Unit 1 Overview of IT Industry
Unit 1 Overview of IT Industry
Concept Learning
IT Industry Outlook
The term technology commonly refers to society’s application of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems in industry or commerce. Technological innovation, or the application of technology, takes many forms and often involves the interplay of expertise across multiple disciplines and industry verticals. One framework for categorizing technology entails the use of five distinct groupings, namely, information technology (IT), life sciences, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and energy & environmental sciences.
Each segment of this technology framework has contributed to economic growth and the well-being of society. The magnitude of advances in medicine, transportation, safety, manufacturing, agriculture, media and communication are almost difficult to comprehend. Since the turn of the millennium through, the one segment that arguably has had the greatest impact on businesses, consumers and other industry sectors is information technology (IT).
Information Technology (IT) can be defined as the utilization of computing via hardware, software and infrastructure to create, store, exchange and leverage information in its various forms to accomplish any number of objectives. Additionally, the term encompasses the workers that develop, implement, maintain and utilize information technology directly or indirectly.
At a macro level, the year ahead will once again feature the usual mix of optimism, progress, uncertainty and regressions. The amazing pace of innovation over the past five years will deliver new benefits to untapped users around the world, small businesses and other non-early adopter segments. Businesses and users of all types will continue to seek value from technology in the form of capabilities, but also in its ability to reduce complexity rather than add to it. In the backdrop sits the ever-present hand of government policymakers. In an increasingly inter-connected world the stakes have never been higher for tech policy.
From a technology standpoint, many of the trends from previous years will enter a new phase of maturity in 2015. Business will begin using cloud and mobile to build advanced systems. The ability to manage data will become a critical and highly demanded skill. The potential of many connected devices and sensors will lead to new areas of opportunity. And over it all, security will have to change as technology evolves to drive new business prospects.
For the IT channel, 2015 stands to be the year to really up its game. Business transformation will remain the buzz word of the moment as channel firms of all stripes continue to assess the direction of their companies in the age of cloud computing, mobility, managed services, big data, social media and other market and technology forces. Navigating new routes to market and evolving customer buying habits will challenge channel firms to focus just as much on their own branding and marketing as they will on elevating their tech skills.
Globalization, driven largely by technology, becomes ever more pervasive and influential with each passing year. The number of people with access to the Internet recently crossed the 3 billion threshold, represent 42% of the global population, according to Internet World Stats. Less than two years ago, U.S. websites accounted for 9 of the top 10 slots worldwide. Estimates now suggest the list includes far more international representation with sites such Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent capturing huge market shares. Similarly, U.S. technology companies maintain a hold on many of the top slots in hardware, software and IT services. Although this too may change as new generations of global-minded entrepreneurs seek to make their mark.
Since the Great Recession, the “do more with less” mentality has dominated corporate strategy. This undoubtedly led executives to pursue strategies such as simplification with the end goal of cost cutting in mind. It should be noted that while simplification often goes hand-in-hand with cost cutting and the elimination of waste, it is not always the case. Simple, elegant solutions that are embraced by workers and customers alike typically require much more than trimming fat at the margins. Another factor driving the renewed push to simplify stems from innovations, such as cloud computing, mobility, business process automation (BPA), managed services, big data and other developments that have given businesses unprecedented access to tools to support simplification efforts. For IT companies, opportunities lie not only with implementation, but also with providing a true consultative experience to their customers. Simplification may take the form of helping CIOs shift from maintenance mode to innovation mode, helping to balance the security needs of the organization and the needs of workers or helping customers navigate the sometimes overwhelming number of technology options.
