IT transformation tops UK CIO Agenda

UK businesses are putting plans for IT transformation at the top of their list in a bid to increase competitiveness and offer greater capacity for business growth, research sponsored by SunGard Availability Services, the pioneer and leading provider of Information Availability services, has revealed. After spending the last five years in a state of uncertainty, the findings show the majority (78%) of organisations are now looking to refresh their technology estates within the next 36 months, with 49% of respondents stating demands for flexible and mobile working policies are pushing the need for a change in IT requirements.

With almost half of UK businesses (46%), having not undertaken a technology refresh in at least the last three to five years, the research also highlights how businesses are optimistic about the role technology can play in helping their organisations retain a competitive edge and explore new markets. Almost half of the respondents (40%) believed any IT transformation project would result in organisational growth through greater business capacity.

These findings from SunGard indicate that for businesses their next IT transition could be one of their most important for many years as CIOs look to move their infrastructure to a future-proof environment. While nearly two-fifths (38%) of organisations cited accelerated cloud enablement as a priority, in an effort to support employee demands, nearly half of respondents (49%) felt improving flexible and mobile working capabilities was driving the need for their organisation to perform a technology refresh.

“The pace of technology change, innovation and business adoption is moving like never before”, comments John Cridland, Director-General at the CBI. “Those companies that will succeed in the future will be those that understand how a technology transformation can provide the underlying platform for business growth. With an improved IT infrastructure becoming more available to employees, the seeds are sown for new opportunities and expansion into new markets.”

“As the impact of technology on business grows, IT will play a critical role in helping shape corporate strategies over the coming years. Now is the time for IT to lead the way and demonstrate the impact it can have”, comments Keith Tilley, Managing Director UK&I and Executive Vice President Europe, SunGard Availability Services. “With support from the board and senior management, technology can transform the way an organisation conducts itself, as long as it remembers to put the customer at the heart of everything it does.”

Other drivers pushing the need for a technology refresh, included BYOD policies (41.5%), and IT systems reaching full capacity (43%) – demonstrating the CIO’s willingness to support business initiatives and employee demands. Despite the persistent hype around the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) in the workplace, it still hasn’t reached the tipping point in popularity. According to recent findings from Gartner a rise in adoption is forecast over the next three to four years as enterprise BYOD programmes become more conventional.

“Modern working practices have changed and CIOs need a more flexible and reliable infrastructure in order to meet employee and customer demand”, comments Tilley. “Within the next three years, the majority of organisations will have gone through an IT transformation – businesses that can’t keep up risk being left behind. The future looks bright for those UK businesses whose infrastructure is robust, flexible and agile enough to cope with demands from all stakeholders.”