IT Solutions Blog

Is Your IT Department a Strategic Partner for Business?

Written by Solutions II | Dec 20, 2012 1:18:26 PM

Is your IT Department Viewed as able to Drive Business Grown in New Areas or Just to Increase Effeciencies? What do you think of this study referenced in an article from CIO.com?

“A study by Juniper Networks and the Economist Business Unit finds that IT is succeeding at improving the efficiency of business processes, but most IT departments are failing to take the next step in becoming a strategic partner for business."

It should come as no surprise—IT has moved out of the data centers and wiring closets and is now working closely with the business side to make existing processes more efficient. And IT departments are succeeding in increasing the efficiency of business. However, they are also falling short when it comes to strategic transformation—to driving business growth in new areas—according to a new survey by Juniper Networks and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"'We found that businesses today are primarily looking at IT to save money—for organizational efficiency," says Bask Iyer, CIO of Juniper. "IT is not really looked at for growth. But the most financially successful companies are doing what other companies are not doing. They're working closely with IT to develop new products. And they say IT is supporting their business growth by helping identify new opportunities. The highest performing companies are clearly seeing the benefits. They tend to look at the CIO role and IT as a strategic partner rather than as a backroom operator."

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