UK IT budgets set for above-par boost - Gartner
US is trailing behind UK after Gartner completes 2015 CIO survey across 84 countries
CIOs around the world are facing high levels of uncertainty this year, according to the latest global study by market watcher Gartner.
But UK firms are set to experience IT budget increases higher than the global average, according to the results, with a 1.4 per cent increase expected this year, compared with the US’ 0.9 per cent increase. The actual global average is 1.1 per cent.
However, both regions are way behind China, which is expecting whopping budget increases of 8.5 per cent.
Additionally, there is an increasing amount of IT investment happening across UK enterprises, the results revealed, signalling good news for the channel, with more than 21 per cent of IT investment taking place outside the official IT budget.
According to Gartner, which questioned more than 2,800 respondents in 84 countries, as CIOs emerge from a long period of cost cutting and restricted IT budgets, there is a renewed focus on strategic investments in information and technology in the UK that will enable business growth.
The research also revealed that CIOs in the UK and Ireland are showing a progressive attitude towards emerging SMART technologies and are investing in and deploying solutions for robotics and the Internet of Things.
In another positive sign, Gartner estimates CIOs in the UK will spend less than 40 per cent of their time actually running the IT organisation, and will instead focus on working with other C-level executives, business unit leaders and external customers to extol the values of IT and investing in the right technology.
Dave Aron, vice president and Gartner fellow, said: "The only certainty for CIOs seems to be the unstoppable advancement of digitalisation. Government, companies and our personal lives are being more deeply penetrated by digital capabilities, opportunities and threats.
"Digitalisation represents both a massive opportunity and new and heightened levels of threat for all countries and companies, and CIOs are facing new, more challenging and more exciting circumstances as digital moves to centre stage."