According to an international survey by monitoring specialist Checkmk, IT professionals are increasingly feeling the pressure – primarily due to growing IT system complexity and persistent staff shortages.

IT leaders face intense pressure to drive innovation and modernise the infrastructures under their responsibility. Yet they feel hampered by escalating system complexity and a sustained shortage of skilled personnel. This is revealed in the international survey “Rising to the Challenge” by monitoring provider Checkmk.

Among the 192 respondents from 27 countries, 61 percent of IT professionals now cite rising IT complexity as their single greatest day-to-day professional challenge.

Visibility Is Increasingly Lacking

Indeed, integrating diverse technologies – from cloud services and container solutions to serverless architectures – not only complicates oversight but also hampers system management and security, as IT-Business reports. As a result, 83 percent of respondents admit they can barely keep pace with the speed of technological innovation, while 80 percent struggle with ever-more-complex tasks. Often, they’re merely chasing ad hoc solutions – measures that, for 59 percent of survey participants, generate fresh challenges in the short term.

Ninety-four percent say they’ll need to acquire new skills within the next twelve months, and half report handling more tasks than before due to tight staffing resources.

AI plays only a minor role in monitoring

Respondents see only limited relief from artificial intelligence. Just 40 percent expect AI to deliver measurable support in day-to-day operations. In IT monitoring, AI ranks last – and plays only a subordinate role.

Yet according to the study, monitoring solutions are gaining importance: 94 percent of respondents consider systematic monitoring of IT infrastructure indispensable for resolving outages faster and maintaining high service levels.

Classical monitoring approaches dominate the focus: log management (72 percent), application performance management (64 percent), and full-stack observability (60 percent). Many respondents believe their companies’ capacity for innovation is currently at risk. Compounding this challenge is a skills shortage cited by nearly half (49 percent) of respondents – as well as a lack of expertise hindering IT modernisation. That 49 percent figure represents a ten-percentage-point increase over just two years.

In light of his company’s international study findings, Checkmk CEO Jan Justus calls for simpler tools and greater automation: “Straightforward setup, intuitive workflows, high levels of automation, and SaaS offerings lower entry barriers and relieve pressure on IT teams.”

Source, cover image: Adobe Stock / Victor Bertrand

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Frequently Asked Questions

Because integrating diverse technologies – from cloud services and container solutions to serverless architectures – not only complicates oversight but also hampers management and

Respondents see only limited relief from artificial intelligence