Tough times in midmarket companies have compelled IT managers and employees to wear more hats (and bigger hats, too). Whether through staff reductions or withdrawal from outsourcing arrangements, IT teams in the “Great Recession” have had to do more with fewer people. This means that “generalists” – people with multiple skills and know-how across a number of IT knowledge areas – are more likely to keep their jobs and even thrive in them, or get the new job if they’re in the market.

This is the message confirmed by the IT salary survey conducted last month by SearchCIO-Midmarket.com. In addition to the survey results themselves, comments in the article by several IT managers confirm that generalists are in demand:

“‘Specialists are in big trouble, in my opinion,’ [according to Bob Clabaugh, director of network and systems engineering at Northwest Regional Education Service District in Hillsboro, Ore.] ‘Broad-skilled generalists who have had their hand in everything are going to be the ones scooped up by midmarket IT shops.’ Smaller organizations will be looking to fill multiple roles with one person, saving on employee onboarding costs and multiple salaries.”

In our work with many midmarket companies in the mid-Atlantic region, we’ve spoken with many CIO’s who express a need for IT practitioners who demonstrate knowledge of and interest in the business side, who regard IT as the enabler of business performance, directly or indirectly. Often, when an organization lacks such generalists internally, outside help is often needed to both provide a broader perspective, and to coach the organization to develop that talent internally.

Visit the the IT salary survey at SearchCIO-Midmarket.com for the full article.