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    Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

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    by chris jablonski ·

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    • #3120002

      Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      The CNET Networks B2B research team keeps you tuned in to the latest findings from our in-house efforts using proprietary research tools such as BT Trax and IT Priorities. Viewpoints from the independent analyst community that matter to an enterprise-level decision maker are also covered. But it’s not a forum just for our thoughts on what we think is important, so please comment, link, and let us know what you think too!

    • #3118017

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3118016

      Latest IT Priorites data shows software making gains

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      October’s IT Priorities findings show that software infrastructure has reclaimed the second place position from hardware upgrades, which is now back as the no. 3 top priority among our approximately 500 respondents who take our survey each month.

      Drilling down, we found that current spending on ERP projects averaged 25% of enterprise software spending in the last 12 months, but a slight drop in spending is predicted to 21% of all enterprise software spending in the next 12 months. Spending on CRM solutions is expected to remain at an average of 15% over the next 12 months while investment in directory services is expected increase to an average of 19% for the coming year.

      Meanwhile, wired & wireless networking projects, which account for the greatest proportion of responses in our data, averaged 16% of IT spending in the last 12 months, on par with networking spending during the previous year. Spending for networking solutions is expected to increase over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 24% for the coming year, with well over a quarter of that amount slated for VoIP solutions.

      Over in hardware upgrades, server projects averaged 47% of hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 24% of spending on storage projects for the same time frame. Looking ahead, spending for server solutions is expected to decrease 4% over the next 12 months, while spending on storage projects is expected to reach an average of 24% for the coming year.

      Within security, the number four top IT priority, we found that initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 40% of security spending in the last 12 months, but that it is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 27%. In contrast, authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 23% of security spending for the coming year from just 15% currently.

      The table below shows the ranking of all nine 12-month planned technology categories we track.

      ITP.GIF

    • #3118015

      What is hot now on TechRepublic

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      TraxA BT Trax analysis of sister site TechRepublic shows that over the last month, among the top-10 consumed resources, the most popular vendors were Microsoft, Google and Mozilla; the most popular product was Windows XP; and the most popular topic was security (VPN, DNS, patches). While that information alone may not be something to write home about, what makes TechRepublic a little different than our other B2B properties like ZDNet is that it has additional content types like discussion strings and Tech Q&A that we also track and determine the nuances between them for given topics and companies.

      What we found when looking at the most-read discussions for the same time period is that the subject matter varied greatly and had little correlation with the top topics and companies among consumed downloaded resources. This is expected since this content is user-generated and not editorially-driven—although TechRepublic editors are at the liberty of starting their own discussions and participating in them. So looking at what TR members are writing and reading about, we see a thriving community comfortable discussing issues both great and small and often well outside the world of technology.

      The following table shows the top-10 consumed downloadable resources and the most active discussion threads from September 4, 2005 through September 26, 2005.

      Top-10 TechRepublic Resources Top-10 TechRepublic Discussions
      Ten things you should know about troubleshooting VPN connections Ben Stein is right!
      30 keyboard shortcuts for moving faster in Windows XP Whatever happened to entry-level as I remembered it?
      Delete Hiberfil.sys in Windows XP before defragmenting Where is the support for the US?
      Hack Google, release its hidden power, and find what you want on the Internet Help managing a very brilliant employee
      10+ things you should know about troubleshooting a slow PC Disaster Recovery – Hurricane
      Take control of Windows XP system properties during both startup and shutdown Several good points
      10 Firefox extensions that will enhance your Web surfing experience PROOF of climate change & Planet Destruction – WE’VE GONE TOO FAR
      Ten things you should know about securing DNS The Hot Button: Internet Explorer 7 could extinguish the re-ignited browser war
      Master patch management of Windows systems with these best practices enrevanche@techrepublic
      Ten things you should know about managing IT projects Bug hunters, software firms in uneasy alliance

      Source: ZDNet Research, September 2005

    • #3118014

      Gartner bearish on on-demand services

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      The growing popularity of software-as-a-service vendors like Salesforce.com, and recent moves, like Oracle’s acquisition of Siebel, are indicators that the software industry is tilting toward an on-demand future. But don’t expect it to take off so fast says a recent Gartner report (client reg. req.).  Despite the hype, on-demand services are likely to account for less than 10 percent of business application use through 2010, according to the research firm. The reason why, says Gartner, is that the on-demand model is not suitable for complex business uses like logistics support and order handling, and for large complex companies requiring business process support.  But the "complexity constraint bar" will rise over time since on-demand vendors can add functionality easily, said the report.  

      Among the cases when on-demand services should be considered, according to Gartner, are to; bypass IT when it stands in the way of the business for any number of reasons; serve as a temporary innovation fix if functionality is not available from a large suite vendor; and when the underlying process is outsourced such as call center support applications.

