IT costs and planning come under scrutiny

Apptio has revealed survey data detailing significant cuts to IT budgets and shifting business priorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout. Across all sectors, companies have had to re-plan budgets, while some sectors, including healthcare and financial services, are seeing even more remarkable shifts.

Apptio’s data shows that:
  • IT is being asked to do more with less: While the majority of organizations feel pressure to reduce IT spend, 63% report an increase in demand for new IT capabilities. In healthcare, the demand is even higher at 93%. Half of financial services leaders and 64% of government organizations are experiencing a demand for new capabilities.
  • Cost optimization has surged in priority: 72% of CIOs say the disruption caused by COVID-19 has changed their business priorities. Across sectors, organizations have shifted from prioritizing operational excellence and revenue growth to reducing IT spend. Two-thirds of healthcare organizations say optimizing costs is now the number one priority.
  • CIOs must deliver faster business decisions: Three out of four CIOs say the ability to rapidly re-plan is a critical capability during the pandemic. Yet 39% of organizations have a quarterly forecast cadence. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic means organizations cannot afford to wait to respond every three months.

 

“Leaders are facing some of the most difficult decisions of their careers. We are seeing organizations from all industries impacted, some harder than others. In all cases, these organizations have had to look at how technology will enable them to come out of this disruption stronger than when they went in,” said Jarod Greene, GM of the Technology Business Management Council. “But they have to balance the need to manage costs and accelerate innovation, particularly in an environment where cash is king and plans can change on a daily basis. With financial management software, organizations can automate these processes, surface insights they would not have otherwise found in their data and make collaborative, informed decisions that take into account the business impact of their choices.”

Infosecurity Europe 2026 unveils keynote speaker line-up, linking military, sport, and tech...
Alteryx One aims to enable enterprises to scale AI and automation by providing governed, repeatable...
A new WBBA report highlights the untapped potential of AI in telecoms beyond internal efficiency,...
A survey of 650 global CISOs examines how security leaders are navigating AI adoption, expanding...
Hitachi partners with SIT to co-develop a Hybrid AC/DC Rack-Level Power Distribution Testbed, aimed...
Red Hat unveils its Digital Sovereignty Readiness Assessment tool to gauge organisational digital...
The Data Centre Alliance announces a new Advisory Board to guide strategic initiatives in the data...
Zenarmor launches a global channel programme designed to enable partners to deliver and manage...