It's Time to Spotlight Women in Enterprise ITIt's Time to Spotlight Women in Enterprise IT

Enterprise Connect created its Women in Communications program to highlight women in IT who have overcome workplace challenges and inspired change within their enterprises. As we enter the third year of this program, there is still much we can do in terms of gender equity and diversity in enterprise communications and collaboration.

Diversity: It’s Good for Business

For some context on where we stand, women made up approximately 29% of all technology employees last year. The percentages shift across company size and job level: According to the Anita Borg Institute's annual report on women in technology, women technologists are more likely to be hired in smaller companies than in larger ones, and greater numbers of women are in entry-level tech jobs (36%) than in mid- or senior-level tech jobs (28% and 24%, respectively).

The gender imbalance in the technology workforce is also bad for business; companies that have gender parity at the leadership level do better financially. A study from workplace inclusion non-profit Catalyst suggests that companies with the most women in leadership positions perform 53% better financially — potentially enough money to make your enterprise a market leader or to stay well ahead of the competition.

The gender imbalance can also be a liability in product development. (We've seen high-profile embarrassments on the consumer side). Companies like Microsoft have developed tools to help detect and eliminate bias that's built into software products, but another way to eliminate bias is to have the kind of team that can detect and eliminate it before it's encoded into a product.

Enterprise Connect Shines a Spotlight on Women and Diversity

The case for supporting more women in technology is strong. At Enterprise Connect and No Jitter, so too is our commitment to foster the careers of women in the field of enterprise IT communications and collaboration.

At Enterprise Connect 2022, careers will be a big focus of our workplace strategies track, which will include sessions on "Addressing Today’s Enterprise Challenges With a Diverse IT Team," "Tips & Tricks for Recruiting and Retention on Your Team," and a roundtable for women in technology.

We'll also be announcing our Enterprise Connect Spotlight Award winners. The Spotlight Award will be presented to a select group of women who work within enterprise IT or other organizations involving communications and collaboration technology at non-vendor companies. This award is specifically intended to encourage and recognize women who have chosen to make a career as technologists or technology leaders in the enterprise.

Award recipients will exhibit leadership within enterprise IT, promoting innovative ideas and sound strategies that move their businesses — and even industries -— forward. Through their achievements, these women advance their profession of IT/communications within the enterprise. Through their actions and leadership, they serve as role models for a new generation of women seeking to excel in the profession of enterprise IT communications and collaboration.

Submit your nominations for Spotlight Award winners here.

Anyone may nominate a candidate for the Spotlight Award; nominees may also submit themselves as potential award candidates. The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 31, 2021.

Award recipients will be honored at Enterprise Connect 2022.

Submit a Spotlight Award nomination using the form below. For additional information or questions, please email Ryan Daily, No Jitter associate editor, at [email protected].