10 May 2006

A survey of chief information officers (CIOs) has shown that they believe IT is benefiting businesses more now that management is giving it more credence.

Computer Weekly's CIO Index survey questioned leading members of the UK's IT management what role they thought technology has to play in modern business and 95 per cent responded that they feel IT is offering businesses more benefits now than a year ago.

This may have arisen from the greater willingness of firms to explore the possibilities offered to them by computer technologies, with 75 per cent saying their boards have now developed a greater understanding of the value of IT to their business.

Indeed, it would appear IT departments are now beginning to enjoy more prominence within their firms, as 70 per cent said they felt more empowered by their board while 90 per cent they now enjoyed better relations with other branches of the business.

The index also detected a strong improvement in relationships between IT departments and the firms that supply their applications, with 90 per cent of CIOs deeming theirs to be generally satisfactory.

There is also a sense that the products offered by employers are improving, with 70 per cent saying the quality of third-party software is better than it was three years ago and 66 per cent saying that data quality is also on the up.

© Adfero Ltd

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