst things I’ve had to deal with was “my mouse stopped working,” and, mind you, back in the day, mice had these balls inside them. And everyone was smoking, at least here in Germany. So cleaning the mouse was like reaching into an ashtray. Plus all the hair… But this is nothing compared to what happened in the last 18 months, and we’re not through it yet. Policies will keep on changing. Plans will be made and disregarded later for various reasons. We keep preparing, but we also keep acting when required, and we hope for the best. And that’s basically it, isn’t it? We do our best, and this “best we can do” is based on experience and the unshaken faith things will work out somehow. And they do. Thanks to you out there. Bring IT on.