Cisco AppDynamics Study: New Class of Post-Pandemic Technology Leaders Emerges to Tackle the Experience Economy

Rhea-AI Summary

Cisco AppDynamics released its Agents of Transformation 2022 report, highlighting a new class of technology leaders post-pandemic. The report indicates that 74% of respondents feel their careers have accelerated, yet only 10% achieve elite 'Agents of Transformation' status. Many technology leaders face rising complexity, with 66% finding it harder to meet transformation demands. Key insights include a strong need for enhanced application security and observability to navigate digital transformation challenges.

Positive

• 74% of technology leaders feel their careers have accelerated during recent years.
• 88% now identify as business leaders, indicating a shift in the perception of their roles.
• 77% believe investment in application security is vital for the next year.

Negative

• Only 10% have achieved elite status as 'Agents of Transformation'.
• 66% report increased difficulty in being effective leaders due to rising complexities.
• 25% state their organizations are stuck in a reactive 'fire-fighting mode'.

Spiraling Complexity and Business Expectations Spawn Growing Skills and Resources Demands

News Summary:

• Cisco AppDynamics has released the annual Agents of Transformation report which reveals the emergence of a new class of post-pandemic technology leaders who are reimagining applications and digital services delivery as the lines between IT operations and business strategy blur.
• 74% say their experiences in recent years have accelerated their careers, and 88% now consider themselves to be business leaders and believe what it means to be a technology expert has changed. However, just 10% have reached the elite status of ‘Agents of Transformation’.
• While technology leaders are looking to better understand and adapt to digital transformation with solutions that positively affect the overall business, 66% say it is now more difficult to be an Agent of Transformation, and one-quarter say their organization remains stuck in “fire-fighting mode.”

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) AppDynamics, a leading provider of Observability and Application Performance Monitoring technology, has published findings from Agents of Transformation 2022, the fourth annual report that analyzes the skills and attributes of elite global technologists.

In the wake of the pandemic, it reveals the emergence of a new class of technology experts stepping up to meet critical challenges that are blurring the lines between business strategy and IT operations. The report also cites the demand to make all products and services digitally available in the Experience Economy amid heightened security threats, increasing complexity, and the accelerated shift to hybrid work and the cloud.

“The bar continues to rise, and over the last year we have seen a redefinition of what it means to be an Agent of Transformation. These leaders are looking to better understand how issues in their respective domains impact the total experience of users and applications, adapting to change with solutions that positively affect the overall business,” said Liz Centoni, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, GM of Applications.

According to the Cisco AppDynamics report, 74% believe that their experiences in recent years—particularly during the pandemic—have accelerated their careers, and 88% now consider themselves to be business leaders. However, just 10% of technology experts have reached the elite status of ‘Agents of Transformation’. These individuals represent top-flight leaders who are reimagining and delivering high-value applications and services that create the always-on, secure, and exceptional user experiences now demanded by end users and customers.

Respondents cite a fundamental change in the role of technologists, including the skills and resources required to operate effectively and proficiently. At the same time, they say they now contend with soaring complexity and volumes of data from across the technology stack and must integrate a massively expanding set of cloud-native services with existing on-premises systems and tools.

• 88% believe that what it means to be a technologist has changed
• 84% say the skills and qualities that define an Agent of Transformation have evolved
• 66% indicate that it is now more difficult to be an Agent of Transformation
• One in four say their organization remains stuck in reactive, “fire-fighting mode”

Digital transformation means almost every company and organization interacts with consumers via web and mobile applications, and the transition to hybrid work means more interaction with SaaS tools and web interfaces. While consumers can pivot fast to another brand’s app or service, companies that cannot instantly improve digital experiences risk having loyal customers walk away.

“The new Agents of Transformation recognize a need to reimagine applications not just in response to post-pandemic challenges, but also, to create flawless, reliable digital experiences that address some of the world’s greatest problems—from meeting critical human needs to giving people the skills and resources to succeed in the digital economy,” Centoni said.

While acknowledging the far-reaching consequences of this change, respondents in the Cisco AppDynamics report note that they need help navigating the technical and operational ambiguities of digital transformation. Specifically, they are looking for unified visibility into their IT environments to better manage and optimize application availability and performance. This requires focusing investments on application security, observability over cloud-native applications and infrastructure, and linking IT performance to business decision making.

• 77% believe it will be important to invest in application security over the next 12 months to meet customer and employee needs
• 71% think their organization will need to invest in observing cloud-native applications and infrastructure
• 84% say that the need to maintain the performance of business applications is now more important than ever
• 85% state that full stack observability is core to sustainable transformation and innovation in their organization

Additional Resources:

Download the Agents of Transformation 2022 report: https://www.appdynamics.com/resources/reports/agents-of-transformation-2022

Read more on the AppDynamics blog: https://www.appdynamics.com/blog/news/agents-of-transformation-are-adapting-at-speed-to-drive-innovation-in-the-experience-economy

About AppDynamics

Cisco AppDynamics is a leading provider of Observability and Application Performance Monitoring technology. AppDynamics helps customers observe what matters inside and beyond their IT environments. Combined with the power of Cisco, AppDynamics enables organizations to deliver exceptional user experiences by centralizing and correlating data into contextualized insights of critical business metrics — providing them with the power to prioritize actions based on business needs.

AppDynamics received Glassdoor’s 2019 Best Places to Work Award and Fortune’s #1 Best Place to Work in 2021 and 2022 as part of Cisco.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your enterprise, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220712005246/en/

Stephen Smith

+44 (0) 7977 278652

stephen.smith@appdynamics.com

Source: Cisco AppDynamics

FAQ

What does the Cisco AppDynamics Agents of Transformation 2022 report reveal?

The report indicates a new class of technology leaders post-pandemic, with 74% feeling career acceleration but only 10% achieving elite transformation status.

How has the role of technologists changed according to Cisco's report?

88% of technologists believe their roles have evolved, requiring new skills and resources for effective performance.

What challenges do technology leaders face in digital transformation?

66% find it more difficult to be effective leaders, with many organizations stuck in reactive modes.

What focus areas are highlighted for investment in the Cisco report?

The report emphasizes the importance of investing in application security and observability for cloud-native applications.