10 top IT skills based on increased demand

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2833794/10-top-it-skills-based-on-increased-
demand.html
The 10 job categories that follow represent the fastest-growing IT skills based on
year-over-year growth in mentions in Dice.com's job postings. Skills made the list by
being included in more than 1,000 postings. The growth rates listed are based on the
ratio of current mentions compared mentions from September 2013.
1. Puppet 91%
"Open source has changed the technology landscape, and you're seeing that in the
skills that proliferate as well as the types of jobs employers are hiring for," says
Dice.com's Goli. "The more agile, flexible and scalable a technology is, the more
companies can develop proprietary products that help them gain an edge," and open
source certainly fits the bill.
Puppet, an open source IT automation tool with the cute name, is anything but child's
play. It has gained a foothold with some of tech's biggest players and Puppet Labs
completed a $40 million round of investment funding in June. Goli says Dice.com
expects tech professionals with automation and orchestration experience to continue
to be on hiring managers' wish lists.
2. Cybersecurity 77%
It's no surprise that two of the top 10 skills on the list (along with No. 9, Information
Security) address keeping data secure, Goli says. As an increasing number of data
breaches make headlines and consumer anxiety concerning personal information
rises to a fever pitch, expect demand for this skill to continue to grow as companies
look for tech professionals who can both proactively and reactively attend to security
gaps and threats.
3. Big Data 56%
Big data is a big deal, whether the industry is marketing, pharmaceuticals,
healthcare, defense systems, video games -- the category is important almost
everywhere these days, along with subsets of big data skills such as NoSQL (No. 4)
and Hadoop (No. 6), says Goli. "Companies crave data that can help them gain
insight into customer behavior, strategize for the future and predict future growth
opportunities," he says. Tech pros who can extract intelligence from data have a
secure, lucrative future, he says.
4. NoSQL 49%
As mobile apps become even more ubiquitous and big data and the cloud gain even
greater mainstream acceptance, NoSQL databases are also increasing their
popularity in the marketplace, according to Dice.com. Professionals who know when
-- and when not to -- use these new approaches will bring much-needed flexibility,
efficiency and agility to their companies' operations, Goli says.
5. Salesforce 43%
Two trends are driving demand for Salesforce, Goli says: the sprawl of cloud
computing and the resulting increase of Salesforce.com implementations and
businesses' need to foster more intimate relationships with customers and analyze
the data associated with those relationships. As implementations of the CRM tool
increase, companies will require tech professionals who can customize
Salesforce.com as well as ensure solutions are scalable, he says.
6. Hadoop 38%
The value of big data is in the capability to analyze and interpret massive amounts of
stored information. Hadoop, the open source Apache framework that facilitates this
analysis and interpretation, will continue to gain traction in the market, says Goli.
Hiring managers use Dice's Open Web to find Hadoop professionals who also have
NoSQL (No. 4) and Big Data (No. 3) experience, he adds.
7. JIRA 35%
Project and issue-tracking software JIRA has found a foothold in both startups and in
big enterprises, especially those with large teams of software developers. Reporting
and issue tracking is an obstacle all organizations face, and the demand for
technology like JIRA and for professionals who solve problems, track issues and
report on project workflows will continue to see explosive growth, says Goli.
8. Cloud 34%
Businesses love technology and talent that can save them money and maximize
efficiency, which explains the continued growth of cloud tech and the demand for
talent with related experience, says Goli. Intuit predicts that 78 percent of U.S. small
businesses will have fully adopted the cloud by 2020, as compared to 37 percent
today. As cloud computing grows, job opportunities should soar well into the future,
he says.
9. Information Security 30%
As businesses struggle to keep an increasing amount of customer and user data
secure, information security skills and experienced talent will remain in demand, Goli
says. "Threats show no sign of slowing down; neither does the demand for security
professionals," he says.
10. Python 21%
Python is an oldie but goodie -- it's a mature language that continues to dominate
after 25 years -- and is a foundational language taught in college-level programming
courses, Goli says. "Today's Python students will be well-armed when they enter the
workforce with these skills," he says. "Both large companies and startups alike
understand that it's a simple, elegant and powerful language with which to build Web
properties."