      Avoid on-demand services when you are dealing with transactional-intensive applications such as in a warehouse management system; when data is exceptionally sensitive, and when on-demand service providers don’t have the deep functionality or provide the level of customization required, said the report 

      Gartner defines business applications on demand as, "the delivery of preconfigured business applications form a remote location over an IP network on a subscription-based outsourcing contract."

      Meanwhile, a great angle at how disruptive technologies like on-demand are wreaking havoc on traditional software licensing schemes comes from Infoconomy. A column starts off by quoting Eric Rudder, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Division at Microsoft, as saying "My head hurts…my head hurts a lot when I think about that problem," in response to questions about software licensing at a press briefing in London recently. The ensuing issues covered capture well a situation going seriously pear-shaped…

    • #3118011

      One-tenth of the world’s population shopping online, says ACNielsen

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      In a clear sign that cultures the world over are growing more comfortable with online shopping, a study from ACNielsen Europe published today reveals that about 10 percent of the world’s population – more than 627 million people – has shopped online at least once. The countries with the highest incidents of shopping online were Germany, Austria, and the UK with at least 95 percent of surveyed Internet users having made purchases online.  The US ranked eleventh with 89 percent of users having purchased something online. An article from The International Herald Tribune discusses these findings and points out differences in buying habits across regions and demographics, while a press release cites that over 212 million online shoppers mention books as among the last 3 items they purchased online. In addition:

      • Over 135 million people have purchased DVDs and/or video games
      • Close to 135 million made plane reservations
      • Over 128 million purchased articles of clothing/accessories/shoes
      • Over 112 million paid for music downloads and/or CDs
      • Over 106 million purchased electronic devices (including cameras, etc.)
      • Close to 98 million bought computer hardware
      • Over 86 million consumers made hotel and/or tour bookings.

    • #3118012

      Apple’s Predatory Supply Chain

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      AMR Research?s Bruce Richardson writes about what he calls “predatory supply chains,” situations where manufacturers through exclusive contracts monopolize key inputs leaving competitors high and dry, especially in new growth markets.

      Richardson introduces the idea with Apple’s iPod. He points out the recent wave of reports about Samsung’s local competitors alleging that the chip maker was supplying flash memory chips to Apple at half the market price. While the scandal ultimately derailed a proposed $3.8 Billion join-venture between Apple and Samsung, it doesn’t look like much of a set-back:

      Of all the strategic moves, I like the flash memory story the best. Apple sold one million iPod nanos in the first 17 days after release. Create incredible demand for a new product while blocking competitor access to critical components.

      If the flash memory story is true, Apple has built the Predatory Supply Chain. While that advantage won’t last forever, it has allowed Apple to build a strong lead over all of the MP3 vendors. 

      The predatory supply chain can also be found elsewhere and in other industries, according to Richardson. He points to Dell (predator behavior hastens price war on PCs), Wal-Mart (a predator via information systems and penny-pinching sourcing and logistics strategies), and Toyota (a predator in hybrid-engine cars) as examples.

      Richardson asks: “Are the flash memory and hybrid transmission stories once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, or do companies have more frequent market windows where they could produce the next iPod or Prius?”  I’d reason that companies like Apple and Toyota are among the very few with the right mix of design, innovation, timing to seize the many opportunities that are floating out there.

    • #3118013

      Adopting ITIL? Read this

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      Saw some great ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) quotes recently gathered from our readers in a presentation the senior management team was about to deliver to a client. The best practice framework for treating IT like a business can be approached in piecemeal and not all components need to be adopted, so progress can vary greatly.  But the following mindset is a great one to consider if you are on the fence about if it is going to be worth the effort:

      “I work in an organization of 100,000+ employees and we are midway through a Global project to embed ITIL processes in our IT functions. Any implementation on this scale is going to have some problems, but already the benefits are becoming clear? Alot of the areas ITIL covers are areas your organization will have to deal with anyway (or should be dealing with!), so it’s not as if you can avoid all the issues ITIL can help you with.”

      Adoption of ITIL is growing especially among large companies. According to a recent survey by Forrester Research Inc., 12% of $1 billion companies had adopted some portion of ITIL as of 12 months ago, and one-third said they were getting started on ITIL or were considering using it. 

      Since white papers are a key online resource for IT professionals, we know our IT directory has been and will continue to be a destination for many looking for information.  And if you ever read this blog before you know that we have a proprietary tool called BT Trax that gives us insight into how our resources are consumed. Below is a chart showing the ballooning ITIL consumption trend since we started collecting data over two years ago.

      Directory downloads for ITIL resources in full swing

      ITIL1109.GIF

      Here is a list of the most-read ITIL titles from some of the most active vendors this year:  

    • #3118009

      ZDNet study: Web technology slips to number six IT priority

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      This month’s IT Priorities results show that projects revolving around Web Technology, which include implementations like Web services, portals, and e-commerce, have taken a back seat to five other major areas of IT investment; wired and wireless networking (no. 1), hardware upgrades (no. 2), software infrastructure (no. 3), IT management (no. 4), and security (no. 5). 

