Gene Kim, founder and CTO of Tripwire, Inc. and co-founder of the IT Process Institute, answers questions about what he believes are the most valuable skills in the data center job market.

Can the mainframe still drive a career?

Kim: Holy cow, yes! One of the best IT practitioners I know recently made the observation that his mainframes which had been providing him the most reliable and stable service were suddenly causing him the worst problems. When he started looking into why, he discovered that most of the experienced mainframe administrators had retired, and that the mainframes were now being administered by staff who had managed Microsoft Windows systems. As a result, the mainframes were treated like just another Windows workstation, to the extent that problems were being resolved by rebooting.

Many critical applications still run just fine on mainframes. We need people who are not only technically savvy, but who fully appreciate the consequences of what can go wrong in a complex and mission-critical systems.

What would you consider an emerging data center skill set?

Kim: I wish someone had told me ten years ago to spend two years working in internal or external auditing. 50% of the leaders of high performing IT organizations that I’ve studied have come from an audit background. It’s because auditors gain mastery over the most complex business processes in an organization, such as revenue to cash and supply chain processes.

Most IT folks never see these processes, yet these are transactions that must be processed reliably and correctly, or the business comes to a complete halt. Anyone who spends time working in these processes can’t help but gain an appreciation of how businesses run, and see how IT often makes them all tick.

I can’t seem to get myself excited about IT processes and controls. From a professional development perspective, why should I pay attention?

Kim: I used to say the same thing. Processes and controls — how boring! That is, until I started researching the differences between exceptional and mediocre IT organizations. What differentiates the best performers from all the others has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with processes and controls.

For example, according to a 2005 IT Process Institute survey, IT organizations with effective controls and processes are able to implement 8 times more projects; deliver and support 4.5 times more IT services to the business; support 6.6 times more applications and software; have 5.4 times higher server/sysadmin ratios; and authorize and perform 14 times more changes.

Individuals who can help guide the organization to figure out how to make processes and controls work for them to achieve business goals will be the leaders of tomorrow. Unlike technology trends that come and go like yesterday’s fashion, practitioners can build a career based on the certain universal truths about IT processes and controls that are sustainable. Black belt process practitioners will have the most exciting career opportunities ahead of them.