Huge changes in store for IT, conference told

The U.S. information technology industry is on the brink of a major shift, IT professionals said Tuesday at the Computing Technology Industry Association's annual conference, which concludes Thursday .

More than 1,000 technologists in fields such as health IT, social media and cybersecurity gathered at Aria to discuss challenges the industry faces. The demands of younger members of Generation Y now entering the job market, the rise of cloud computing and even the upcoming presidential election are poised to radically change the industry, but IT leaders are unsure whether those changes will be positive or negative.

Thirty-four percent of about 300 professionals surveyed online by pollster John Zogby and JZ Analytics said the United States is at risk of losing its edge as a global leader in the information technology field.

But respondents were divided on how to drive technology forward, and what the role of government should have in helping the industry regain its footing.

"What isn't clear is a clear statement from the industry on what should be done," Zogby said during his keynote address.

The industry is also struggling to figure out how to incorporate young adults into the work force. Todd Thibodeaux, the association's president and CEO, joked during his opening keynote that the association will give businesses tools to create a "good daycare environment" for Generation Y workers, who are also known as millennials.

But some of those workers may become the bosses of baby boomers sooner rather than later, said author Steven Berlin Johnson in another keynote.

Fourteen-year-old Michael Weymouth, founder and CEO of the New York-based computer repair company TechWizard, is a case in point. Thibodeaux introduced Weymouth as an example of entrepreneurial spirit (and perhaps proof that millennials aren't quite as lazy and entitled as some may think).

"(Thibodeaux) said we should get to know millennials because they will be our customers and staff," Johnson said. "Michael shows they will be our boss."

A changing workforce and political climate have made IT professionals skittish, but the conference also focused on another potential game changer: cloud computing. Businesses moving data to remote servers will eliminate 15 percent of IT positions, technology writer Larry Walsh said during a Tuesday panel on the trend.

Panelist Caron Carlson , editor of FierceCIO, said automation in any industry reduces jobs, but in her experience speaking with corporations' chief information officers, found that businesses moving to the cloud still need in-house IT staff to monitor and protect the data.

Both IT professionals and businesses need "more education in both directions" on cloud computing and its ramifications, Carlson said.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry
@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273.