      The swap between Web technology and IT management (4th to 6th) indicates that as the end of the year looms, businesses are shifting resources to make sure that they have the delivery of their IT services in check and have requirements such as regulatory compliance squared away before readying their applications for the still vague world of SOA and Web 2.0. 

      Our data shows some other changes as well from last month. Software infrastructure is back in the no. 3 spot as hardware upgrades made some gains. Wired and Wireless, as usual, is at the top.

      But looking at 12-month trending data, however, we see that actual spending does not always match what IT professionals forecast (our overall rankings are determined by current information technology project or implementations and the most important technology initiative plans over the next 12 months).

      Software infrastructure projects averaged 22% of IT spending in the last 12 months, followed by wired & wireless networking with 17% of spending during the same timeframe.  But over next 12 months, software project spending is expected to dip to 17% of spending, and wired & wireless networking solutions are expected to increase to an average of 24%.

      Server projects averaged 48% of hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 18% of spending on storage projects for the same time frame. In hardware, average spending for server solutions is expected to decrease slightly over the next 12 months, while spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year.

      Security spending for countering cyberthreats averaged 38% in the last 12 months but is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 26%. Our data shows that authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 23% of security spending for the coming year.

      And in networking, not much has changed from last month. VoIP projects averaged 26% of networking spending in the last year and are expected to increase over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 29% for the coming year, while other networking technologies climb to 31% of IT spending.

    • #3118010

      SMBs should consider managed services as challenges mount, says Gartner

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      A confluence of trends will drive SMBs (small and midsize businesses) to make some of the most important IT decisions they?ve ever made, said analyst firm Gartner in a report published today.

      IT departments in SMBs don’t have it easy. According to a Gartner report (client reg. req.), the growth of mobile computing and increase in spyware has made desktop security a major challenge for cash-strapped SMBs during the last two years. At the same time, many CEOs and CFOs are asking their CIOs and IT directors to sign compliance statements, and to make matters more difficult, customers and business partners are increasingly demanding that SMBs improve business processes, says the research firm. 

      “To support these new initiatives and maintain the required service levels of their established infrastructures, SMBs must consider using more managed services to complement their scarce resources,” according to Gartner.

      For 2006, the analyst firm advises SMBs to:

      ? Watch the impact that Microsoft has on the desktop security market.
      ? Adopt a philosophy that any spending for compliance also can contribute to improved overall performance of the organization.
      ? Plan to migrate to a service-oriented architecture (SOA).
      ? Evaluate maturing, managed and remote services to help improve infrastructure management.

      Great, but prudent CIOs and IT managers will have these issues already in the back of their minds by Christmas dinner with or without the blessing of analysts?.right? 😉 

    • #3117971

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3117899

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3131361

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3131250

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3131251

      Apple’s predatory supply chain

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      AMR Research’s Bruce Richardson writes about what he calls "predatory supply chains," situations where manufacturers through exclusive contracts monopolize key inputs leaving competitors high and dry, especially in new growth markets.

      Richardson introduces the idea with Apple’s iPod. He points out the recent wave of reports about Samsung’s local competitors alleging that the chip maker was supplying flash memory chips to Apple at half the market price. While the scandal ultimately derailed a proposed $3.8 Billion join-venture between Apple and Samsung, it doesn’t look like much of a set-back:

      Of all the strategic moves, I like the flash memory story the best. Apple sold one million iPod nanos in the first 17 days after release. Create incredible demand for a new product while blocking competitor access to critical components.

      If the flash memory story is true, Apple has built the Predatory Supply Chain. While that advantage won’t last forever, it has allowed Apple to build a strong lead over all of the MP3 vendors. 

      The predatory supply chain can also be found elsewhere and in other industries, according to Richardson. He points to Dell (predator behavior hastens price war on PCs), Wal-Mart (a predator via information systems and penny-pinching sourcing and logistics strategies), and Toyota (a predator in hybrid-engine cars) as examples.

      Richardson asks: "Are the flash memory and hybrid transmission stories once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, or do companies have more frequent market windows where they could produce the next iPod or Prius?"  I’d reason that companies like Apple and Toyota are among the very few with the right mix of design, innovation, timing to seize the many opportunities that are floating out there.

    • #3131223

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3131163

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3130767

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3130768

      SOA 101

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      You’ve been hearing about it more and more, so if you are new to service-oriented architectures (SOA) and want the full scoop but not ready to start connecting the dots between terms like BPEL, WS-Policy, and WSIF, then read this (free PDF)  four-page overview from Nucleus Research.

