Worldwide IT spending is on pace to total $3.2 trillion in 2009, a 6% decline from 2008 spending of $3.4 trillion, according to Gartner. Continued weak IT spending because of the economic situation combined with the effect of exchange rate movements has resulted in Gartner lowering its 2009 forecast from its 1Q09 projection. In March,…
Tag: IT spending
Enhancing the CFO/CIO Partnership
Money makes the world go ’round. Score one: CFO. Technology moves the money ’round. Score one: CIO. Earning money is the point of business. Money is earned with technology. Score one each. One would think that sooner or later these two chiefs would discover their common ground and mutual interests, and that stories about the…
5 Ways to Cut Costs Without Cutting Services
When an IT manager gets the order to “do more with less,” a shiver runs down the spine. IT managers know that this usually translates into doing less with less and finding ways to hide that fact. Compounding the problem is IT has been in cost-cutting, efficiency-boosting mode for several years now. Haven’t we squeezed…
The Outsourcing Continuum, Part VIII: Certificates
Now that you’ve decided that outsourcing is an option that you want to pursue, you’ll need to find a service provider that will meet your companies needs. There a number of factors that need to be considered when choosing a service provider. First and foremost, the question needs to be asked: Do you want a…
Most IT Budgets Decreased or Remained Flat in Q1
While many CIOs survived last year with only reduced increases to their budgets, this brought about budget cuts as companies continue to find ways to weather the recession. In the first quarter of 2009, CIOs experienced significant IT budget revisions as executives gained a greater understanding and solidified plans for addressing the global financial crisis,…
Legacy, SaaS, Packaged Software Vie for the Corporate Buck
Even thought most companies are warming up to the idea of Cloud computing and it’s close cousin, software as a service, it will be some time before these competing technologies push aside in-house, packaged software for mission critical computing. This is because modernizing key legacy applications is the top software initiative for businesses this year,…
The Outsourcing Continuum, Part VII: SLAs
When you put a crucial portion of your company’s service into the hands of a third party service provider, you lose some control over the operational aspects. You are relying on the partner to meet your expectations for quality of service. In order to protect yourself from some of that risk, there are two service…
The Outsourcing Continuum, Part VI: Making the Decision
Outsourcing is a business decision that weighs the strategic plans for the company against the resources required to accomplish those goals. Determining the appropriate resource allotment for any particular goal involves considering both tangible and intangible costs to achieve the goal. For example, if your goal is to increase market share in a particular market…
5 Infrastructure Trends to Watch for in 2010
The year 2008 saw economic turmoil all across the world as developed countries are gripped by recession. Even the fast growing countries like India and China slowed down significantly. The year 2009 is not going to be any better as pundits predict that it will take at least the first nine months to recover. Though…
Budgets Remain Flat, IT Demand to Increase
A new report due out next week will indicate that, while IT budgets will remain relatively flat over the next two years, the demand for IT services will still continue to increase. Demand for services will also shift towards business intelligence and data management activities as companies try to manage and mine ever increasing amounts…