Spend now to re-energise your business in tough times

Peter Dinham
Tuesday, 21 April 2009 08:06

Business IT - Technology

Keeping a lid on IT spending during the current economic crisis is understandable and prudent business practice, but a new report out today warns that companies don’t really have the option of holding off technology investment for another year, and questions how they intend to survive without it.

European research and advisory firm, Butler Group,  in its report – Business Intelligence-Corporate Performance Management – goes so far as to suggest that enterprises need to start investing now in technologies, like BI and CPM, to ‘re-energise corporate performance’ to counter what it calls the ‘demoralising effects of bad economic news’.

Butler’s senior research analyst and author of the report, Sarah Burnett, says organisations are currently being ultra-cautious in all areas of IT expenditure and, she surmises that many might question the value of investing in BI technology solutions during the current financial crisis.

However, Burnett questions how any enterprise intends to survive without making that investment in BI solutions and points to the important role that she says BI and CPM software plays in “illuminating and informing the business.”

“Holding off investment for another year is not really an option,” says Burnett, “especially when the drivers are diverse, ranging from strategic to operational to legal, as is the case with compliance.”

In fact, Burnett further warns that in many markets and vertical sectors the requirements for some kind of BI and CPM are “very real and pressing.”

According to Burnett, CPM - which was born out of the need to proactively manage performance for business optimisation - can play an important role in controlling costs, optimising resources, and ensuring that business units are adding value.
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