Navigating the network engineering talent drought

Alan Stewart-Brown at Opengear explains that, while it is always important to have access to human skills and experience, organisations must learn to replace a declining skills base with smart technology alternatives

Where was the network engineer when the lights went out? For increasing numbers of businesses, the growing shortage of network engineering skills makes this a more urgent question every month.

Apart from a decline in young people training as network engineers, retirement of experienced staff poses a real challenge for businesses seeking to maintain their skills base.

Research by Opengear has found 61% of UK-based chief information officers (CIOs) expect at least a quarter of their most senior level and experienced network engineers to retire within five years. This could leave businesses facing real difficulties, given that 86% of those CIOs also report their organisation suffers up to four outages in an average quarter.

Network engineers, who were also surveyed, noted a similar level of disruption, with 85% stating that between one and four outages happen each quarter.

A talent shortage allied to tight budgets could also lead to neglect of software updates and network upgrades. Almost three-quarters of the CIOs surveyed (74%) believe the lack of skills has left them unable to manage their networks effectively and ensure resilience.

Combined impact of skills shortages and outages

Continued network outages and rising economic pressures are why 64% of CIOs said they find it harder to meet customer expectations, a concern also reflected by 62% of network engineers. Such outages are costly, as the research shows. In the UK for each minute of disruption, 23% of organisations lose between £2,001 and £4,000. As an average, the figure is £2,213 for every minute of downtime incurred.

The business world’s increased reliance on computer networks, the explosion of IoT devices, the rapid emergence of remote medicine, hybrid working, and the SaaS economy – these are all reasons why the skills of the network engineer are more critical than ever.

Yet these exciting, transformational developments are taking place just as the UK, in common with many other countries including the US, is hit by a drought in network engineering skills.

With IT teams under-powered and under-skilled, the failure to have expert human oversight over a network can open up opportunities for cyber-criminals to find vulnerabilities in poorly monitored and serviced setups. Almost all UK CIOs (94%) see cyber-security as a major threat to their businesses. And nearly four in ten (38%) believe insufficient investment has increased the risks of cyber-attacks or downtime for their organisations.

The situation has become so critical that 21% of UK network engineers say they are looking to leave their businesses due to insufficient funding.

Force multipliers for network skills

Businesses need to amplify the human skills and experience they already have through technologies that act as force multipliers. Smart out-of-band technologies, for example, enable remediation of network problems from any location, using an independent management plane that does not go offline when the main network suffers an outage.

This prevents the business being brought to a standstill because critical devices are inaccessible. Engineers have their own remote access to conduct cleansing, reconstruction, and restoration.

Serial console servers open up an alternative, independent management plane for remediation of both physical and virtually IP connected network devices. In the case of a cyber-attack, engineers can quickly lock down elements of the network and restrict access from any location, before bringing them back online again when the threat has receded.

Companies can be reassured that key performance metrics such as mean-time-to-resolution will greatly improve, given the higher level of efficiency among their engineers.

No need for engineers to be physically present

Having this outage-proof remote access removes the need for engineers to physically attend multiple sites, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

It is also not very sustainable and, in the case of a cyber-attack, may not even be effective. The attackers may have maintained a presence in the network, compromising the backup and hindering swift recovery. Engineers can deploy their expertise remotely and more efficiently, saving time, cost, and carbon emissions.

Modern workforce aspirations

This ability to complete tasks to a high standard without being physically present meets the current preference for hybrid working practices and fewer callouts, making a company more attractive to a shrinking pool of network engineering professionals. The important outcome for companies is that they are likely to gain a more resilient and secure network despite the worsening shortage of engineers.

Furthermore, the combination of AI and smart out-of-band enables even greater efficiency in resource allocation and better decision-making. AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data from network devices, providing insights that optimise production processes. This approach ensures these AI-enabled systems remain connected and functional at all times, even during network disruptions.

Act now to bolster resilience 

As network devices and services continually increase in complexity, businesses face ever greater challenges to resilience. New software stacks achieve more, but as a company’s digital footprint increases, risks from bugs, exploits, and cyber-attacks also increase. A business can also be vulnerable to severe weather events and incidents that damage physical and IT infrastructure or cut off power.

It is for these reasons that businesses need access to innovative solutions such as smart out-of-band management. This enables them to manage their networks both securely and remotely 24/7.

When network engineering skills are becoming scarcer – and more costly – it makes sense to plan for the immediate future with more innovative approaches that amplify the talents and experience of engineering teams. This is the most effective means of ensuring networks remain a foundation for business resilience, agility, innovation, and success.

Alan Stewart-Brown is VP EMEA at Opengear

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto and martin-dm