IW 2013 IT Spending Priority Executive Summary

IW surveyed 513 business technology professionals of companies in North America regarding 2013 IT Spending Priorities. The purpose of survey is to gauge IT project prioritization in the enterprise and determine funding strategies for these projects in 2013. All are involved with setting, managing or having a working knowledge of at least some part of their organizations’ IT budgets, and overall, the picture is grim.

Many commenters referred to under-funding or the dreaded “doing more with less,” and other data points confirm that IT funding continues to be a big issue. Because some IT organizations aren’t perceived as very strategic or otherwise helpful to business decision-makers, their funding gets cut, throwing IT pros into crisis and survival mode

• 58% have improving security on their project lists for this year, compared with just 24% aiming to build or enhance an analytics, business intelligence or decision-support system.
• 43% say their 2013 budgets will remain about the same as in 2012. Of the 39% seeing increases, most will get less than 10%.
• 40% have more rigorous scrutiny of their project spending than other business units do; just 12% say oversight is less rigorous.
• 13% say their 2013 budgets will reflect decreases from 2012; for 56% of them, cuts will be 10% or greater, with 17% seeing hits of 20% or more. 

2013 Business Technology Priorities 

1.   Improve business results

2.   Create better internal customer service

3.    Maintenance, operations and/or continuous improvement of existing systems

4.     Improve information security and/or regulatory compliance

5.     Create better external customer service

6.     Provide improved decision support and access to data for employees and partners

7.     Generate new revenue

8.     Reduce IT spending

9.     Provide more choices for end users (devices, apps, other computing options)

10.  Other 

2013 IT Initiatives 

1. Increase server/storage/network virtualization
2. Upgrade wireless LAN (in-building)
3. Deploy virtual desktops
4. Improve ability to mine and manage big data
5. Build or enhance mobile apps for employees
6. Build or enhance mobile apps for customers
7. Deploy mobile device management for smart phones/tablets
8. Build or enhance an analytics, business intelligence or decision-support system
9. Deploy or upgrade enterprise software, such as ERP, CRM or SCM
10. Adopt or increase use of public cloud services
11. Deploy a private or hybrid cloud infrastructure
12. Build or enhance e-commerce platform (add mobility, automation, etc.)
13. Upgrade WAN
14. Launch/upgrade an enterprise UC/collaboration system (VoIP, video, IM, etc.)
15. Launch or expand IT or business process initiative (ITIL, ITSM, Lean Startup, agile, etc.)
16. Launch/upgrade an enterprise social networking platform 

Top IT Projects for 2013 

1. Improve security
2. Increase server virtualization
3. Upgrade storage/network infrastructure
4. Deploy or upgrade enterprise software, such as ERP, CRM or SCM
5. Improve ability to mine and manage big data
6. Upgrade wireless LAN (in-building)
7. Build or enhance an analytics, business intelligence or decision-support system
8. Deploy virtual desktops
9. Build or enhance mobile apps for customers
10. Adopt or increase use of public cloud services
11. Deploy a private or hybrid cloud infrastructure
12. Upgrade WAN
13. Launch/upgrade an enterprise UC/collaboration system (VoIP, video, IM, etc.)
14. Deploy mobile device management for smart phones/tablets
15. Launch or expand IT or business process initiative (ITIL, ITSM, Lean Startup, agile, etc.)
16. Build or enhance mobile apps for employees
17. Build or enhance our e-commerce platform (add mobility, automation, etc.)
18. Launch/upgrade an enterprise social networking platform

What is the primary means by which this project will be funded?

1. New budget allocation
2. Savings from another area of the IT budget
3. Through regularly scheduled upgrade
4. Project-specific allocations from business units
5. Savings from a business area where business technology created savings
6. Canceled projects
7. New spending based on expected project revenues 

The Factors Apply to Projects

1. Requires an increase in capital spending
2. Requires an increase in operational spending
3. Will meet organizational goals outside of revenue (productivity, compliance, etc.)
4. Requires outside consultants/integrators
5. Requires hiring new staff
6. Reduces operational costs
7. Requires significant end user training
8. Saves capital
9. Reduces head count
10. Will generate revenue
11. Other

Posted in: CIO Debate,IT Finance