Large companies not getting financial backing for IT projects

Survey shows that IT professionals in large firms find it more difficult to get financial backing from the board

Enterprise IT departments have far more difficulty getting financial backing for new technologies than those at smaller firms do, according to a study conducted by tech research company Vanson Bourne.

Some 60 per cent of IT professionals working for organisations with between 1000 and 3000 employees said they had trouble securing financial backing from their board for new technological investments on the majority or all of their proposals. This compares with an average of 33 per cent across the board.

Almost all (98 per cent) of those surveyed said that they struggle to get financial backing for IT projects at least some of the time, with more than a quarter (27 per cent) claiming they can "never be sure of the board's attitude" to an investment.

Only 39 per cent of respondents feel that their company's board values the competitive advantages that new technologies can provide.

The independent research, conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of data storage specialists NetApp, canvassed the opinions of 200 IT decision makers across the UK.