Middle managers spoiling IT broth

Departmental bosses are exerting too much influence over IT decisions to the detriment of overall IT strategies, survey concludes

Companies across Europe want a more effective IT strategy but feel that middle management exert too much influence over IT decisions, a survey commissioned by HP has found.

Over 1000 employees who are responsible for IT decisions in the UK, France, Germany and Italy were interviewed in November and December of last year. 82 per cent of respondents stated that too many people, including external consultants, wielded influence over IT decisions and prevented companies from having a coherent strategy.

Many are concerned that, while it may provide good results for individual departments, giving middle managers too much autonomy over their IT may be costly and overly complicated for the company as a whole.

Over 90 per cent of respondents thought a more coherent overall strategy would help maximise what IT could do for their business and also adapt to any changes to their IT system. But 76 per cent admitted they currently lacked an effective strategy.

84 per cent of respondents believed that web-based applications would have a positive effect on their company’s IT structure, but most were concerned about possible security risks.

76 per cent of those surveyed said they were still using mainframe computers, but over half of those claimed they wanted to modernise and move away from mainframes. Cost and resistance from upper management were cited as the main obstacles to such a move.

David Concordel, director of marketing and strategy for HP Services EMEA said: “With more stakeholders involved in IT decision making it is more critical than ever for the chief information officer to develop an applications strategy. This can govern the selection of new applications and can ensure that the needs of middle managers are addressed while at the same time maximising the return on IT investments for the business as a whole.”

Ian Miller, director of application services for HP Services EMEA, said: “There is often a clear business case for the modernisation of the applications environment.
“By re-hosting from a mainframe to open systems you can lower operational costs, release budget needed for further IT modernisation projects and move your organisation towards a more flexible IT environment.”