Research commissioned by data center investor Zenium Technology Partners suggests that the ‘skills gap’ facing the industry will continue to be a critical business concern in 2015.

93 percent of respondents said they were aware of the shortage of qualified data center staff, while 63 admitted it is likely to have a negative impact on their business in the next two years.

Mind the gap
The survey of 210 senior IT professionals in large European organizations, conducted by Dynamic Markets Limited, reveals that just six percent think the skills gap is not a serious issue.

Respondents who are expecting to migrate to new in-house facilities in the next 5 years were most concerned about the detrimental impact (87 percent) of the skills gap, whilst those outsourcing to a third party were less troubled (65 percent).

At the same time, only 29 percent of those surveyed said they have put measures in place to ensure they can get the necessary staff.

“Given the size of the industry, the skills gap is more of a crisis than a minor concern,” said Franek Sodzawiczny, founder and CEO at Zenium.

“Data is driving every business today and the increasing demands for real-time access to it in order to stay competitive means that systems need to be running effectively and efficiently 24x7. Quite simply, you need the very best people supporting these infrastructures as failures can be catastrophic.”