By Andy McCue, 22 February 2007 11:45
NEWS
Almost two-thirds of CIOs are nervous about buying new or cutting-edge technology because of concerns about cost and the potential disruption it could cause.
The survey of 100 UK CIOs and IT directors found just two per cent are "eager" to buy new technology that could make a difference to their business, while 61 per cent said they are "hesitant", "nervous" or "averse" to it.
The biggest hurdle, according to almost a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents, was convincing the board that cutting edge technologies are a safe investment while a third pointed to concern over the technology causing disruption to business users and general budgetary constraints.
The survey also found that most (68 per cent) CIOs are happy in their current role, with only 16 per cent saying they aspire to move out of IT into general operating or CEO position. Five per cent said they want to move into a less stressful environment in the next five years.
Steve Kendall-Smith, MD of Fujitsu Siemens Computers UK, which sponsored the survey, said in a statement: "Corporate IT departments have come such a long way over the past 20 years. Right the way from the back-office and into the forefront of an organisation - helping to gain competitive edge. But now, as the IT systems they've built up over the years begin to creak, it will take people with the necessary ambition and nerve to address the task of replacing them with cutting-edge alternatives."
The survey was carried out by Vanson Bourne among 100 CIOs and IT directors in UK businesses with more than 1,000 employees.
Comments
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1. Serge Thorn
New technology is all about Research and Innovation. IT department should consider Innovation as one of the pillar of an IT strategy. An innovation stream is really about implementing revolutionary change in the way we run the business or in creating significant new efficiencies or revenue opportunities. Technology obviously plays a key role here, since it often acts as an enabler for new processes and services. An R&D (or R&I) group can constantly evaluating new technology to see what looks promising and how it could impact the business in the next 24 months. You can have a funnel process where technologies are reviewed and piloted. If the products make it through the rigorous evaluation process, some of them are eventually sanctioned and put into production.
This is a way how to manage properly new technologies and demonstrate to a CIO the benefits, without making him nervous...
Best Regards
2. Roger Huffadine
Maturity is very hard for vendors to accept, no wonder Siemens are worried.
Just like the internal combustion engine all useful products reach a point where they are fit for purpose. To achieve any improvement that will yield a bigger return than the investment is almost impossible with a mature product. That many businesses have reached the stage of maturity where the introduction of any cutting edge technology is pointless doesn't surprise me at all. We can now expect the search for cheaper resources with servers hosted in the more remote corners of the 'new' Europe where staff are cheaper but European Law still applies.