      The research firm, which bases its conclusions on real-world case studies, says that it is time to brush skepticism aside and recognize that the adoption of standards has made software reuse easier, and that first-movers have seen successful deployments and are know reaping benefits. The report gives a clear and simple definition of SOA; “SOA is the practice of building platform-independent pieces of software that are defined according to a specific business process and readily adapted for reuse,”along with several examples, plus an explanation of an effective deployment (business process driven, focus on reuse, robust use of metadata, loose coupling) and the benefits that an SOA can provide.  For example, below is Nucleus’s useful advice on designing for reuse:

      Focus on reuse. Services built within an SOA framework should be constructed with an eye towards reuse in order to accommodate the incremental and repetitive nature of IT integration projects. For example, the SOA service that helps generate a single view of the customer may be required repeatedly as a number of subsidiaries and former acquisitions are sequentially integrated into an enterprise. While reuse is a benefit, it also requires and is accelerated by a cultural IT shift in which programmers ? who are accustomed to building code from the ground up ? create less code, but take on more projects. But reuse must be promoted, since it is the primary driver of ROI from SOA. Use of integration competency centers, reuse agents, and SOA registries ? all discussed as best practices in a separate research note ? are ways to promote broad and effective reuse.

    • #3130713

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3130483

      Wired-up Africans reach 100 million? ingenious uses abound

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      While we in the U.S. sit back and weigh in the convenience of owning one of Apple’s new video iPods or being able to bridge Yahoo and MSN’s instant messaging clients next year, across the Atlantic, millions of Africans in the world’s poorest countries are making one giant leap to 21st century wireless communications, and in the process finding ingenious solutions to everyday problems. An Associate Press article, found here, writes about a farmer who used to spend hours looking for a working payphone now uses a cell phone to link up with customers and brokers to figure out what price to set her produce. And a fisherman who phones in from his sailboat to find the port which will score him the biggest profit for his catch. Another example is how South Africans and Kenyans sling cell phones round the necks of elephants to track them through bush and jungle.

      The article cites impressive growth figures from the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union which reported that cell phones made up 74.6 percent of all African phone subscriptions last year. And according another stat, cell phone subscriptions jumped 67 percent south of the Sahara in 2004, compared with 10 percent in cell-phone-saturated Western Europe.

      It is good to see that virtually no place will be left behind as the world goes wireless.  

    • #3121740

      Visualizing consumption trends: an analysis of operating systems resources

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      Using BT Trax we are able to see how the consumption of resources in our IT directory trend over time.  Below is a chart showing how the major operating systems stack up over the last 12 months.

      OS_CT1.GIF

      While consumption of Microsoft Windows-related content clearly dominates, Linux and UNIX also have substantial traction, while Apple Mac OS and Sun Solaris have a comparatively modest showing for the period. The effects of seasonality have a global affect on consumption on all content and that effect is visible with the downward adjustments at the end of 2004, during mid-year when summer gets underway, and presently.  During September ’05 we see consumption peak for Windows, Linux, and UNIX-related resources as IT professionals get back to business after their summer breaks. The most downloaded resources that month were; Migrating from Windows NT Server? Why SUSE Linux is the Most Compelling Solution (Windows/Linux/UNIX) and Why Choose Novell for Linux? (Linux/UNIX).  In the case of Windows we also see a major peak in the first week of March ’05.  The promoted title responsible for that was a Sony Webcast, Going Wireless with Windows XP which actually accounted for nearly all the directory activity around Windows for that week.  We also see an up tick in consumption of Linux-related resources in February ’05, with Scalix making some buzz with its white paper, Linux and Email Infrastructure: Freedom and Choice

      Knowing these consumption trends can give you insight into what your peers are looking at and when, which we hope is helpful in your IT planning.  

    • #3127052

      Top IT priorities reshuffle as 05′ comes to a close

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      December’s IT Priorities findings show that software infrastructure has once again reclaimed the second place position from hardware upgrades (now at no. 3) while security also jumped up a spot to no. 4, pushing IT management to fifth place. Meanwhile, Wired and Wireless networking, the reigning leader for over the last two years closes out the year as the no. 1 priority, according to data from our monthly survey of approximately 500 IT and business professionals.

      Looking at trends among the top software projects, current spending on ERP averaged 26% of enterprise software spending in the last 12 months, which is an increase from an average of 22% reported in November.  Also last month, the data showed that a drop in ERP spending was predicted to account for 17% of enterprise software spending in the next 12 months, while that average now stands at 21% for 2006.  Next year, CRM spending is expected to remain at an average of 14%, and directory services spending to increase to an average of 19%.

      Over in hardware, server projects averaged about half (49%) of all hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 17% of spending on storage projects for the same time frame. As compared to the averages derived in the previous month, both types of hardware projects have remained relatively unchanged. Notable, is that spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year, which reflects the growing demand.  

      Elsewhere, security initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 37% of security spending in the last 12 months. This figure is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 24%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 24% of security spending for the coming year.

      And in networking, VoIP projects (27%) lead spending in the last 12 months, with 22% of network spending focused on wireless / mobile solutions. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 29% for the coming year, while wireless/mobile projects are expected to climb to 31% of networking spending.

