Diplomacy is key to keeping talented IT under your company's banner

Much like establishing an alliance in the "Game of Thrones," finding reliable, talented IT employees is a challenge. Retaining those hires and establishing a cohesive unit of IT experts to manage your company's network is another trial altogether. According to Computerworld, hiring of network administrators is expected to see growth of 28 percent between 2010 and 2020, reflecting the ramped up demand for seasoned IT professionals to help businesses keep their data centers running and up to date. Strategies for hiring and holding onto your tech specialists has been touched on in previous posts, but an increasingly competitive talent pool will inspire many companies to go even further in their efforts to fend off a dramatic betrayal by one of their top IT talents.

Your company can do more in order to make the IT work environment enticing to prodigious young graduates and established industry veterans alike. Keep reading for strategic maneuvers that will put your company in a superior position for the oncoming battle for talent.

In the Game of IT Hiring, you win...or you operate while understaffed.

Match requests with resources to prevent burnout
One of the largest contributors to IT turnover is burnout. Pushing your company's IT pros past their limits with unrealistic demands will encourage them to revolt, or at least limit their morale and motivation while at the office. If employees are pressed too far, however, they are likely to seek the services of a rival house.

One way to combat this type of burnout is to supply your employees with the tech resources they need to do their jobs efficiently and cost-effectively. For instance, asking the IT department to create a strategy for remotely access and manage the company's firewalls from scratch is a mighty task. Equipping your employees with versatile console servers, capable of connecting a wide variety of devices such as routers and firewalls via serial port, makes this task far more agreeable.

Create an environment that encourages open dialogue
While monthly meetings and weekly check-ins will help you feel a bit more in the know concerning your IT staff, it takes active engagement on the part of IT management and company leadership to ensure that tech professionals remain loyal to your cause.

Communication is especially important when employees seem unhappy and may be interested in serving under a new data lord. Failure to address the needs of an employee could leave you vulnerable to a better offer from another firm. Jason Crane, a recruiting professional at Robert Half Technology, emphasized this point in a recent interview with Data Center Knowledge: "As much as possible it needs to be an open dialogue," Crane said. "Given the demand, there's a fair amount of greed."

Establish a clear career path for IT experts
Even foot soldiers in Game of Thrones aspire to greatness, and often they are able to obtain it. Likewise, great leadership qualities are found in employees from each and every department. A company that establishes a direct path of advancement for IT employees will also be more likely to retain them. The promise of promotion and greater riches, after all, appeals equally to heavily

armored vassals and data center employees.

Whether the company outlines opportunities for growth within IT or creates opportunities for skill growth and education laterally, tech experts must feel like their hard work is building toward some type of payoff. Otherwise, they will seek out a house that will better appreciate their services. Keeping those talents under your banner is critical to your company achieving the glory and recognition it deserves.

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