How to Become an IT Manager: Essential Skills and Strategies

1. Strategic Planning and IT Alignment   

The IT manager ensures that IT capabilities are designed to support the organization’s objectives, remain flexible in incorporating future innovations and technologies, and maintain agility from a security perspective. 

2. Team Management

IT managers primarily lead teams that include system administrators, developers, and support staff while ensuring collaboration and productivity. They also focus on recruiting and developing talents via mentoring and promoting skill development for the workforce. 

 3. Operations Management

IT teams primarily work on building and maintaining an IT infrastructure’s underlying components, and the IT manager’s role is to ensure functioning at maximum efficiency (Delpueche, 2023). As part of it, key tasks of an IT manager could be listed as follows: 

• Auditing IT network functionality and data security status 

• Assessing the state of software capabilities and working on enhancements or updates. 

• Assesses and implements new technologies to drive efficiency and innovation. 

• Developing and implementing policies and best practices for IT and security infrastructure 

• Creating workshops and training programs for both core teams and across the organization 

• Managing routine endpoint and device audits and improvements 

• Auditing system and IT operations reports, and providing actionable insights to C-suite executives 

• Organizing and establishing protocols for significant IT endeavors such as system updates, migrations, device changes, upgrades, and outages.

4. Budget Management

It involves managing budgets, optimizing costs, and spending while maintaining service quality. The IT manager is also responsible for developing a plan, procuring a budget for innovation, and improving IT infrastructure to adapt to changes in business processes. To optimize costs for improving IT capabilities, an IT manager may also be required to negotiate with vendors and suppliers for software, hardware, and services. 

5. Risk Management

The IT top executive is also responsible for implementing security policies in accordance with compliance and regulations to protect organizational data from breaches or unauthorized access. They are also responsible for developing and implementing disaster recovery tests and contingency plans to ensure readiness and business continuity during disruptions. 

6. Collaboration

IT managers coordinate and collaborate with other departments to understand their IT needs and provide tailored solutions. They guide the senior management and business executives on IT progress, challenges, and strategies. They also guide the organization through technological, and staff transitions with minimal disruption. 

IT Manager Duties: Their Importance and Impact

As IT infrastructure is at the core of any business utilizing the digital landscape for its operations, the importance of the IT team and its manager is exceptionally high. An IT chief executive plays a crucial role in ensuring operational efficiency and business growth by developing and maintaining IT solutions that are in alignment with the organization’s goals. However, from the security perspective, the role of an IT lead is equally or even more critical as the IT team acts on ground zero towards developing and implementing security measures within the software or application infrastructure. Though we have discussed the generic role of an IT lead in an organization earlier, the sporadic but critical role of an IT team or manager is made evident in cases of implementing holistic policies such as improving user experience, in-built data security, and innovating new solutions (Delpueche, 2023). 

1. Data Security

As stated earlier, IT teams are the core of developing built-in security remediation for the majority of common threats and vulnerabilities. An IT analyst plays a vital role in guiding the process and implementing relevant policies for securing sensitive data in the organization’s IT infrastructure, both in local storage and virtual environments. 

2. User Experience

As the core of user experience for both employees and clients lies in software and applications being used, the IT manager’s role is crucial to improving the hardware and software and innovating solutions to enhance user experience. 

3. Enabling Innovation

With expansive growth in novel technologies, businesses are compelled to adopt these technologies, such as cloud, IoT, blockchain, AI & ML, etc., to further improve operations and customer experience. In such cases, it falls upon the IT Manager to lead the innovation efforts to adopt and implement novel and innovative technologies into the existing IT infrastructure. 

IT Manager Salary and Market Trend

With the surge in the adoption of new technologies and changes in the cyber threat landscape, the demand for IT executives and managers is high. Adopting cloud computing and data security, and incorporating data-driven decision-making have created significant opportunities for IT manager jobs. Hybrid and remote roles have not only compelled organizations to adopt the cloud but also created specialized IT roles as a result of the impact of underlying technology and security elements. Specializations, i.e., fields like cybersecurity, DevOps, cloud and virtual environment, data management, and security, are in demand (Vesota, 2024). 

Similarly, accompanied by increased demand for specific specializations, the salary ranges also appear lucrative. Salaries for this role tend to vary based on experience, industry, location, and the size of the organization. Some of the significant factors that impact the salaries for associated job role are: 

• Industry: The same job role in finance, healthcare, or tech industries often earns more than those in other sectors. 

• Location: Developed nations, such as the US or the UK, and relevant cities within them offer higher salaries but come with higher living costs. 

• Certifications: Technology and security skill certifications such as C|CT, ITIL, etc., can boost potential earnings. 

Here, we have listed from the perspective of the job market in developed nations such as the USA: 

• IT Manager Jobs: Annual salary can range from approximately $100,000, as typical roles involves supervising IT teams, managing routine operations, troubleshooting technical issues, overseeing multiple IT projects, and contributing to strategic decisions (Indeed, 2024). 

• Senior IT Manager Jobs: Annual salary can range from $147,386 to $208,773, as typical roles involve leading company-wide IT strategies, budgeting, managing high-level stakeholders, and ensuring regulatory compliance (Salary.com, 2024). 