      Below are the rankings of all nine IT priorities we track monthly:

      1 – Wired & Wireless
      2 – Software infrastructure
      3 – Hardware upgrades
      4 – Security
      5 – IT management
      6 – Web technology
      7 – OS migration
      8 – Application development
      9 – Data management

    • #3126954

      Top IT priorities reshuffle as ’05 comes to a close

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      December’s IT Priorities findings show that software infrastructure has once again reclaimed the second place position from hardware upgrades (now at no. 3) while security also jumped up a spot to no. 4, pushing IT management to fifth place. Meanwhile, Wired and Wireless networking, the reigning leader for over the last two years closes out the year as the no. 1 priority, according to data from our monthly survey of approximately 500 IT and business professionals.

      Looking at trends among the top software projects, current spending on ERP averaged 26% of enterprise software spending in the last 12 months, which is an increase from an average of 22% reported in November.  Also last month, the data showed that a drop in ERP spending was predicted to account for 17% of enterprise software spending in the next 12 months, while that average now stands at 21% for 2006.  Next year, CRM spending is expected to remain at an average of 14%, and directory services spending to increase to an average of 19%.

      Over in hardware, server projects averaged about half (49%) of all hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 17% of spending on storage projects for the same time frame. As compared to the averages derived in the previous month, both types of hardware projects have remained relatively unchanged. Notable, is that spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year, which reflects the growing demand.  

      Elsewhere, security initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 37% of security spending in the last 12 months. This figure is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 24%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 24% of security spending for the coming year.

      And in networking, VoIP projects (27%) lead spending in the last 12 months, with 22% of network spending focused on wireless / mobile solutions. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 29% for the coming year, while wireless/mobile projects are expected to climb to 31% of networking spending.

      Below are the rankings of all nine IT priorities we track monthly:

      1 – Wired & Wireless
      2 – Software infrastructure
      3 – Hardware upgrades
      4 – Security
      5 – IT management
      6 – Web technology
      7 – OS migration
      8 – Application development
      9 – Data management

    • #3121235

      Why iPod trademarks are the real road to value

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      Patent wielding competitors lusting over the huge success of Apple’s iPod digital music player should put down their litigation swords and figure out what gives the product its X-factor in the first place. Core77, a site for industrial design fanatics, has a great analysis of Apple’s design strategy by James Conley, a Clinical Professor at the both the Kellogg School of Management and the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.

      Conley argues that at the heart of Apple’s competitive advantage are not  patents or technology, but rather the idea of ‘value transference’ and clever use of trademarks.  Value transference, he defines as "the premeditated use of multiple intellectual property regimes at specific points across the product lifecycle, in order to realize sustainable differentiation."  In Apple’s case, that differentiation boils down to the simple and consistent user interface that the Apple customer perceives as truly unique. In fact, more than 6 months ago, says Conley, Apple quietly filed a US trademark registration for the two-dimensional shape of the iPod front, made up of the round click wheel and the square display screen (see image at end of post). Every generation since inception of the iPod, except the Shuffle, embodies those elements which are Apple’s exclusive source identifier, says Conley. Sounds simple enough, but here is the significance:

      To be clear, Apple’s trademark, if successfully registered, will not give them the kind of functional invention or ornamental exclusivity that one gets with of a patent (design or utility). It will, however, give them certain rights that will allow them to control who can use or leverage the unique display screen and Click Wheel visual attribute combination of this valuable market innovation. With such a registration, they facilitate the move of this popular icon and increasingly-pervasive cognitive touch point of the music experience into many markets as claimed. Worried about secondary meaning? Apple’s market share is approaching 80%. They are the market; there is no competition.

      How value transference is realized:

      Additionally, the trademarked icon is the symbol that represents the user experience innovations achieved through integration of their suppliers’ technologies. The resulting performance differentiation now aggregates in the ubiquitous mark. The value of the patented designs and inventive technologies is transferred to the mark, and hence value transference is realized.

      And why the trademark registration is so special:

      Such a registration would cement Apple’s monopoly on the associated design. Unlike the design and utility patents, the trademark registration could last indefinitely if properly used. This represents sustainability of the business model variety and, as such, secures the real competitive advantage of Apple’s iPod.

      Apple.jpg

    • #3135481

      Intel getting some flak for criticizing $100 laptop

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      When Intel CEO Craig Barrett remarked, “People with a $100 notebook computer will get the computer they deserve,? in regards to MIT’s ambitious project currently underway, some didn’t take it lightly. RedMonk analyst James Governor points to and supports the opposite viewpoint from blogger, Nidahas:

      Anyone who has the basic understanding of the level of IT penetration in developing nations and the reasons for those poor figures can give plenty of reasons for their introduction.

      From the $ 100 laptop FAQ Page:

      Why not a desktop computer, or?even better?a recycled desktop machine? Desktops are cheaper, but mobility is important, especially with regard to taking the computer home at night. Kids in the developing world need the newest technology, especially really rugged hardware and innovative software. Recent work with schools in Maine has shown the huge value of using a laptop across all of one?s studies, as well as for play. Bringing the laptop home engages the family. In one Cambodian village where we have been working, there is no electricity, thus the laptop is, among other things, the brightest light source in the home.

