Australia’s CIOs are largely driven by business issues over technology issues, but they are very focussed on ensuring alignment of ICT with their business aims as a primary objective, according to the first results of a new quarterly survey by Fujitsu and Microsoft Australia.

 

The first Fujitsu-Microsoft Insights Quarterly (IQ) report of over 200 Australian CIOs uncovered that they are generally optimistic despite the many challenges they face, with many saying that business issues are often stronger drivers than technology issues in the Australian landscape, with business requirements taking precedence over technology.

 

The survey also identified that one of the current challenges faced by many CIOs revolves around the changing work landscape, driven by a rise in a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) culture at work which is being fuelled by a tech-savvy work force, that expect to be able to connect their devices to the corporate network. The next major challenge facing CIOs was protecting and securing the network, optimising and controlling costs and improving service responsiveness.

Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand chief technology officer, Craig Baty, said the research series is a first for the Australian ICT sector, providing “crucial insights into local issues through the eyes of CIOs from across the country.”

 

The survey found that cloud computing is regarded as one of the most important, yet most overhyped, technologies. According to Craig Baty, the ICT move from capital expenditure to operational expenditure is one of the drivers behind the uptake of cloud computing, with CIOs noting the attraction of cloud based technology lying in its combination of cost and business flexibility.

 

Baty said that, while many new technologies are competing for investment, the majority of the technology budget is going into established areas, such as ERP systems, desktop and laptop PCs, and Windows servers. Business Intelligence (BI) remains an area of significant investment, helped by the need for greater business efficiency in the current economic slowdown.

 

In terms of technology on the radar for Aussie CIOs, two thirds surveyed considered virtualisation the most relevant future technology for their business, followed by integrated enterprise-wide access with nearly half (42.5 per cent) saying it was of high interest highlighting the importance placed on improved access to information.


The surveys reveals that it security is a priority in most organisations as corporate networks become more diverse and distributed. Intrusion detection and prevention is important, according to the CIOs, but the high rating in the survey given to backup, recovery and archiving indicates that overall business continuity is of utmost importance.

 

Also significant is the fact that sustainability issues have made it onto the radar but are not yet attracting a great deal of interest or investment, with most CIOs indicating they want to improve their energy efficiency and reduce ICT’s carbon footprint, but that they have little incentive to do so in the face of other priorities.

 

The survey, conducted by independent research firm Connection Research, was designed to collect information across a spectrum of technology and business issues to establish a baseline for future surveys in the IQ Series which will be themed and closely examine topical areas such as cloud, applications and infrastructure, connectivity, and ICT sustainability.

 

Further information is available at http://www.insightsquarterly.com.au/