IDC says IT is 'out of step' with business

NEWS IT directors and managers are failing to consider crucial business issues when developing data management programmes, according to a report from IDC. The report states that "those responsible for implementing and managing RDBMS (Relational Database Management Systems) are generally shown to be out of touch with business issues." The survey of IT directors and database managers in 250 medium to large UK companies also showed a lack of communication between the CEO and the IT department. "Despite the strategic importance of RDBMS to the organisation, the CEO plays only a cameo role in the buying decision process," it says. Martin Hingley, author of the report, told Silicon.com that part of the problem is a lack of technical skill. "Ecommerce is providing the inspiration but there's a distinct skills shortage," he said. The most important remaining challenge for respondents is systems integration and compatibility, with satisfying customer needs appearing much lower down the list of priorities. Meanwhile, the report indicates that Microsoft's SQL Server is the most commonly used database amongst respondents, just edging ahead of arch-rival Oracle by 129 to 127. Hingley added: "Microsoft has definitely caught up. The basic difference is Oracle is implemented from the top down, and Microsoft supported from the bottom up. It's natural to use Microsoft if you are working in an IT department based on NT. The decision to go with Oracle is a bigger one." IDC claims both companies have significantly larger market share than their nearest competitors - IBM DB2, Informix and Sybase.