Words and Expressions
information technology (IT) 信息技术
life sciences 生命科学
advanced manufacturing 先进制造
advanced materials 先进材料
energy & environmental science 能源与环境科学
cloud computing 云计算
managed services 托管
big data 大数据
social media 社交媒体
business process automation 业务流程自动化
参考译文
IT行业展望
“技术”这一术语一般是指为了解决工业或商业中的实际问题对科学知识的应用。技术创新或技术的应用呈现出不同的形式，经常包含了跨越多学科和行业的专业知识的相互作用。有一种框架将技术分为具有各自特点的五类：信息技术、生命科学、高级制造、高级材料以及能源与环境科学。
这一技术框架中的每一个部分都为经济发展和社会福利做出各自的贡献。医药、交通、安全、制造、农业以及媒体与通讯方面的极大进步已超越人类的理解。而从千禧之交以来，其中的一个方面，尽管仍存在争议，但对商业、消费者以及其他产业带来最大的冲击，这就是信息技术（IT）。
信息技术的定义是：通过硬件、软件、服务以及基础设施实现的计算的应用来产生、存储、交换和平衡不同形式的信息以实现各种目的。同时，这一术语还包含了直接或间接的开发、执行、维护以及应用信息技术的工作者。从宏观的层面上来看，未来的一年仍具有以往的特点：乐观、进步、不确定性以及回归的交错。过去五年里技术革新的惊人速度将会为全球的潜在使用者、小公司以及其他非早期技术使用者带来新的利益。各类公司和个人使用者会继续从技术中寻求功能方面的价值以及降低复杂性的能力方面的价值。背后，政府决策者的手仍在发挥作用。在世界不断交织的环境下，技术政策的风险从未如此之高。
从技术的角度来看，之前数年的发展趋势将会在 2015 年进入一个新的成熟期。企业将开始使用云技术与移动技术来建立高级系统。数据管理能力将成为一种决定性的高需求的技能。许多互联的装置和传感器的潜力会开拓新的机遇。同时，随着技术的进步而产生的新的业务要求安全性必须进行改变。
对 IT 销售渠道来说，2015 年注定是不平凡的一年。企业转型仍然是这一时期的中心。各类 IT 销售企业将在云计算、移动技术、大数据、社交媒体以及其他市场和技术力量共同作用的时代继续评估企业的发展方向。建立新的销售渠道，改善顾客购买习惯是销售企业要面对的挑战，他们不仅要关注技术的提升，还要同样关注自身的品牌和营销策略。
全球化很大程度上受技术的驱使，其普遍性和影响力随着时间在增长。互联网应用统计网站的数据显示，使用互联网的人口数量最近已经突破 30 亿大关，占世界人口的 42%。不到两年之前，美国网站在全球 10 大网站中占了9 个席位。估计数据显示这一名单包括了国际性的网站，如阿里巴巴、百度以及腾讯。他们拥有巨大的市场份额。同时，美国的科技公司掌控了许多排在前列的硬件、软件以及信息技术服务公司。当然，新生代具有全球视野的企业家在寻求成功的时候，这一切都可能发生变化。
从经济大萧条开始，“少花钱多办事”的思维方式就已经支配着企业策略。这无疑会是管理者寻求诸如简化流程等策略，已达到削减成本的最终目的。值得注意的是，简化流程虽然能够降低成本，消除浪费，但并非时时如此。既受工人欢迎又受让顾客满意的简洁的解决问题方案一般来说需要的不仅仅是降低利润。另一个推动简化的因素来自于革新，如云计算、移动技术、业务流程自动化、大数据以及其他发展等，为企业提供了前所未有的简化支持手段。对于信息技术企业来说，机遇不仅仅在于技术的应用，还来自于为顾客提供真实的咨询经验。简化的形式可以使帮助首席信息官从维护模式转向革新模式，帮助平衡企业安全需求和工人需求之间的关系，在数量多的让人崩溃技术选择面前，帮助顾客选择。
Case Learning
Defining the IT Workforce
There are two distinct elements of the IT workforce: 1) Employment within information technology companies, and 2) IT occupations.
IT Occupation Employment
• Includes technical occupations, such as software developers, network engineers, computer support specialists, etc. working in a range of industry verticals, such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, professional services and others.
• Beyond core IT occupations, there are a range of technology- intense positions on the periphery, typically referred to as knowledge workers.
IT Industry Employment
• Includes technical occupations, such as software developers, network engineers, computer support specialists, etc.
• Includes non-technical professions, such as sales, marketing, HR, finance, operations and general management that support and facilitate the operation of IT companies.
