IT leaders reveal biggest challenges and most useful technologies
Virtualisation is the technology that is having the most positive effect on businesses as IT heads meet the challenge of doing the same for less
Virtualisation has been highlighted as the technology that delivers the most positive results for businesses as IT heads meet the challenge of doing the same for less.
Research of 100 CIOs at firms with more than 1,000 employees, carried out by IT services firm BT Engage IT, found that virtualisation technology has had the biggest positive effect on businesses in 2012, with 42% of respondents claiming so. This compares with 39% last year, when virtualisation was also seen as being the technology that delivered the best results.
The second biggest positive technology was cloud storage for 14% of respondents, down from 21% last year.
The research also revealed that the ability to deliver the same level of IT service for less was seen as the biggest challenge for 27% of respondents, compared with 21% last year, when it was considered the second biggest challenge behind upgrade programmes.
The full research findings are shown in the tables below.
Which technology/development has had the biggest positive effect on your business in the past year?
| Technology | 2012 |
2011 |
Position 2012 (2011) |
||||||||||||
| Virtualisation | 42% |
39% |
1 (1) = |
||||||||||||
| Cloud-based storage | 14% |
21% |
2 (2) = |
||||||||||||
| Mobile | 13% |
13% |
3 (3) = |
||||||||||||
| Tablets | 11% |
4% |
4 (6) + |
||||||||||||
| Cloud-based apps | 10% |
10% |
5 (4) - |
||||||||||||
| New operating systems | 5% |
6% |
6 (5) - |
||||||||||||
| Use of consumer devices | 3% |
3% |
7 (7) = |
||||||||||||
| Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) | 2% |
N/E |
8 (N/E) |
||||||||||||
| Other | 0% |
4% |
9 (8) |
Source: BT Engage IT
What has been your biggest challenge in the first half 2012?
| Challenge | 2012 |
2011 | Position 2012 (2011) |
| Delivering same level of services for less | 27% |
21% | 1 (2) + |
| Upgrade programmes (network, software, hardware) | 19% |
26% | 2 (1) - |
| Increased demands from the management team | 13% |
13% | 3 (3) = |
| Security threats | 12% |
11% | 4 (5) + |
| Management of expectations of the board | 9% |
5% | 5 (6) + |
| Management of staff | 8% |
12% | 6 (4) - |
| Employees using/wanting to use their own devices | 3% |
4% | 7 (8) + |
| Meeting the storage needs of the company | 3% |
0 | 8 (10) + |
| Providing support services | 3% |
1% | 9 (9) = |
| Understanding new technologies | 2% |
N/E | 10 (N/E) |
| Imminent sale of company stopping long term projects | 1% |
4% | 11(7) |
Source: BT Engage IT
