2011 SIM Study Reveals Shifting Priorities for IT Executives

December 2, 2011

Tools

Business outcomes loom more important than budget concerns as new areas of investment gain importance

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- After the success of its premier event – SIMposium 2011: The Future of IT –, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is releasing summary results of its 2011 SIM IT Industry Trends Survey to the general public. Summary results were released to SIM members and key media earlier this fall and presented at SIMPosium in Orlando, Florida, last month. The current release represents the first time the 2011 study is accessible to anyone researching current IT issues via the Web.

The SIM IT Industry Trends Survey is a recognized industry benchmark for IT executives in areas including spending, salaries, job scope of IT professionals, and technical/business trends. Since the survey was first conducted in 1980, the research has expanded to reach beyond the United States into Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

“The SIM IT Industry Trends Survey has earned its position as an industry barometer in comparing IT changes over the years, as well as identifying and benchmarking emerging trends across geographies and industries,” said Jerry Luftman, Distinguished Professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and Global Institute for IT Management, who has overseen the SIM survey for more than a decade.

“In keeping with that history, it is noteworthy that while business intelligence has remained on the top of the list for the last decade, two new categories made the Top 5 list of investments in 2011. Mobile and wireless applications and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) ranked fourth and fifth in spending priority this year – the first time either made the list. They reflect the growing impact of supporting ‘Bring Your Own Technology’ services along with the need for supporting business growth during tough economic times, where customer loyalty and capturing revenue become mission-critical in every part of a corporation,” Luftman said. Rounding out the top IT investments is ERP which is helping organizations to reduce business expenses. Other important insights include the impact of cloud computing and outsourcing services.

Every year, executives rank their biggest concerns and provide insights into managerial issues that they face. This year 275 companies responded from 19 different industrial classifications, and the consensus top 10 concerns from the 2011 survey are:

1.		IT and Business Alignment
2.		Business agility and speed to market
3.		Business Process Management & Reengineering
4.		Business Productivity and Cost Reduction
5.		IT Strategic Planning
6.		IT Reliability and Efficiency
7.		Enterprise Architecture/Infrastructure Capability
8.		Security and Privacy
9.		Revenue Generating IT innovations
10.		IT Cost Reduction

In spite of economic uncertainty, over half of the respondents (51%) are projecting budgets for 2012 to be greater than 2011, with another third (34%) anticipating comparable spend levels. The spending isn’t just on equipment, as two-thirds of respondents (67%) project staff salaries increasing for the second year in a row. Web researchers can review Luftman’s presentation on the survey from SIMposium at http://bit.ly/rIQ6mC.

About The Society for Information Management (SIM)

Established in 1968, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is the premier network for IT leaders comprised of more than 3,600 members including CIOs, senior IT executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other IT leaders. SIM is a community of thought leaders who share experiences and apply rich intellectual capital, and who explore future IT direction. Through its 31 chapters, SIM provides resources and programs inspired by IT leaders for IT leaders that enable CIOs to further develop the leadership capabilities of themselves and the key and emerging leaders in their organizations. SIM provides the collective voice to advocate policy and legislation on behalf of the IT profession across industries.