Last week, in sharing the winners of our Women in Communications Spotlight Award, I mentioned that we all know AI will bring major changes to IT roles, and how IT pros do their jobs. There’s confirmation this week in a recent CIO Dive article highlighting this attention-grabbing stat from a study of AI’s impact on IT jobs: “By 2027, more than 40% of IT skills will be rendered partially obsolete,” CIO Dive reports, citing Draup, a tech talent agency.
"AI is compressing skill cycles, reshaping roles and shifting where productivity comes from faster than most organizations expect,” Draup vice president of data and platform Vishnu Shankar states in the company’s press release. “This goes beyond hiring more or fewer people. It's about how work actually gets done as AI becomes part of everyday roles."
If you’re an enterprise IT pro focusing on collaboration/CX tech, you’re undoubtedly already seeing this. Not only do you have to understand how AI impacts the technology you buy and run, you have to stay on top of the ways AI is changing your profession. And if you’re in an IT leadership role, you have to drive that change, using AI to gain efficiencies (because “do more with less” is the constant refrain); but you can’t be too quick to remove humans from key roles that could put the entire IT estate at risk.
The good news is that Draup predicts the worldwide tech job market will grow by 78 million positions by the end of this decade, “driven by productivity gains and demand for AI, cybersecurity and hybrid roles.” The biggest growth will be in cybersecurity, AI engineering and, “roles that combine human expertise with automated systems,” the company stated.
This latest perspective on the future of IT jobs gives me an opportunity to highlight another set of award winners for Enterprise Connect 2026. In addition to the Spotlight and Young Leaders announcements I shared last week, we’ve now confirmed the winners of this year’s IT Hero awards, which we present to those within an enterprise IT organization who demonstrate outstanding qualities of leadership and excellence. This year’s winners are:
Mattias Liljeberg, Manager, IT Telecom, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
- Jose Hernandez, Communication Systems Engineer, Brigham Young University
- Andrew Benson, Chief Innovation Officer, Envision Radiology
- Nate Beck, IT Manager, Johnson Controls International
- Tabitha Almanza, Director of Procurement, Yeti
Congratulations to these terrific IT professionals! We’ll present all of our IT awards at Enterprise Connect 2026, taking place March 10 – 12 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, along with our Best of Enterprise Connect awards for product innovation by the companies you’ll meet at the event. I hope you can join us!
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For over 35 years, Enterprise Connect has been the premier event where IT leaders, solution providers, and industry analysts come together to define the future of enterprise communications. As the most trusted conference in the industry, we deliver cutting-edge insights, world-class networking opportunities, and hands-on solutions that drive real business success.
Enterprise Connect is more than an event—it’s an experience that empowers enterprise communications leaders to reimagine the future of work. With elevated content, curated networking, and an engaging atmosphere, it remains the must-attend conference for professionals shaping the industry’s evolution.
Our mission is to equip you with the tools, strategies, and actionable insights needed to address your organization’s unique challenges. With industry transformation in mind, this year’s program introduces fresh new conference tracks, including:
- Legacy Unleashed: Optimizing Your Communications Backbone
- Workplace Reimagined: Engineering Tomorrow's Collaboration
- Tech Disruption Zone: Implementing Without Imploding
- Achieving Transformation: Architecting Your 3-5 Year Roadmap
- Future Shock: Communications Tech Beyond the Horizon
Featuring the most comprehensive program of objective content and an expansive vendor-neutral expo hall, Enterprise Connect is your ultimate resource for advancing collaboration, CX, and AV strategies. Join us to stay ahead, connect with industry trailblazers, and lead the transformation of enterprise communications.