Analyst house Datamonitor has combined its technology
practice with its business analyst group to offer chief information
officers research that it claims aligns IT with business
needs.
Speaking at a CIO event this morning, veteran IT analyst
Jonathan Yarmis said, "Users want technology to support the
business." He said research analysts generally provide technology
reports, such as papers on Windows 7 features, rather than explain
to the CIO how the technology can drive a business requirement.
Technology research director, Ian Charlesworth, said, "The role
of IT advisory services has traditionally involved speaking to
suppliers and IT departments. Technology research is irrelevant to
business."
Instead, Datamonitor, through its acquisition of analysts
Ovum and Butler Group, aims to
realign its research with a focus on business analysis, looking at
how technology can support business requirements.
For instance, healthcare specialist Chris Phelps said research
and development of new drugs is the biggest problem facing the
pharmaceutical sector. Product development takes many years, but
the chance of success is minimal. He said IT such as bioinformatics
can de-risk drug development by helping pharmaceutical firms to
identify possible failures early in the development process.
Similarly, in retail, Neil Saunders, consumer markets director,
said customer loyalty systems can help entice people to shop in a
store or online, which is increasingly important as retail profits
shrink due to a drop in consumer spending.
Mark Meek, group CEO at Datamonitor, said unlike other analyst
houses, Datamonitor employs 600 business analysts and 150
technology analysts, allowing them to collaborate on the IT needs
of the healthcare, energy, fast-moving consumer goods, financial
services and IT/telecommunications sectors.