As Q4 2010 draws to a close, CIOs may be breathing a little bit easier when it comes to the state of their budgets in the year ahead. The emphasis, though, is on “a little bit” here. A survey from Forrester Research Inc. of 2,800 global CIOs and other IT decision-makers reveals that enterprise technology budgets are trended upward, albeit every so slightly, in 2010 compared with 2009. That said, the vast majority of survey respondents say their budgets remained the same in 2010 as they were in 2009. Many of the dollars that are being spent are going towards supporting existing operations, as well as paying for staff. Which isn't to say that CIOs aren't investing a fair share of their budgets toward new IT initiatives/projects. But it's clear that, in times like these, the focus is on what Forrester dubs the “MOOSE” part of the budget – spending to Maintain and Operate the Organization, Systems and Equipment. At the very least, companies spent above what was planned in 2010, and this pattern should continue in 2011: a conservative formal budget that gives way to above-budget spending in practice. The full report may be purchased at
www.forrester.com/go?docid=57508. Here are some of the survey's highlights:
Infrastructure 
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