The survey of CIOs and IT Directors from 200 large (500+) businesses in the UK, conducted by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) and Capita IT Enterprise Services, indicates that the UK enterprise IT sector is about to enter a new era of end user computing investments to support digital transformation.
Paul Birkin, chief technology officer of Capita IT Enterprise Services, said: “Increased investment in end user computing will have a knock on impact for the rest of industry. Businesses will be looking to the sector to help them modernise their IT and empower their employees to thrive in this digital era.”
More than 84% of businesses are concerned about supporting a more diverse desktop landscape with their existing IT infrastructure, while 81% are concerned that they will be unable to support increasing workforce mobility, including the use of smartphones.
The research has also revealed a potential ‘planning gap’ for the migration to Windows 10, with more than half of businesses (52%) stating they haven’t yet planned to move to Microsoft’s latest operating system. This is despite 98% using Microsoft for their end user services. Senior IT leaders and CIOs indicated two key reasons for this; potential implications of Windows 10 on their security policies (57% of respondents), whilst 58% of respondents referenced internal capacity constraints.
Nick Mayes, principal analyst from PAC, said: “End user computing executives face a huge challenge in balancing the need to drive operational efficiency, while securely supporting increasingly complex and fragmented landscapes. Windows 10 represents an opportunity to bring the mobile and traditional desktop estates closer together, but the study shows that UK businesses are adopting it at different speeds.”
Paul Birkin of Capita added: “The research highlights the importance of the role of service providers in helping businesses prepare, migrate and successfully adopt Windows 10. With the growing awareness of Windows 10 and the benefits that it can bring, service providers can help to dispel some of the myths and address key concerns at a local level”.
