HDI Strategic Advisory Board Sets Direction for IT Service and Technical Support October 20, 2010

Guest Blog:  Cinda Daly, HDI’s Business Content Director

The 2010 – 2011 HDI Strategic Advisory Board convened for its first meeting October 16-17 in Colorado Springs to discuss the state of the industry, analyze the direction of current trends, and provide guidance for HDI’s future direction.

The IT service and technical support industry is facing increased complexity with the wide variety of new devices people are bringing into the workplace and challenging traditional support models. The board debated the emerging trends in software-as-a-service, cloud computing, and desktop virtualization, recognizing that there is significant confusion about what those technologies are and what impact adoption will have on the service organization. And, they acknowledged that continuing economic pressures hamper future investments and add strain to organizations managing with fewer resources. Board members are drafting preliminary statements around seven emerging trends – what those trends are, the risks and opportunities, implications for IT services, and steps leaders need to take to prepare for and embrace the changes.

Watch for a Research Corner on these topics in November to share your views on these trends. Craig Baxter, managing director for HDI, outlined HDI’s 2010 accomplishments and strategic initiatives for the coming year, which was met with enthusiastic support. The board reinforced that HDI’s launch of the desktop support community earlier this year, the release of the new HDI Desktop Support Manager certification standard, and HDI’s research efforts represent the strongest opportunity to establish leadership and set the future course for the desktop support community.