IT directors 'need to become more strategic'

IT directors 'need to become more strategic'

IT directors need to become more involved in business strategy and transformation, according to new research.

A recent study by Circle Research in partnership Vodafone UK found that companies are increasingly aware that technology has to be seen as more of a strategic tool. Things like leased lines, superfast broadband and cloud computing should not just be considered as means of doing what a company has always done but cheaper or easier, instead these technologies ought to be viewed as enablers to transform a business.

‘The New IT Crowd’ report surveyed 300 IT directors and 300 non-IT business leaders. It found that 86 per cent of IT directors feel they need to think more about the strategic role of technology.

Among the non-IT directors, 61 per cent IT professionals need to think more strategically, while 58 per cent said there needs to be greater collaborations with other areas of the business and 61 per cent stated it would be beneficial if they honed their communication skills.

The role of IT has irrevocably changed; from being a backroom department designed to save costs, today IT can have a more far-reaching impact on business due to cheaper availability of transformative technology. Indeed, nearly nine out of 10 respondents stated that IT is now an important enabler of change while three quarters said that it has changed the nature of the competition they face.

Reflecting on the findings, Jonathan Kini, enterprise commercial marketing director at Vodafone UK, said: “Far from being the problem child of old, IT departments are now absolutely critical to the growth and strategic direction of businesses in the UK.”

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