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IT departments juggling multiple priorities
IT News |
20/01/2012
IT departments will find themselves juggling multiple priorities on a tight budget this year, according to latest research by Gartner.
A worldwide survey of chief information officers found that the majority expected budgets to be flat in the coming year, increasing just 0.5 per cent on average, with many regions, including Europe, seeing declines.
However, while budgets remain restricted, the current economic circumstances mean that businesses will be looking to the IT department to use technology to move companies forward.
"Present economic conditions may tempt CIOs to force IT back into cost-cutting mode, but senior executives expect technology — and this includes IT — to address the tough challenges by amplifying enterprise strategies and operations," said Mark McDonald, group vice president for Gartner Executive Programs and Gartner Fellow.
"Technology's role in the enterprise is increasing. This does not mean, however, that the role of the IT organisation is increasing," Mr McDonald added.
"CIOs concentrating on IT as a force of operational automation, integration and control are losing ground to executives who see technology as a business amplifier and source of innovation. Effective leaders use technology, which includes IT, to strengthen the customer experience and eliminate costly internal distortions. They are using technology to 'amplify' the enterprise."
In terms of what IT departments will be focusing on, Gartner suggested that analytics and business intelligence, mobile technologies, cloud computing, collaboration technologies and virtualisation technologies will be the top priorities.
The customer experience was also cited as very important for 2012, meaning technologies which can help boost this relationship are increasingly in demand.
Overall, growth was named as a priority for most CIOs, despite the tough environment, suggesting that the coming year will be a tough but rewarding one for people in IT jobs.
Posted by Jon Aspinell
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