IT no longer viewed in isolation

IT departments are now more closely aligned to the rest of the business than ever before, a survey of more than 100 heads of IT in UK companies claims. The research, from CIO Connect, revealed that four out of five chief information officers agree, or agree to some extent, that IT spending approval is largely subject to the same processes as other business projects, marking a shift from the days of the dotcom boom and bust. There is now more collaboration on IT projects, the survey found, with three-quarters of respondents agreeing that senior business colleagues are closely involved in managing significant implementations.

“The gap between IT and other parts of the business, which has been a feature of business for so long, is now finally closing,” the report said. “In more and more businesses, IT is ceasing to be something separate that has to be treated differently, and is instead becoming an integral part of business change.”

Robin Barrett, senior vice president technology at American Express, said the trend was not necessarily caused by the economic slowdown.

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