      The brightest light source. You heard that Mr.Barrett?

      Governor shows how lowering the barriers to entry levels the playing field:

      The majority of British computer programmers cut their teeth on a sub $200 machine, the ZX-81, and that was more than 20 years ago. Many of these people are now senior software engineenrs in Silcon Valley.

      Getting back to Intel, Craig Barrett argues that a computer’s features are more important than its price. Would foresasking some of them to achieve the lowest cost possible translate to critical mass adoption in developing markets?even at the expense of some utility? Will kids in India and China like the laptop’s color, design, and unique feature set that in some ways makes it more advanced than my aging $2,500 PowerBook?  That remains to be seen.

    • #3197506

      Microsoft getting serious about BI

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      Although late, Microsoft is keeping up with its promises in the Business Intelligence (BI) space, says Gartner, with new products and capabilities that will appeal mostly to the traditional application developer community and departmental IT customers.

      According to a recent Gartner report  (client reg. req.), Microsoft has been steadily disclosing more details about its BI vision and commitment in conjunction with the release of its next generation of data management platform and application development tools; Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005, SQL Server 2005, and next year?s Excel 12 as part of Office 12.

      ?The typical Microsoft pricing and packaging models have the potential to change the BI market economics and provide broader user access to common BI functionality, such as reporting and scorecards, ? says the report.  

      The ubiquity of Microsofts SQL Server and Office products are key leverage points for the software maker, but as Gartner points out,  Microsoft is still behind competitors who can provide better support for more-heterogeneous IT environments.  For instance, according to Gartner, Microsoft will not have online analytical processing (OLAP) front-end capabilities until the release of Excel 12 and must therefore rely on partnerships with competitors like Panorama Software and ProClarity. The analyst also warns that Microsoft has not been effective selling to and supporting business users as have competing BI vendors.

      Still, the release of the long-awaited SQL Server 2005 comes with enhancements that make it easier to build BI applications on SQL Server.  Here are the new capabilities as listed in the Gartner report:

      • A new drag-and-drop report development tool called Report Builder with new enhanced drill-down capabilities
      • A new unified dimensional model (UDM)
      • SQL server 2005 Business Intelligence Development Studio, which unifies developer  functionality that previously had to be accessed from multiple tools 
      • Enhanced data-mining algorithms and toolsets, which include naive bayes, neural networks, enhanced clustering and association rules, and incorporate the new text-mining capabilities of integration services
      • New Integration Services, which replaces Data Transformation Services (DTS). This is perhaps one of the most fundamental new additions/improvements to SQL server 2005

      Finally, the report ends with this key advice for those evaluating BI solutions:

      It is often tempting when a vendor such as Microsoft can demonstrate that its product may be used to quickly build and deploy a scorecard. However, a best practice is to look beyond the dashboard/scorecard capabilities and evaluate the overall BI platform, including its ad hoc query,  OLAP analysis and end-user reporting capabilities. This combination of capabilities is required so that different users and analysts can drill down into the cause-and-effect relationships to collaborate and identify the root causes of issues highlighted in a scorecard or KPI.

    • #3094391

      Top 10 white paper downloads in 2005

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      First, Happy New Year from the ZDNet Research team!

      Using our BT trax tool we took a look at all the activity in our directory of over 57,000 white papers, case studies, Webcasts and other downloadable resources over the past year.  The top tech categories as measured by number of total downloaded titles are networking & telecom, software, and hardware with little differences between them: each category had slightly less than 1/5 of the total activity. Security came in at fourth place with 14% of downloads in 2005.

      While top news lists can give you a sense of which announcements and events are deemed industry landmarks, the next stage of decision making?where IT professionals evaluate and consider vendor solutions and new technologies?reveals what decision makers and buyers find important when they roll up their sleeves and get to business.  To that end, below is a list of the top 10 most downloaded resources over the last 12 months. Note that sponsorship and premium placement which we, for the time being, cannot filter plays an influential role in the outcome of the rankings.

      Top 10 downoaded resources in 2005

      1 Global Knowledge Network Windows 2003/2000/XP Security Architecture Overview
      2 ShoreTel IP Telephony Pocket Guide
      3 Cisco Systems Cisco IOS Tips and Tricks
      4 RL Information Consulting Project Management Best Practices
      5 Hewlett-Packard Plan a Windows Server 2003 Migration
      6 Avaya What you need to know before deploying VoIP
      7 Hewlett-Packard Creating Better Backups through Replication
      8 Cisco Systems Disaster Recovery: Best Practices White Paper
      9 Computer Associates How to Eliminate Spyware to Protect Your Business
      10 Diskeeper Antivirus Software and Disk Defragmentation

    • #3096380

      Product innovation and improving IT rise as CEO priorities in 2006, says IDC

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      IDC’s first post of the year compares survey results that show where CEOs’ place their top business priorities. The research firm asked 200 line-of-business (LOB) executives last month to indicate which business improvement initiatives top their CEOs’ agendas for the year ahead. Among the top five listed in 2005 were product innovation and improving the IT organization, which IDC singled out as making significant gains compared to their rankings from the same survey conducted a year earlier (in green box):

      IDC.jpg

      IDC says that addressing both priorities in unison is an opportunity:

      In 2006, one of the most intriguing opportunities for CIOs and IT suppliers alike will lie in putting these two priority areas together, using management?s drive to improve innovation productivity as a catalyst to invest in IT that better supports high-volume, high-productivity innovation.

