CIOs must 'stand their ground' to get budgets back

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At businesses recover and look to invest more, chief information officers (CIOs) must make sure they "stand their ground" to get their budgets back.

So claims analyst firm Gartner, which found most chief executives think IT will have a “key role” to play in helping businesses pull out of the recession, with most planning to sustain or increase spending levels.

“With this warm attitude to IT, CIOs should stand their ground if peers attempt to gain investment share at IT’s expense,” said Mark Raskino, research vice president and Gartner fellow, in a statement.

Raskino added that CIOs should talk to their chief executive to boost IT spending, advising them to “take advantage of business leader’s relatively positive attitude towards IT investment during budget negotiations.”

A survey by Gartner showed that 43 per cent of chief executives are looking to boost their IT spending, while 45 per cent will keep it steady.

Gartner said 62 per cent of chief executives expect IT to be a “key element” of their recovery strategy, compared to just 13 per cent who don’t think it will play a role.

“Business leaders are gasping for growth after a long period holding their breath, and they are expecting to increase the importance of IT in their post-recession approach,” Raskino added.

Gartner noted that businesses focused on cost cutting last year, but that almost a quarter (71 per cent) were lokoing to return to revenue growth this year.

Read on to find out about IT's recession busting power.

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