IT and business leaders must more effectively align their digital transformation strategies to keep ahead of competitors and drive new revenue opportunities. CIO Insight conducted a survey explore the role of IT in business.
Read more: 10 Best Business Process Automation Tools Small Businesses Use
IT Should Collaborate With Business
A whopping 76% of survey respondents believe that IT should actively collaborate with the business to shape overall strategies which proactively leverage tech. However, just 27% said this is actually happening.
76% of respondents believe IT should actively collaborate with the business.
Forty-nine percent of respondents said business treats and manages IT as more of a supplier of tech services, while 22% said the tech department acts as a “consultant” to provide input on plans for business as related to IT.
Sixty-nine percent of execs at companies in which IT is a business partner said the tech department collaborates with business on digital initiatives — and both groups are accountable — in contrast to 34% of execs at organizations in which IT is not a business partner who said this.
IT Talent Struggles
Forty-nine percent of survey respondents said the most pressing IT talent needs are analytics and data science, while 32% cite the need for joint business/tech expertise.
A further 31% said the most pressing IT talent needs are related to
cloud and distributed computing, while 30% cite mobile/online development.
Thirty-three percent said weaknesses in IT’s operating model — how it’s structured, run and managed — represents the tech department’s most significant shortcoming, while 30% cite a lack of clarity about IT’s priorities and/or organizational role.
Read more: Top 10 Paying IT Jobs in 2021
IT Budget Concerns
Forty-four percent of tech execs said the reduction of IT costs is a priority, but only 16% of non-tech execs agree. That said, 72% of non-IT execs said the improvement of the effectiveness of IT business processes should be a priority, but just 57% of tech execs agree.
44% of tech execs said the reduction of IT costs is a priority.
Along the same lines, 45% of non-IT execs said the tech department needs to provide managers with better information to support planning and decision-making, but just 34% of IT execs agree.
Finally, 47% of non-IT execs said the tech department should focus on improving the cost efficiencies of business processes, and 44% of IT execs agree.
Read next: Edge Computing: Tips for Hiring and Getting Hired