    • #3078776

      New methodology changes up ZDNet

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      January?s IT Priorities survey results show that software infrastructure is the no. 1 top priority followed by hardware upgrades and IT management. Rounding out the top 5 are wired and wireless and data management, according to our approximately 500 respondents who take our survey each month.

      (I’f you’ve been following our monthly reports over the years you’ll notice the big change in the rankings this month, and it’s because of a change we’ve made to our methodology explained later in this post.)

      A look some of the trending data shows that software infrastructure projects averaged 24% of IT spending in the last 12 months.  That quarter of IT spend was mainly directed at ERP projects (27%), while directory services projects rang up 23% of spending, and CRM solutions 13%.  Spending for ERP solutions is expected to dip to an average of 24% over the next 12 months, with directory services spending to increase to an average of 18% for the coming year, and CRM spending is expected to remain the same.

      Over the last 12 months, hardware upgrades accounted for roughly 17% of the IT budget, with server projects averaging nearly half of all hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 17% of spending on storage projects.  The 12-month outlook for server solutions shows a slight decrease to 44% of hardware spending, while spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year.

      In the world of wired and wireless, IT managers budgeted about 15% of spending to networking solutions in the last 12 months, of which VoIP projects averaged 28%. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase slightly over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 30% for the coming year.

      Over in security, initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 34% of security spending in the last 12 months; authentication/encryption spending over the last 12 months averaged 18% of security spending. Spending for cyber threat solutions is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 23%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 24% of security spending for the coming year.

      January IT Priorities

      1. Software infrastructure
      2. Hardware upgrades
      3. IT management
      4. Wired & Wireless 
      5. Data management 
      6. Web technology 
      7. Security
      8. App development & integration  
      9. OS migration

      Every month since October 2002, we’ve been asking IT pros like you about your top IT priorities.  Over the course of the program we’ve made improvements to the survey, such as asking questions to better understand which vendor solutions you prefer and avoid and why. New for 2006 is the ranking system, which is now determined by what IT professionals and decision makers view important 12 months out, rather than basing it on an average of all the time frames we look at, as we did previously.

       

    • #3078593

      New methodology changes up ZDNet

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      January?s IT Priorities survey results show that software infrastructure is the no. 1 top priority followed by hardware upgrades and IT management. Rounding out the top 5 are wired and wireless and data management, according to our approximately 500 respondents who take our survey each month. Click here for the full report.

      (I’f you’ve been following our monthly reports over the years you’ll notice the big change in the rankings this month, and it’s because of a change we’ve made to our methodology explained later in this post.)

      A look some of the trending data shows that software infrastructure projects averaged 24% of IT spending in the last 12 months.  That quarter of IT spend was mainly directed at ERP projects (27%), while directory services projects rang up 23% of spending, and CRM solutions 13%.  Spending for ERP solutions is expected to dip to an average of 24% over the next 12 months, with directory services spending to increase to an average of 18% for the coming year, and CRM spending is expected to remain the same.

      Over the last 12 months, hardware upgrades accounted for roughly 17% of the IT budget, with server projects averaging nearly half of all hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 17% of spending on storage projects.  The 12-month outlook for server solutions shows a slight decrease to 44% of hardware spending, while spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year.

      In the world of wired and wireless, IT managers budgeted about 15% of spending to networking solutions in the last 12 months, of which VoIP projects averaged 28%. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase slightly over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 30% for the coming year.

      Over in security, initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 34% of security spending in the last 12 months; authentication/encryption spending over the last 12 months averaged 18% of security spending. Spending for cyber threat solutions is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 23%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 24% of security spending for the coming year.

      January IT Priorities

      1. Software infrastructure
      2. Hardware upgrades
      3. IT management
      4. Wired & Wireless 
      5. Data management 
      6. Web technology 
      7. Security
      8. App development & integration  
      9. OS migration

      Every month since October 2002, we’ve been asking IT pros like you about your top IT priorities.  Over the course of the program we’ve made improvements to the survey, such as asking questions to better understand which vendor solutions you prefer and avoid and why. New for 2006 is the ranking system, which is now determined by what IT professionals and decision makers view important 12 months out, rather than basing it on an average of all the time frames we look at, as we did previously.

