IDG Enterprise‘s Computerworld, one of the leading IT media brands with an online audience of over 7.5 million monthly page views, has highlighted the 2016 tech priorities for organizations in its annual Forecast Survey. In 2016, tech budgets are increasing for almost half of organizations (46%). Organizations will increase spending on security (50%), cloud computing (48%), business analytics (41%), mobile apps (36%), and virtualization (35%).
Tech leaders shared that cloud computing, security, and legacy system updates/replacements rank as the single most important tech project they are working on in 2016.
However, for tech leaders at enterprise organizations (1,000+ employees) the primary goals behind their most important projects have them stepping outside traditional IT with a focus on improving customer satisfaction and experience, generating new or increase existing revenue streams, and maintaining and improving service levels.
As business-critical applications and infrastructure move to the cloud, on-premise software, data center modernization and modernizing/replacing legacy systems are receiving fewer dollars.
“Digital transformation continues to grow as strategic priority,” said Brian Glynn, chief revenue officer, IDG Enterprise. “Technology leaders are positioned to drive this change through strategic investments that boost organizational efficiency and a deeper focus on customer solutions and experience. We look forward to addressing the opportunities and challenges organizations face in becoming a digital business, from determining what solutions will help advance their goals and then finding the right talent to effectively carry out those initiatives, at the AGENDA16 conference next month.”
New Technologies: IoT, HPC
Nearly one-third of organizations (29%) are planning to spend money on Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives, followed by high-performance computing (HPC – 18%), and energy saving and carbon reducing technologies (16%). Exploring new tech solutions and strategies does not stop there, as the majority of enterprise organizations are adopting strategies around agile development and DevOps. This focus has grown from 48% in 2015 to 61% in 2016.
As technology trends advance, the promise of efficiencies is appealing; however having the right skillsets in place is vital for solutions to be fully utilized. While 37% of organizations are planning to increase headcount this year, finding employees with the necessary skillsets is proving difficult. Organizations are challenged to find employees with security, BI and analytics, cloud/SaaS, and programming/App Dev experience. These skillsets closely align with the areas receiving additional spending.
Additionally, 42% are looking for employees with both a technology and business background to articulate IT’s value, showcasing that IT continues to embrace its new role as an organizational agent of change. Within organizations planning to increase head count, the most in-demand positions are IT architecture, programming/application development, project management and big data.
Computerworld conducted its Forecast Survey 2016 to determine IT priorities for 2016 in areas such as spending, technologies and staffing. Survey results are based on 181 respondents who are IT decision-makers across multiple industries.
During the AGENDA16 conference produced by Computerworld, attendants can join technology and business decision-makers as they further discuss driving business through digital transformation. To learn more about attending the March 21 – 23, 2016 conference, visit agendaconference.com.
