Out of order
IT teams are starting 2026 with a familiar problem: operational clutter that quietly snowballs into bigger risks. From overflowing inboxes and backlogged help-desk queues to piles of aging hardware—like outdated Windows 10 laptops—routine neglect can create security gaps, slow response times, and basic workplace inefficiency. IT professionals say the fix isn’t a one-off cleanup so much as building repeatable systems: clear intake processes for requests, scheduled device lifecycle management, and standardized documentation so small messes don’t become chronic bottlenecks.
Job: security
A new report from IANS and Artico Search suggests the “VP-level CISO” role is gradually disappearing, replaced by a sharper split between executive-facing security leaders and operations-focused directors. Based on a survey of more than 660 CISOs across the US and Canada in 2025, the findings point to organizations increasingly choosing either boardroom-ready CISOs who shape corporate strategy or hands-on leaders who run day-to-day defense—rather than a hybrid. The shift could reshape security career paths and, in some companies, widen the gap between strategic decision-making and on-the-ground security execution.
Slacking off
Slack is pushing deeper into office IT troubleshooting with a more capable Slackbot that can surface answers from internal help channels and even contribute to documentation. A recent example from Slack engineer Sara Bee shows how the bot helped with something as mundane as connecting to a printer—by parsing prior conversations for precise steps and packaging them into a quick solution without requiring another employee to intervene. The feature highlights a broader workplace trend: automating “small” support tasks that consume outsized time, while raising new questions about accuracy, permissions, and how much internal knowledge should be synthesized by bots.
