JumpCloud Holiday Survey Finds IT Admins Thankful and Exhausted

JumpCloud announced the findings of its 2021 Holiday IT Admin Survey. Almost two years into the pandemic, IT teams responsible for securing remote work report having the greatest gratitude for their job, for remote work, and for their ability to secure their workplace in the new hybrid model. IT admins remain committed to enabling and securing remote work despite few pay increases and feeling overwhelmed

The survey asked 509 U.S.-based and 503 U.K.-based IT professionals about what they were most thankful for in IT and what IT gifts they would most like this holiday season.

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Key findings

• IT admins are most thankful for their job, their companies, and their fellow employees. For U.S. respondents, the three items for which IT admins are most thankful are their job (27%), security (21%), and remote work (20%).

• Confidence in delivering a good remote experience for employees. Overall, 70% agree or strongly agree they’ve been able to meet or exceed employee expectations for ongoing support in a remote or hybrid work environment.

• Respondents in the U.S. are more confident they’re meeting employee expectations (79% agree or strongly agree) than their U.K. counterparts (68% agree or strongly agree).

• Though overwhelmed, IT admins are thankful for their job. 55% of all respondents report feeling somewhat or very overwhelmed. In the U.S., it’s 57% and 52% in the U.K.

• Overall job satisfaction is shared widely. 82% of IT admins report having the same or increased level of happiness. In the U.S., 86% report they’re as happy or happier than a year ago, and 78% in the U.K.

• The happiness isn’t necessarily coming from higher wages. Since the start of the pandemic, 43% report their salaries have stayed the same, and 37% report seeing an increase, and for those that saw an increase, most (15%) received a raise of only 5% or less.

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• Admins feel critical to operations. Overall, IT admins report decision-makers in their organization listen to their recommendations. 76% of all respondents agreed with the statement; more in the U.S. (83%) than in the U.K. (70%).

• U.S. admins like their gaming. When asked what IT gift they want for the holidays, gaming consoles and accessories were the most popular choice (23%), followed by a new laptop (17%) and a new phone (17%).

• PlayStation 5 tops the list: For those gamers, 47% want a PS5, followed by console or computer games (22%), an Xbox (13%), a Nintendo (8%), and a gaming computer (5%).

• U.S. admins are thoughtful: Many reported not wanting anything for themselves, asking for “a new 50” TV for my parents,” “a coffee mug that’s a keyboard I can give my boss,” or responding “I think I already have everything I want and need,” and “I can’t think of anything that I want that I don’t already have.”

• They’re also committed to problem solving at work: Of the 12% that reported wanting some kind of software for the holidays, 70% asked for applications that improved general IT operations and remote work and 24%  wanted software to improve security. Three respondents are hoping to find a managed service provider (MSP) wrapped up in a bow.

• Holiday wish lists may not be totally fulfilled. Beyond consumer electronics, holiday requests include a full airplane simulator, a self-driving car, and “just rest.”

“This survey showcases the most common traits shared by IT professionals – optimism, gratitude and determination,” said Cate Lochead, chief marketing officer, JumpCloud. “Despite another challenging year marked by the endless increase in security threats, constant shifts in workplace openings and closing, and the great resignation, IT teams remain thankful and confident. We see this proud spirit show up  in the JumpCloud customer base too as IT teams are able to serve their business better by adopting a modern cloud directory platform.”

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In their own words, admins detail what inspires their gratitude:

They’re thankful for their teammates and their job, appreciating the camaraderie of a common mission and sharing the load: 

• “I am definitely most thankful for my hardworking security team.” 
• “Increased spending for security.” 
•  “The hard work of the IT staff in learning to expand our network.” 
• “That I somehow still have a job.”

They’re thankful for innovative software and applications that enabled remote work and kept it secure:

• “Thanks to the increasingly mature network technology, the vulnerabilities of my system have been repaired in time without causing losses.” 
• “Technology emerged that made our world connected.” 
• “High speed connections and trusted software programs that performed consistently well with minor problems only.”

They’re thankful for security, given increased work responsibilities for managing and securing remote and hybrid workforces: 

• “That we didn’t get attacked.” 
• “There were no major breaches, overall continued productivity in a hybrid environment.”
• “It made us realize we need to tighten security and implement ways to keep our data protected when employees are working remotely.” 
• “That we have senior leadership who actually understands the threat of ransomware and how it targets healthcare, and are willing to expend capital on the tools to combat it.”

Survey methodology

JumpCloud surveyed 1,012 U.S. and U.K. IT decision-makers across a variety of in

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