IT managers are expressing growing concern about the reliability of
corporate IT systems, according to research.
The annual survey by services company Synstar International, which
monitors the pressures experienced by about 700 IT managers across
Europe, revealed a significant rise in concern about the level of
system crashes and network downtime. Pressure in this area was
reported as rising by 29% since last year.
It found that IT managers have been spending their diminishing IT
budgets on "visible" projects that will deliver return on
investment and impress the board, as opposed to projects to
maintain systems' reliability.
The report urged IT managers to educate the board about the
importance of basic system maintenance projects and protecting
systems against security breaches.
But despite the continued downturn in the IT sector Synstar's
research found that IT managers felt the pressure they were under
had eased in the past 12 months, although this was attributed to
the impact of diminishing budgets, which meant fewer IT projects
and less stress.
The research did, however, reveal that IT managers are raising
their profiles at board level and now have the opportunity to
assume a more strategic role within their organisations.
About 62% of the IT managers surveyed said that they now
proactively approach the board with strategic advice, with 30%
saying that the board already contacts them directly for
consultation.