Unified communications. Another emerging hot technology is unified communications, which involves the merging of voice and data networks through technologies such as VoIP (Voice over IP). A Cisco-sponsored report found that 57 percent of companies expected to require additional IP telephony skills in the near future. A recent Forrester report cites unified communications specialists as one of the top growth areas in IT organizations, requiring expertise with networking, user devices, and collaboration applications. "We always thought of networking, server, administration, and application administration as different disciplines. But with categories like unified communications, they're all merging," says Kimberly Lanzo-Russo, a director of Microsoft-related training at Global Knowledge.

"Security in VoIP is huge," Walsh says. "Today if you want to talk about something involving sensitive information, you typically don't send an e-mail, you pick up the phone so that there's nothing left on the screen, no record, nothing intercepted. Unfortunately, however, it's not all that difficult to put a tap on VoIP calls so that you capture any call in which, for example, the word 'merger' is said."

To a large extent, VoIP security expertise is about knowing how to set up the right controls, policies, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms. The SANS Institute and InfoSec Institute are among those that offer courses on VoIP security.

Hard core networking skills are also crucial when it comes to VoIP and unified communications deployment. "You not only need to know about IP protocols and all that technical networking knowledge, you also need to understand how to layer all these other services on it without breaking anything," says Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, general manager for Cisco Systems' training group.

Wireless. Wireless networking and related security issues are also hot. The Cisco-sponsored research report found that 59 percent of surveyed organizations were planning on recruiting additional wireless skills.

"We see a huge shortage of real wireless expertise," Beliveau-Dunn says. "Wireless is now a standard part of any network, but you have to understand things about RF [the radiofrequency spectrum], time, distance, and physical space that go beyond typical network expertise. There are so many different wireless security protocols to understand and you have to integrate them with your other security."

Demand has exploded as wireless has increasingly become a mainstream technology. "We see lots of customers who are building new buildings getting a wireless network up fast instead of rewiring the whole building, and we see a lot of the public sector investing in wireless mesh," Beliveau-Dunn says.

Also in demand are IT staff skills in carrier-based wireless and cellular technologies, says Global Knowledge's Walsh.