Monday Morning Impact – September 20

Tech Accelerates Hiring as Other Industries Slow Down

Hiring by U.S. technology companies in August reached a near two-year high, a positive counterweight to slower payroll growth and tech employment in other sectors of the economy, according to a data analysis by CompTIA, a nonprofit trade association based in the Chicago suburbs.

Tech companies added an estimated 26,800 workers last month in both technical and non-technical positions, according to the “Employment Situation” report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s the largest monthly gain in tech industry jobs since November 2018. So far this year tech industry hiring has increased by more than 120,000 positions.

The unemployment rate for technology occupations remains at a very low 1.5% compared to the national rate of 5.2%.

“There are a number of positives in this month’s Jobs Report with tech sector hiring, a falling unemployment rate and strong employer hiring activity for tech talent,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “The offsetting dip in tech hiring in some areas of the economy is a potential cause for concern but could also be a momentary pause in an otherwise upward trending tech hiring curve.”

Within the tech sector all five employment categories were in positive territory in August paced by new hiring in data processing, hosting and related services (+11,900) and IT services and custom software development (+9,800). Other information services, including search engines (+3,500) and computer and electronic products manufacturing (+1,400) also showed solid job growth, while telecommunications had a modest gain (+200).

Employer job postings for open technology positions continued to trend upward in August, surpassing 321,000. Three in 10 job postings were for positions in emerging technologies or jobs that require emerging tech skills.

Top industries for tech job postings included professional, scientific and technical services (58,608), finance and insurance (32,548), manufacturing (24,352), information (19,304), educational services (15,718) and retail trade (10,521).

Channel Impact^®
The data suggests that industry leaders in the tech sector are optimistic with respect to future indicators.

IDC: Connectivity and Network Transformation Are Among Top Priorities

Enterprises have been forced to adapt to a new state of “normal,” shifting from traditional office-based operations to distributed environments that must still provide the same level of connectivity, security, and efficiency across the organization. A recent IDC survey found that addressing connectivity across geographies and transforming networks to become more virtual and agile were among the top networking issues that enterprises must address to ensure a more efficient business and operational environment.

When asked about their investment plans for network connectivity, more than 50% of respondents to the IDC survey indicated that they expect to increase spending on 5G connectivity, devices, and applications in the next 12 months. And a similar percentage expect to increase their spending on WiFi-6 hardware, software, and services to bring increased speed, lower latency, and more efficient IoT functionality to large buildings, offices, and campus environments.

“IDC believes that the Future Enterprise is best served by adopting a Wireless First strategy for last mile access and connectivity, embracing gigabit performance rates from 5G and WiFi 6 that will enable organizations to stay connected and manage data just as effectively as over copper and fiber,” said research director Paul Hughes. “These technologies also create and expand new opportunities for industries that depend on connected applications, IoT devices in the field, and management tools to ensure business continuity, resiliency, and safety.”

The IDC report, “Network Transformation Strategies and Connectivity Road Maps Represent Top Challenges to Achieving Business Agility” provides insight into enterprise wireless infrastructure investment expectations that support business agility–related priorities for connectivity derived from a survey conducted in July.

Channel Impact^®
Connectivity is a strategic element in every organization’s effort to maintain, sustain, and grow its operations. Achieving seamless connectivity with employees, customers, partners, and others will require additional investment, more strategic planning, and greater oversight.

DigiCert Rolls Out New Partner Program

DigiCert, a Utah-based provider of TLS/SSL and PKI solutions, has announced the launch of its Trust Solutions Partner Program, set up to maximize the growth and margin opportunities for all types of partners. The new Trust Solutions program complements DigiCert’s existing TLS partner program and will allow partners greater access to new solutions, technologies, and benefits.

“DigiCert partners become part of a community of assurance, where the best training and partner enablement makes it easy to sell the world’s most trusted PKI security solutions,” said Cameron Nelson, DigiCert’s Trust Solutions Group Director of Strategic Growth. “We’re focused on delivering an unparalleled partner experience — one that supports our partners as they identify opportunities, shape their customers’ solutions and secure their future.”

Key benefits include guaranteed margins, automated deal registration with protected renewals, sales and marketing enablement tools, and training/certification.

All partners in the program will be able to provide customers access to DigiCert One, a PKI management platform developed with cloud-native architecture. Solutions include DigiCert Enterprise PKI Manager, IoT Device Manager, Secure Software Manager and Document Signing Manager.

DigiCert welcomes applications from all security-focused value-added resellers, system integrators, service providers and other IS solution providers. The company claims a customer list of nearly 90% of the Fortune 500 and 98 of the 100 largest global banks.

Channel Impact^®
The improvements complement DigiCert’s existing TLS Partner Program and offers guaranteed margins, discounts, sales enablement tools, and training.