How to Become an IT Manager

Becoming an IT manager requires aspirants to attain relevant education, experience, and strategic preparation. Mentorship and hands-on practical experience play an essential role in developing relevant skills. 

Education and Experience Qualifications

• Education: On the path for how to become an IT Manager, one of the most common requirement for any aspirant aiming for any position in IT is to have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as computer science, information technology, software engineering, or Management Information Systems (MIS). Advanced degrees such as an MBA with a focus on technology or a Masters in IT management are optional but beneficial, as they can enhance leadership credentials and business understanding. 

• Experience: For an the job role, typically, more than 5 years of experience in IT-related roles is required. This includes systems administrator, network engineer, or software developer positions. Leadership experience, such as managing teams or handling projects, is also helpful (Doss, 2024). 

Education and Experience Qualifications

• Education: The most common requirement for any aspirant aiming for any position in IT is to have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as computer science, information technology, software engineering, or Management Information Systems (MIS). Advanced degrees such as an MBA with a focus on technology or a Masters in IT management are optional but beneficial, as they can enhance leadership credentials and business understanding.
• Experience: For an IT manager job role, typically, more than 5 years of experience in IT-related roles is required. This includes systems administrator, network engineer, or software developer positions. Leadership experience, such as managing teams or handling projects, is also helpful (Doss, 2024).

Important Skills for IT Managers

• Technical skills: Skills such as network and systems management, information security, or software development are essential for managers as they allow them to understand elements of IT infrastructure, programming, software, risk management, and data protection.
• Management skills: Skills such as leadership and communication allow for effective team building and coordination. At the same time, expertise in project management and strategic analysis allows for effective planning, development, and execution of projects in alignment with business goals and objectives (Bay Atlantic University, 2020). 

 Certifications and Training Programs

Certification specific to the job roles could roughly be categorized into management, technical, and cybersecurity certifications. Management certifications are one of the key components in answering the question of how to become an IT manager; as it allows individuals to develop and align strategies, construct policies and best practices, develop collaboration and project leadership, and focus on agile methodologies. 

The technology certifications, on the other hand, allow IT executives to understand various system and network technologies along with various environments such as cloud, decentralized, remote networks, databases, operations technology networks, edge networks, and much more. 

The data security and cybersecurity certifications allow IT managers to understand security concepts and implications associated with all the relevant technologies discussed in technology certifications. 

How C|CT Can Help You to Become an IT Manager

The Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT) certification provides a solid foundation in both cybersecurity and IT operations, which is valuable for any IT job role. As the IT lead oversees broader aspects of IT infrastructure, the practical experience gained in cybersecurity through C|CT will allow IT managers to include a security perspective in their holistic approach to IT development. 

The skills obtained from C|CT certification can roughly be classified into technical and problem-solving skills. Technical skills are essential for understanding the systems and tools that IT professionals are expected to oversee. On the other hand, problem-solving skills allow IT analysts to troubleshoot and mitigate any relevant issues with the help of hands-on experience that translates into better decision-making capabilities. 

C|CT Course Outline 

The Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT) certification focuses on a balanced approach to cybersecurity that combines multi-domain skills with practical learning. The major components of the C|CT course could roughly be categorized as: 

• Information security fundamentals and ethical hacking 

• Application and device security 

• Network monitoring, assessment, and troubleshooting 

• Network security 

• Incident handling and response 

• Risk management and business continuity 

Towards actively addressing the talent shortage and the query for how to become an IT manager in the face of rising demand, the Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT) scholarship program by EC-Council is an initiative that caters to the global interest of widespread demand for cybersecurity expertise. The scholarship program aims to help cybersecurity and IT aspirants kickstart their careers and build a new breed of technically skilled cybersecurity professionals. For the year 2023, the C|CT scholarship had a global reach with applications from over 170 nations and supported career transition for 67% of the trainees. 

Reference

Aha! Labs Inc. What is the role an IT manager? https://www.aha.io/roadmapping/guide/information-technology/what-is-the-role-of-an-it-manager/ 

Bay Atlantic University. (2020, May 19). How to Become an IT Manager: Requirements & Responsibilities. https://bau.edu/blog/how-to-become-an-it-manager/ 

Delpueche, S. (2023, September 13). Why your company needs an IT manager? Bloobirds. https://www.bloobirds.com/blog/why-your-company-needs-an-it-manager/ 

Doss, D. (2024). How to Become an Information Technology (IT) Manager. National University. https://www.nu.edu/blog/how-to-become-it-manager/ 

Indeed. (2024, November 18). IT manager salary in United States. https://www.indeed.com/career/it-manager/salaries 

Mukherjee, S. (2024, November 22). What are the Roles and Responsibilities of an IT Manager? Emeritus. https://emeritus.org/in/learn/what-are-the-roles-and-responsibilities-of-an-it-manager/ 

Salary.com. (November 01, 2024). Information Technology Senior Manager Salary in the United States. https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/information-technology-senior-manager-salary/ 

Vesota, N. (2024, June 07). 2024 IT Job Market: Trends, Opportunities & Key Skills. The Job Blog. https://jobbloghq.com/career-blog/it-job-market-trends/