Demand by Canadian executives for productivity improvements in their businesses will drive a 4.3 per cent increase in spending on IT infrastructure, applications and employee training this year, market research firm IDC Canada predicted
While productivity has been a hot issue among this group
for the last three years, it is a much more dominant theme in 2005, said IDC Canada chief research officer Tom Vance.
An executives’ primary concern with IT has shifted away from reliability and uptime to IT’s ability to change and adapt in a timely manner, Vance says. Whereas 28 per cent of respondents cited reliability as their main concern the year before, only 17 per cent said the same in 2004. Conversely, respondents who voiced concerns about the ability of IT to adapt jumped from 15 to 34 per cent.
As well, 67 per cent of executives surveyed believed that IT is a significant source of competitive advantage over other companies or is a steady contributor to ongoing operational capabilities.