ITSMA-PAC Survey Finds Top Technology Priorities Focused on Maximizing Existing IT Resources

Oct. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- LEXINGTON, Massachusetts — New research from ITSMA and Pierre Audoin Consulting (PAC) shows that IT buyers hope to exit the recession with more efficient and secure IT infrastructures. The top technology priority for 2009, cited by 50% of survey respondents, is backup, archive, and disaster recovery. The next highest priorities are IT security (34%), IT optimization (33%), and virtualization (28%).

However, not all IT buyers see these priorities the same way. For example, virtualization is the number-one technology priority among U.S. buyers but did not finish in the top three in the other countries surveyed by ITSMA and PAC: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Brazil.

Despite the worst recession since World War II, IT buyers report mostly flat or slightly reduced budgets in 2009: The largest segment of buyers, 25%, said their budgets changed by only +/–2%. “We entered this recession with lean IT spending, so there was little room to cut compared to the previous recession,” says Olivier Nguyen Van Tan, managing director of PAC’s New York branch.

Though the top business challenge cited by IT buyers is no surprise—54% say that it’s cutting costs and increasing productivity—many also say they are also taking steps to be ready for better times. For example, 42% say that they are trying to innovate and deploy new technology, and 39% say that they are looking to expand globally. “While cost cutting obviously remains a priority, we’re seeing signals that companies are trying to position themselves to be more competitive when they exit the recession,” says Nguyen Van Tan.

Marketers should be positioning their companies to benefit when the recession ends by focusing on engaging with customers early in the epiphany stage of the buying process. “Marketers can create demand by developing idea- and trend-based thought leadership that helps clients discover and respond to the most important business issues they face,” says Julie Schwartz, senior vice president of research and thought leadership for ITSMA. “Marketers should create events that take clients out of the day-to-day so they can collaborate and spark new ideas.”

Methodology

ITSMA and PAC interviewed 355 senior IT and business decision makers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Brazil. The majority of respondents hold director, vice president, or C-level positions and represent organizations with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $200 million to over $20 billion in eight major industries:

- Business services
- Communications
- Energy/utilities
- Financial services
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Public sector
- Retail trade

Respondents qualified for inclusion based on their involvement in purchasing major business or technology solutions, defined as “combinations of hardware, software, and IT services plus intellectual property that solve a business problem and are valued at $500,000 or more.”

For more information on the study, please see:
www.itsma.com/research/how-customers-choose-solutions-2009/

Or you may contact Julie Schwartz at +1-781-862-8500, ext. 112, or at jschwartz@itsma.com.

For general inquiries please contact:
Pamela O’Rourke at +1-781-862-8500, ext. 136, or at porourke@itsma.com.

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ITSMA provides research, consulting, and training to the world’s leading technology, communications, and professional services providers.