Big Wigs = Big Bucks

By Bob Weinstein

If you think you're underpaid and deserve a raise, this is the time to ask for it. You never know when the economic winds will downshift into another recession.

Not to worry. Judging by the rapid expansion of technology companies, I doubt if that will happen. Overall, most of them are turning out new products and services and hiring aggressively, and salaries--for the most part--keep inching up each year. If you want proof, take a look at the recently released IT salary survey from management consulting company Janco Associates Inc. in Park City, Utah.

For the most part, the results were positive. However, there has been a change in demand for many positions. First, some survey conclusions:

• Hiring for senior IT executives in mid-sized enterprises has increased significantly.
• Chief Security Officers are in high demand by larger enterprises.
• The greatest increase in compensation occurred in large enterprises in the following: middle management positions of LAN applications support; computer operations shift supervisors; data warehouse managers; production services and voice data communications managers; and network technical services project managers. They're all signs of renewed activity and new hiring.
• Demand is strong in the Internet and network areas of e-commerce; voice/wireless communications; object programming; and data security and data warehousing, as companies try to prepare for the next wave of new wireless technology.

Now the numbers. While many top jobs are paying more than they did last year, some have remained the same, and others are paying less.

• The mean total compensation for all positions surveyed has remained relatively the same: 0.05 percent increase for the past 12 months. In midsized enterprises the mean total compensation has moved down slightly (-0.04 percent), from $75,096 to $75,026. At the same time, in large enterprises the median compensation has also moved up slightly, from $80,276 to $81,078 (1.01 percent).
• The mean compensation (which includes bonuses) for executive IT positions surveyed now is $140,550 in large enterprises and $128,464 in midsized enterprises. (Large enterprises are those with more than $500 million in revenue, and mid-sized have $100 to $499 million in revenue.)
• The mean compensation for CIOs in all enterprises remains the same, with salaries at just over $170,000.
  The greatest decreases in compensation occurred in infrastructure positions in mid-sized enterprises--a sign of continued cost-cutting.

Jobs with decreased demand in big companies, according to Janco, are network services manager, training and documentation manager, VP of information services, production support, data center facility administrator, production/data center director and computer operator.

And jobs with decreasing demand in midsized companies are LAN applications support analyst, network technical services, data warehouse and database managers, computer operations shift supervisor, IT planning analyst and systems analyst.

What does it all mean? If you look at a bunch of salary surveys over the past 18 months, the same jobs constantly appear. The magic career word that keeps coming up on virtually every hot job survey is "security." Every company is looking for CSOs. But they're also looking for candidates at all security levels--entry level to very experienced.

There are always hiring trends and fads. And job titles come and go. I remember when the acronyms CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer) and CPO (Chief People Officer) were hot. But you hardly hear them mentioned anymore. A few years ago, many big companies had paid "gurus" on their staffs. The title "guru" is passé as well. But the demand for security people is not a "here today, gone tomorrow" hiring trend. They are a necessity, and that's not about to change.

The scary reality is that companies and their employees, products and technology are not safe, and neither is the general public. Hence, security professionals who can protect our stuff--and us--will always be needed.

If you ever contemplated going back to school to master a new and enduring high-demand skill, "security"--like "plastics" in the 1950s--is the power career word. The more you know about it, the further you'll go. The consummate security expert project manager with a strong IT background can practically name his price and work anywhere.

This Article Reprinted Courtesy of http://www.gantthead.com