• Typically, technical positions account for 25% to 75% of an IT company’s workforce. There are a number of factors that affect this rate. For example, a start-up may initially be comprised of nearly all software architects, programmers and other technical workers. When the firm scales, it may begin to add sales and marketing staff, thereby reducing the percentage of technical workers.
IT Occupation Employment – this segment of the IT workforce employs approximately 4.88 million workers as of year-end 2014. This translates to job growth of 2.4%, or nearly 116,000 additional IT jobs. The 2014 IT job growth rate is up slightly over the 2013 rate of 2.1%. To further put into context, 2.1%, or nearly 100,000 additional IT jobs. In contrast, total job growth across the U.S. economy in 2013 will likely end up in the 1.5% to 1.8% range.
IT occupation employment spans every industry vertical. For example, the IT department within a hospital will employ a range of senior-, mid- and staff-level IT workers to ensure physicians, nurses and administrators have reliable access to computers, networks, applications and so on.
Top IT Growth Occupations in 2014 (Percent Change)
1. Web Developers
2. Information Security Analysts
3. Computer Systems Analysts
4. Software Developers, Applications
5. Software Developers, Systems Software
6. Computer User Support Specialists
7. Computer and Information Systems Managers
8. Database Administrators
In addition to core IT positions, there are many technology--‐intense occupations on the periphery. For example, occupations such as IT project management, health information technicians, audio/video technicians, technical sales, technical writers, automated manufacturing computer operators and IT training positions, all require significant expertise and experience with various aspects of technology. While these positions are not typically found in an “IT Department” they are an important component of the IT workforce. Depending on the criteria used, peripheral or knowledge worker--‐type positions may number between 1 million and several million additional workers.
Because the need for technology is so pervasive among businesses of all types, it follows that IT jobs are spread across every region of the country. While tech clusters do exist – think Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley, with high concentrations of IT workers, many unassuming regions have large numbers of IT workers as well. For example, more than 325,000 IT workers can be found in the Mountain states region.
On a percent change basis, the states with the fastest IT job growth in 2014 include: Nevada, Texas, Montana, Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Delaware, Utah and West Virginia. Each of these states experienced job growth of 4.0% or higher. In comparison, overall core IT job growth reached 2.4%.
IT Employment Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the national unemployment rate stood at 5.5% as of December 2014, down from 6.6% during the same period in 2013. The U.S. employment situation has slowly and steadily improved over the past 36 months. The official BLS unemployment rate does not include discouraged workers – those that have stopped looking for work, as well as those working part-time but seeking full-time employment. When considering these segments, the more expansive unemployment and underemployment rate portrays a less rosy job landscape.
The unemployment rate for the BLS computer and mathematical occupation category, a reasonable approximation of IT occupations, continues to remain far lower than the national rate. For November 2014, the category recorded an employment rate of 2.0%, less than half the national rate. This recent percentage is down from the already low rates of 3.3% in 2013 and 2012.
The low unemployment rate for IT workers combined with strong demand for certain skill sets can make for a challenging hiring environment. 68% of IT company executives say they expect to face a challenging or very challenging hiring environment for technical positions in 2015.
According to Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, U.S. businesses posted job notices for approximately 580,000 core IT jobs during Q4 of 2014, a slight increase over Q3.
As indicated previously, the total core IT occupation workforce increased by 116,000 jobs in 2014. This explains a portion of the job posting data. Companies may be expanding or moving into new areas and need to employ more workers.
The other factor at play is workforce churn, also referred to as labor turnover. This may include separations due to workers that retire, leave to pursue over employment opportunities, leave to pursue additional education, leave for family reasons, or are fired or laid-off. This helps explain why the number of job postings exceeds the number of new IT jobs created.
