Is your I.T. crew ready for The Next Frontier?

They might not wear fancy helmets (unless of course, they want to), but IT and data center professionals accomplish their missions with limited resources and personnel — especially the data center crews, who face an ongoing staffing crisis. Like astronauts, these professionals are multifaceted and able to adapt to the unexpected. And, as the last few years have shown, IT is heading into new, uncharted territory, with distributed infrastructure, hybrid work and edge computing.

Here's what you can expect as you and your IT crew boldly go into The Next Frontier.

The Next Frontier brings new threats.

And this rise has continued in 2022, as the shift to cloud-based remote and hybrid work environments is exacerbating the vulnerabilities of the “cyber pandemic” that started in 2020.

And it's changing how responsibility is distributed across the galaxy.

Diverse, equitable and inclusive teams will lead.

Real problem-solving will matter more than ever.

As automation and as-a-service models take on more of the day-to-day, IT pros will have more bandwidth to tackle real business challenges.

These core skills will always matter:

But personal skills will be just as important

The cliché of the aloof, condescending IT guy is out of date. As IT becomes inextricable from broader business priorities, IT pros will increasingly collaborate across teams. IT pros in The Next Frontier are a diverse group of empathetic, socially-skilled leaders who can connect with all members of their crew, IT and non-IT alike.

And the #1 skill? Learning new skills.

IT is changing faster than ever. The IT crew of tomorrow, like astronauts, will be highly adaptable and able to acquire new skills rapidly, whether that's networking in the cloud or protecting against new cyberthreats.

The essential IT toolkit : human, hardware and software, working together.

On-premises and physical hardware skills aren't everything.

As cloud-based services and hybrid work become more common, expertise in physical hardware and legacy systems won't be enough.

Data center ops are changing.

Of course, the data center isn't going away, but as more processes and operations shift to the cloud, full-scale buildouts are being replaced by the optimization of existing space and maintenance. That's where Eaton's Brightlayer Data Centers suite comes in.

With these skills, you'll be ready to boldly go into The Next Frontier. As for equipment, we've got your crew covered. Since bringing Tripp Lite aboard, Eaton is better equipped than ever to help organizations prepare for what's next.