CIO

Expect tech spending outside the CIO’s department to rise in 2015: Forrester

CIOs must adapt to a new reality in which their job is primarily to influence and guide spending, says principal analyst Tim Sheedy.

Nearly half – 43 per cent – of businesses across Australia and New Zealand expect their tech budgets to increase in 2015, as against 26 per cent who expect them to decrease, reports Forrester.

CIOs are stepping confidently into 2015 with the knowledge that the groundwork they have laid over the past few years will help the business quickly embrace its digital future, writes Forrester principal analyst Tim Sheedy in Benchmarking Australia and New Zealand Technology Budgets In 2015. The figures are taken from interviews with 69 technology decision-makers in Australia and New Zealand

However, the CIO is no longer the sole controller of technology spending at most organisations — and must adapt to a new reality in which their job is primarily to influence and guide spending, he states.

Last year, 37 per cent of business decision-makers saw the amount of money their business units spent on technology (independent of the tech management department) increase by 5 per cent.

This year, 46 per cent of business decision-makers will increase this spending by 5 per cent or more, and another 19 per cent will increase it by more than 10 per cent, according to the report.

This trend, however, is not an indictment of the CIO’s performance. Business decision-makers investing in technology are generally happy with their CIO, states Sheedy.

Rather, they are investing their own funds in technology because they believe technology is “simply too important for the business not to be involved”.

Your role as business enabler will be assured if you can protect your customers, their information, and your business.

Tim Sheedy, Forrester

While CIOs will not stop these departments from spending on ‘shadow IT’, the business units can look to them and the department for advice and direction on these investments.

“The more value you can add to their solution, the greater the chance your team will be consulted earlier in the decision-making and buying process,” notes Sheedy.

He likewise advises CIOs to use security to start business technology discussions with their executive peers. Recent incidents targeting small and large businesses means information security is a priority concern of business executives.

One of the jobs of the CIO and the technology management team is to secure the technology-centric investments made by other departments, he states. “Your role as business enabler will be assured if you can protect your customers, their information, and your business.”

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