A report by Auvik surveyed 2,100 IT and MSP professionals to discover the trends and challenges among IT teams. The report found that the most notable challenge among IT teams was a lack of skilled workers. Due to this lack of talent, a trend toward automation and outsourcing emerged. IT teams are adopting new tools and resources to increase productivity while minimizing the burden on front-line IT team members. 

Compared to 2023, there was a 24% increase in plans for automation investments. Automation is prevalent among IT teams, as 96% utilize at least one AI or ML resource. At the same time, 29% of SaaS, network or other related tasks are done manually. 

IT teams are also outsourcing tasks or functions related to network duties. Nearly 75% of the respondents surveyed reported that some of these tasks are delegated to external workers. 

https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/100572-talent-shortage-is-leading-to-automation-and-outsourcing