Top 10 Skills in Demand in 2010

Introduction 

In 2010 Salary Survey, conducted at that end of last year, one of the ques-
tions put to respondents was “What skill set will your company be looking to add in 2010?” The skills listed by
respondents include the perennial favorites: security, network administration, and Windows administration. Also
included are virtualization/cloud computing and Web development. Meanwhile, an old favorite, business analy-
sis, makes a come back. Here’s the complete list, with the No. 1 skill listed being in the highest demand.

1. Project Management

As we emerge from the recession, organizations aren’t likely to go back to the go-go days of throwing money
at IT initiatives or taking risks and deploying without careful thought and planning. Organizations are putting
pressure on IT to only implement projects that can show real return-on-investment. The first step to achieving a
good ROI is professional project planning and implementation.

Project management skills often appear in top 10 skills lists, perhaps because some organizations got their fingers
burned in the 1990s through the poor implementation of IT projects such as enterprise resource planning initia-
tives. But even though the profession is mature (in IT terms), project managers still have work to do to advance
their status within organizations. According to an article on the Project Management Institute Web site, project
managers still have to develop their people skills, organizational leadership, and individual professionalism.

2. Security

It’s a never-ending game of cat and mouse for security professionals and 2009 proved to be another fun filled
year. According to Symantec’s Security and Storage Trends to Watch report, the number of spam messages con-
taining malware increased nine-fold to represent more than 2% of e-mails, while other criminals manipulated
people’s love of social networking sites to launch attacks. Twitter, for example, spent much of 2009 battling
DDoS and other attacks. Meanwhile, top headlines, such as the H1N1 flu and the death of Michael Jackson were
used by criminals to lure people to download malware.

Symantec predicts more of the same in 2010, warning that attackers will continue to use social engineering
to get to consumers’ sensitive data, and criminals will take Windows 7 as a challenge for seeking and exploit-
ing vulnerabilities in the new platform. Mac and smartphones will also be targeted more by malware authors,
Symantec says.

Despite the economic challenges of ‘09, organizations continued to hire security pros. The most sought-after
security skills were information risk management, operations security, certification and accreditation, security
management practices, and security architecture and models, according to a survey last year of 1,500 U.S.-based
security pros by security certification provider ISC2. 2010 is expected to be another busy year from security
professionals.

3. Network Administration

Networking administration skills never lose their luster. It’s the second most sought after skill in the Global
Knowledge survey and it will be the top skill sought by CIOs in the first quarter of 2010, according to a survey of
IT chiefs by Robert Half Technology. In 2010, organizations are expected to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2
and the Windows 7 client, and perhaps install Exchange Server 2010 and SharePoint 2010. Enterprises are going
to need network administrators to ensure network traffic continues to move without a hitch.

Meanwhile, Cisco hopes to push more data-intensive traffic onto corporate networks. Video is a key focus for
Cisco in 2010 as it works to finalize its control of video conferencing maker Tandberg and through its 2009
purchase of Pure Digital, developer of the Flip video camera. At the end of last year, Cisco introduced two Tele-
Presence certifications: the Cisco TelePresence Solutions Specialist for midcareer voice or networking engineers
seeking to specialize in the planning, design and implementation of Cisco TelePresence; and TelePresence Instal-
lation Specialist aimed at installation technicians.

4. Virtualization – Cloud 

The projected cost savings and efficiencies are no-brainers for organizations seeking to implement virtualiza-
tion and cloud computing. With the cloud computing space now taking shape it’s difficult for enterprises to find
pros with substantial relevant experience. Instead companies are drawing expertise from a range of IT skill sets,
including storage, networks and desktop, according to a Network World article. Initially companies will set up
cross-functional teams to buy and implement virtualization, but eventually cloud computing will be an expected
skill set of systems administrators. In a few years, it could even be a standard skill set of all IT pros because it
touches different aspects of IT.

For details about virtualization certifications from leading virtualization software vendors VMware, Citrix and
Microsoft, see Global Knowledge’s Top IT Certifications in Demand Today newsletter of June 2009.

5. Business Analysis

Business analysis roles were commonplace in many organizations in the 1990s when big projects, such as
enterprise resource planning initiatives, required the critical thinking that business analysts could provide. But
as businesses began moving at a faster pace, business analysis fell by the wayside. Factors such as the economic
downturn and regulatory compliance have forced companies to take a step back and to think through business
problems and their solutions, and business analysis is making a comeback, as a result. Kathleen Barret, presi-
dent of the International Institute of Business Analysis says the discipline is a phoenix rising.

The IIBA describes the job of a BA as a “liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate, and
validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information systems.” IT pros are good can-
didates for BA jobs because they have a broad perspective of a company’s business, says Barret. There are three
types of BAs: enterprise BAs who identify opportunities for business change and defines the work to be done;
transition BAs who fine-tunes the plans; and project BAs who work on project teams that implement the changes.
Annual salaries average around $75,000 with enterprise and transition analysts earning more, Barret says.