参考译文
什么是 IT 劳动力
IT 劳动力来自两个不同的方面：1 是 IT 公司，2 是 IT 职业。
IT 职业劳动者
• 包括技术职业，例如软件开发人员、网络工程师、计算机支持专家等等。他们工作在各类垂直门户行业，如医疗、教育、制造、专业服务等。
• 除了核心 IT 职业，还有一系列的技术密集型的外围岗位，通常称为知识型工人。
IT 行业劳动者
• 包括技术职业，例如软件开发人员、网络工程师，计算机支持专家等。
• 包括非技术岗位，如销售、市场营销、人力资源、财务、以及运营与管理等支持和促进 IT 公司运作的岗位。
• 其特点是，技术职位在 IT 公司所有岗位中占的比例从 25%到 75%不等。影响这一比例的因素有很多。例如，新成立的公司中的首批员工几乎都是与软件工程师、程序员以及其他技术人员构成。随着公司规模的扩大，可能开始增加销售以及营销人员从而降低技术职位的比例。
IT 职业劳动者--- 这一部分到 2014 年底共雇佣大约 488 万人，增加了 11.6 万个岗位，职位增长 2.4%。2014 年职位增长略高于 2013年的 2.1%，即 10 万个岗位的增加。对比而言，美国整个 2013 年的所有行业的职位增长在 1.5%到 1.8 之间。
IT 职业劳动者遍布各个垂直门户行业。例如，某家医院的 IT 技术部门会雇佣各类高级、中级以及初级 IT 技术人员以保障医生、护士和医院的行政人员对计算机、网络以及应用软件的使用。
2014 年 IT 职业岗位增长排名（按百分比排序）
1. 网页开发工程师
2. 信息安全分析师
3. 计算机系统分析师
4. 软件开发师（应用软件）
5. 软件开发师（系统软件）
6. 计算机用户支持专家
7. 计算机及信息系统管理者
8. 数据库管理
除了核心 IT 职位，还有许多周边技术密集型职位。例如 IT 项目管理、医疗信息技术人员、音视频技术人员、技术相关销售、文员、计算机自动化制造操作员以及 IT 培训职位等，都需要不同技术方面的专业知识和经验。虽然这些职位不属于“IT 技术部门”，但确是 IT 劳动力的重要组成部分。由于标准的不同，外围和知识密集型岗位还会有 100 万到几百万不等。
由于各个行业对技术的需求不断增长，IT 技术岗位已遍布全国各个地区。 虽说存在技术扎堆的情况，如硅谷集中了大量的技术工人，但很多不知名的地区也有数量庞大的技术工人。例如在美国的山脉州地区就有着超过 32.5 万名 IT 工人。根据百分比排序，2014 年 IT 职位增长最快的州包括内华达州、德克萨斯州、蒙大拿州、佛罗里达州、北卡罗来州、北达科他州、特拉华州、犹他州以及西弗吉尼亚州。这些州中，每个州的岗位增长都在 4%及以上。对比而言，整体 IT 技术职位增长达到 2.4%。
IT 就业前景
美国劳工统计局数据显示，截止到 2014 年 12 月，全国失业率为 5.5%，与 2013年同期的 6.6%相比有所下降。在过去的 36 个月里，美国的就业形势出现缓慢而持续的好转。劳工局的官方失业率并没有包括怯志工作者（不想就业的人）以及一边做兼职一边寻求全职职位的人。若考虑到这些因素，失业和未充分就业率会更高，这使得整个就业情况不容客观。
劳工局对计算机和数学行业（基本上等同于 IT 职业）类别职业统计的失业率仍然远低于全国失业率。2014 年 11 月，这一类别的失业率为 2.0%，比全国失业率的一半还要低。这一最新数据低于 2013 年和 2012 年的 3.3%。
IT 技术工人的低失业率以及对某些技术类型工人的强烈需求使得雇用环境相当具有挑战性。68%的 IT 企业主管认为在 2015 年技术岗位的招聘将相当具有挑战性。
根据美国 BGTLI 的统计，2014 年第四季度，美国企业发布大约 58 万个核心 IT 技术职位招聘信息，比第三季度略有增长。
如前所述，2014 年，核心技术职业劳动力增长了 11.6 万。这也说明了职位招聘数据的一部分内容。公司规模可能在扩大或转行，因此需要雇佣大量员工。
另外一个作用因素是劳动力流失，也叫劳动力流转。包括退休、跳槽以及进修、家庭原因的离职或开除、下岗等。这也说明为什么岗位招聘的数量超过了新增岗位的数量。
发音训练（一）
1. information technology (IT)
2. infrastructure
3. advanced manufacturing
4. cloud computing
5. branding and marketing
6. big data
7. social media
8. business process automation
发音训练（二）
1. Web Developers
2. Information Security Analysts
3. Computer Systems Analysts
4. Software Developers, Application
5. Software Developers, System Software
6. Computer User Support Specialists
7. Computer and Information Systems Managers
8. Database Administrators
发音训练（三）
Information Technology (IT) can be defined as the utilization of computing via hardware, software and infrastructure to create, store, exchange and leverage information in its various forms to accomplish any number of objectives.