       

    • #3097255

      New methodology changes up ZDNet’s IT priorities rankings

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      January’s IT Priorities survey results show that software infrastructure is the no. 1 top priority followed by hardware upgrades and IT management. Rounding out the top 5 are wired and wireless and data management, according to our approximately 500 respondents who take our survey each month.

      (I’f you’ve been following our monthly reports over the years you’ll notice the big change in the rankings this month, and it’s because of a change we’ve made to our methodology explained later in this post.)

      A look some of the trending data shows that software infrastructure projects averaged 24% of IT spending in the last 12 months.  That quarter of IT spend was mainly directed at ERP projects (27%), while directory services projects rang up 23% of spending, and CRM solutions 13%.  Spending for ERP solutions is expected to dip to an average of 24% over the next 12 months, with directory services spending to increase to an average of 18% for the coming year, and CRM spending is expected to remain the same.

      Over the last 12 months, hardware upgrades accounted for roughly 17% of the IT budget, with server projects averaging nearly half of all hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 17% of spending on storage projects.  The 12-month outlook for server solutions shows a slight decrease to 44% of hardware spending, while spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 24% for the coming year.

      In the world of wired and wireless, IT managers budgeted about 15% of spending to networking solutions in the last 12 months, of which VoIP projects averaged 28%. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase slightly over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 30% for the coming year.

      Over in security, initiatives to counter cyber threats averaged 34% of security spending in the last 12 months; authentication/encryption spending over the last 12 months averaged 18% of security spending. Spending for cyber threat solutions is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 23%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 24% of security spending for the coming year.

      January IT Priorities

      1. Software infrastructure
      2. Hardware upgrades
      3. IT management
      4. Wired & Wireless 
      5. Data management 
      6. Web technology 
      7. Security
      8. App development & integration  
      9. OS migration

      Every month since October 2002, we’ve been asking IT pros like you about your top IT priorities.  Over the course of the program we’ve made improvements to the survey, such as asking questions to better understand which vendor solutions you prefer and avoid and why. New for 2006 is the ranking system, which is now determined by what IT professionals and decision makers view important 12 months out, rather than basing it on an average of all the time frames we look at, as we did previously.

       

    • #3107651

      Networking and security step up in Feb IT priorities rankings

      by chris jablonski ·

      In reply to Datapoint: IT Research That Matters

      Below is a summary of the latest findings from our monthly IT Priorities survey:

      ?Software infrastructure remains the top initiative: Software infrastructure projects averaged 23% of IT spending in the last 12 months, but spending is expected to dip to 19% in the following year. Current spending on ERP projects averaged 28% of enterprise software spending, directory services projects are 14%, with CRM solutions at 11% in the last 12 months. Spending for ERP solutions is expected to dip to an average of 25% over the next 12 months, with directory services spending to increase to an average of 18% for the coming year, and CRM spending is expected rise slightly to 13% of enterprise software spending.

      ? Hardware holds steady at no. 2: Hardware upgrades averaged about 18% of total spending last year and is expected to keep the same level throughout 2006. Server projects averaged 45% of hardware spending in the last 12 months, with 21% of spending on storage projects for the same time frame. Average spending for server solutions is expected to remain steady at 45%  over the next 12 months, while spending on storage projects is expected to rise to an average of 26% for the coming year.

      ? Wired and wireless was no. 4 last month, now no. 3: Wired & wireless networking solutions averaged about 16% of total spending, and are expected to increase to an average of 21% over the next year. VoIP, the most cited project in the category, averaged 29% of networking spending in the last 12 months.  Investment in other networking technologies (LAN/Routers, RFID, etc.) averaged one fourth of spending on networking solutions. Spending for VoIP solutions is expected to increase slightly over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 30% for the coming year, while other networking technologies are expected to decrease to 20%.

      ? IT management was no. 3 in January, now no. 4: Spending on IT managment solutions averaged about 13% of total spending last year and is expected to dip down to 10% over the next 12 months.

      ?Security jumped from no. 7 last month to no. 5 this month: Initiatives to counter cyberthreats averaged 31% of security spending in the last 12 months; authentication/encryption spending over the last 12 months averaged 19% of security spending. Spending for cyberthreat solutions is expected to decrease over the next 12 months, reaching an average of 20%, while authentication/encryption spending is expected to increase to an average of 26% of security spending for the coming year.

      Web Technology remains unchanged: Spending on Web technology soutions such as portals and ecommerce platforms averaged about 7% of total spending last year and is expected to increase to 9% over the next 12 months.

      Data management dropped from no. 5 to no. 7: Spending on data management solutions averaged about 6% of total spending last year and is expected to largely remain unchanged inthe next year.

      OS migration moved up a spot from no. 9 last month to no. 8 this month: Spending on migrating operating systems accounted for about about 7% of total spending last year and is expected to dip  to 6% over the next 12 months.

      App development & integration is now number 9:Spending on application development and integration tools averaged about 3% of total spending last year and is expected to remainn at current levels over the next year.

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