NEW YORK – Technology executives are signaling a readiness to make critical IT investments, a new survey shows. More than one-third (37 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed said, post-recession, they plan to implement software and hardware upgrades that had been deferred due to a soft economy. Others foresee moving forward with virtualization projects (16 percent) and website design initiatives (16 percent) as conditions improve.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees.
CIOs were asked, “Which IT projects, if any, did you put on hold in 2009 due to the economy that you plan to implement post-recession?” Their responses:
Software or hardware upgrades 37 percent
Virtualization 16 percent
Website design 16 percent
Internal collaboration/technology tools 12 percent
Cloud computing 11 percent
Company-branded social media sites 9 percent
Other 1 percent
“Software and hardware upgrades are necessary to support the evolving technology needs of organizations,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Businesses recognize that delaying system upgrades and other investments for too long could prevent them from taking advantage of emerging technologies that provide a competitive advantage.”
The plan to move forward with new technology initiatives is good news for IT job seekers, Willmer added. “As they initiate previously deferred projects, many companies will need to hire additional employees, on either a full-time or project basis, to install new systems, staff the help desk, provide network support or handle information security,” he said.
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