infoTECH Feature

February 26, 2014

IT Departments Playing Increasingly Powerful Role in Business Decision-Making

IT is becoming an increasingly important voice in purchasing decisions, and executives are strongly influencing high-level decision makers. A new study from IDG Enterprise shows that IT executives played a major role in C-level executive purchasing decisions, keeping decision-makers informed about new technologies and vendor relationships.

According to the findings, 58 percent of organizations surveyed agree that their CEO considers technology a high priority for driving business innovation. Furthermore, IT departments are factoring into decision-making at a rapid rate, with 82 percent of departments determining business needs and 70 percent having the power to approve purchases.

The study is in line with the massive recent uptake of cloud and mobile technologies, as well as the growing prevalence of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend. These disruptive technologies and trends have created exceptional challenges for businesses as they strive to store, manage and secure increasing amounts of data while also monitoring user identity and authentication.

"Given the numerous emerging and disruptive technologies, IT executives rely on their team to research solutions for business goals and to drive innovation," said Matthew Yorke, CEO, IDG Enterprise. "With more individuals involved in IT purchases, marketers have the ability to communicate the correct message to each person based on their role in the purchase process."

As far as IT executives go, they are increasingly relying on their teams to make major decisions. According to IDG, 17 individuals on average are involved in major technology purchase decisions at enterprises, while an average of six individuals factored into decisions at SMBs. IT execs also rely on their peers, technology content sites and search engines to keep up on the latest trends and make informed decisions.




Edited by Blaise McNamee
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