Technology executives are signaling a readiness to make critical IT investments, a new survey shows. More than one-third (37 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed said, post-recession, they plan to implement software and hardware upgrades deferred due to the bad economy. Others foresee moving forward with virtualization projects (16 percent) and website design initiatives (16 percent) as conditions improve.
CIOs were asked, “Which IT projects, if any, did you put on hold in 2009 due to the economy that you plan to implement post-recession?” (Multiple responses were permitted):
- Software or hardware upgrades – 37%
- Virtualization – 16%
- Website design – 16%
- Internal collaboration/technology tools – 12%
- Cloud computing – 11%
- Company-branded social media sites – 9%
- Other – 1%
“Software and hardware upgrades are necessary to support the evolving technology needs of organizations,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Businesses recognize that delaying system upgrades and other investments for too long could prevent them from taking advantage of emerging technologies that provide a competitive advantage.”
The plan to move forward with new technology initiatives is good news for IT job seekers, Willmer added. “As they initiate previously deferred projects, many companies will need to hire additional employees, on either a full-time or project basis, to install new systems, staff the help desk, provide network support or handle information security.”
About the Survey
The national survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. The survey is based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the survey to be statistically representative, the sample was stratified by geographic region, industry and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of the number of employees within each region.