其他阅读材料
How the Software Industry Redefines Product Management
Quick, name a product that was developed without using software. It’s difficult, if not impossible. Software has become a crucial part of almost all goods and services. It’s used to design and develop just about any product you can think of, from consumer goods to industrial equipment – or any service or experience ranging from retail customer service interactions to luxury hotel stays. Likewise it’s central to buying most anything these days, and is a growing part of the customer and business experience generally.
But have you thought about the implications of this trend for management practices? The rapid pace of change in software (e.g., new product releases every day, not every year), has caused an increasing pressure on product development in other areas, and on management in general, to change more continuously as well. Indeed, software is emerging as the proving ground for the future of management practices, the way auto manufacturing used to be the proving ground for new management practices (think of the Toyota Production System).
For an example, I spoke with Andy Singleton, CEO of Assembla, a firm that helps software development teams build software faster. He told me the story of Staples vs. Amazon. As you might expect, Staples has a big web application for online ordering. Multi-function teams build software enhancements that are rolled up into “releases” which are deployed every six weeks. The developers then pass the releases to the operations group, where the software is tested for three weeks to make sure the complete system is stable, for a total cycle of nine weeks. This approach would be considered by most IT experts as “best practice.”
But Amazon has a completely different architecture and management process, which Singleton calls a “matrix of services.” Amazon has divided their big online ordering application into thousands of smaller “services.” For example, one service might display a web page, or get information about a product. A service development team maintains a small number of services, and releases changes as they become ready. Amazon will release a change about once every 11 seconds, adding up to about 8,000 changes per day. In the time it takes Staples to make one new release, Amazon has made 300,000 changes. This represents a truly disruptive management and operating model. Just as Southwest Airlines, for instance, has a low cost, point-to-point operating model that disrupted its hub-and-spoke competitors, Amazon has a radically different and better operating model that will crush any competitors who are making one change in nine weeks, while it is making changes every eleven seconds.
Amazon’s approach of continuous product changes opens new possibilities for sensing and responding to the market. Singleton told me that in his industry, they call this “data-driven product management.” He explains, “Product management is transitioning from a process that involves setting strategy and forecasting response, to a much simpler process where we can experiment and directly measure the response of customers to product changes.” In traditional product management, smart people (marketing, engineering, strategy, product managers, R&D) come up with new products and lob them over the wall to operations to put into production. The functional silos and serial process breed miscommunication, slowness, and make it hard to fix problems. Continuous delivery of new software enables experimentation and direct measurement of the response of customers to product changes, creating integrated teamwork, speed, closeness to customers, and facilitating quick fixing of problems in real time.
But the implications of this approach clearly go beyond the process changes for product management (what Singleton calls “Continuous Agile“). The approach naturally entails a faster management system that will increasingly disrupt traditional management systems based on hierarchies and command-and-control, which are inherently internally focused and slow. As Singleton told me, “The technology world is a cult of innovation. We see that innovation drives success in business, and in the larger economy. Software is an almost-pure form of innovation. We call it ‘soft’ because we can change it and reshape it easily.”
The software management practice of continuously releasing new product changes is opening up revolutionary new possibilities for management generally, pointing to a future in which organizations in almost any industry can deliver a steady stream of breakthrough innovations.
By Brad Power
June 13, 2014