6. Business Process Improvement

With project management and business analysis skills appearing in this skills list, it’s no surprise that business
process improvement skill is also here. Business process improvement and business analysis go hand-in-hand.
Business analysts identify areas for improvements to business processes, while business process improvement or
management pros use BPM techniques and technologies to help companies optimize their business processes.

A recent BPM survey by IT researchers, the Aberdeen Group says the top reasons business are driving BPM activ-
ity are the need to reduce operating costs and to improve cash flow. However, the top barrier to adoption was
the lack of knowledge about BPM. According to Gartner, among the competencies required for successful BPM
initiatives include process skills, tools and process assets, and transformation skills.

To learn more about BPM, go to the Web site of the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org), which
promotes the standardization of common business processes; and the BPMinstitute.org, which describes itself as

a peer-to-peer exchange for business process management professionals.

7. Web Development

If you are—or you know friends who are—addicted to the FarmVille game on Facebook you’ll know the power
of Web development. In just a few short months, FarmVille’s popularity has spread across the globe as Facebook
fans tend to their farms and purchase virtual goods. The game, including others by FarmVille developer Zynga,
has netted the start-up more than 200 million monthly unique users for its online apps. One financial analyst
reckons Zynga could be valued at $1 billion if it were to go IPO in mid-2010.

Developing Facebook games is just one extreme of the vast Web development spectrum. Building iPhone apps
could also be very profitable, writes Web developer and blogger Glen Stansberry. As moderator of the Freelance
Switch job board, Stansberry listed other popular Web development skills including Framework knowledge, wid-
get development, content management system customizations (for small businesses looking to create a unique
look to their standard Wordpress and Drupal blogs), and Javascript Plugin creation.

8. Database Management 

Databases are the hearts of key business systems that drive payroll, manufacturing, sales, transaction process- 

ing, and more. Programmers must be able to build programs that quickly and efficiently interface with the

database management system (DBMS), while database administrators “must be able to bring the full power of 

database features to bear on business problems”, writes Oracle- and IBM-certified DBA Howard Fosdick in his 

whitepaper Database Skills Availability: Critical to Your Selection of Database. “DBA expertise can be the Achil- 

les’ heel of database projects - many IT projects have failed due to the inability to secure DBA talent or success- 

fully address DBA issues,” he adds. 

The major database vendors are Oracle, IBM and Sybase. Oracle runs three main certification programs for 

database professionals. Oracle Certified Associate is the first rung of the Oracle certification ladder. Next is the 

flagship Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) credential, which certifies an individual’s ability to manage, develop, 

or implement enterprise-wide databases and other software. Oracle Certified Master (OCM) is Oracle most 

advanced accreditation. IBM offers a dizzying array of certifications surrounding its DB2 product series. The main 

credentials are IBM Certified Database Associate, Database Administrator, Application Developer, and Advanced 

Database Administrator. Sybase has two sets of certifications for its Adaptive Server Enterprise product: ASE 

Administrator Associate and ASE Administrator Professional; and ASE Developer Associate and ASE Developer 

Professional. 

9. Windows Administration

As previously mentioned, Microsoft shops are expected in 2010 to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 and the
Windows 7 client, and perhaps install Exchange Server 2010 and SharePoint 2010 as well. Windows administra-
tion skills is going to be key for many enterprises implementing and maintaining existing and upgraded systems.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 certifications at the MCTS level cover configurations for Active Directory, net-
working, and applications. Certifications available for the MCITP level are Server 2008 Server Administration,
Enterprise Administration. In a November blog posting in Microsoft’s Born to Learn blog, the company wrote
that the first of its Windows Server 2008 virtualization exams would be entering beta soon. The exams will cover
server virtualization, desktop virtualization, and virtualization administration. Windows 7 pros can certify as
MCTS: Windows 7 – Configuration, and MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7.

10. Desktop Support

Our recent article “Top Certifications in Demand Today” listed desktop support as a hot skill. In Global Knowl-
edge’s 2010 salary survey, it was named as the 10th most sought-after skill this year. In the June article, we
quoted Robert Half Technology Executive Director Dave Willmer as saying that businesses will need desktop sup-
port personnel to support new workers as organizations begin hiring as the economy improves. The introduction
of Microsoft Windows 7 is also expected to generate additional interest.

Microsoft currently provides the MCITP: Consumer Support Technician, and MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician
certifications, but they are based on Windows Vista. Microsoft, in its Born to Learn blog, in November said that
it is working on a MCITP: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technican certification. Prospective candidates
are advised to prepare for 680: Win 7, Configuring and 685: Win 7, EDST.