Companies are Turning Their Focus to Innovative Technologies

As companies continue to seek out solutions using the cloud, companies are increasingly turning their attention to analytics/business intelligence — in addition to cybersecurity, according to an annual survey released by the Society for Information Management (SIM).

These trends are necessarily new. However, the survey did reveal that many companies are now considering “innovation” a top priority as part of the IT category.

Based on the survey, which included responses by IT managers and CIOs, innovation gained more importance since 2014 — from eighth most important management concern to fourth most cited concern in 2015 and currently.

While the survey didn’t clearly outline what was considered innovative technology, there is sentiment in the industry that it is critical, according to Craig Pedersen, director of IT at Hunter Douglas and a SIM member.

“Innovation, in my mind, is more focused on the business and revenue generation,” Pedersen said in an article for ComputerWorld.com.

Another trend worth noting is that spending for IT overall has increased over the past three years. It now represents about 5 percent of revenue. This type of spending could represent technology’s importance in establishing new budget levels, according to Leon Kappelman, a professor of information systems at the College of Business at the University of North Texas. He was among the researchers who helped developed the study.

Additional innovations

According to Data Center Knowledge, the challenges facing modern data centers also require preparing for demands by using modular purpose-built infrastructure that enable companies to develop data center services that can scale as needed and where needed. This includes focusing on how to operate efficiently with power usage effectiveness without negatively impacting operations.

Overall, data center managers will be challenged to explore ways to boost productivity of IT equipment and find ways to make better-informed decisions in real time.

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Rich Banta

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Rich is responsible for Compliance and Certifications, Data Center Operations, Information Technology, and Client Concierge Services. Rich has an extensive background in server and network management, large scale wide-area networks, storage, business continuity, and monitoring. Rich is a former CTO of a major health care system. Rich is hands-on every day in the data centers. He also holds many certifications, including: CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor CRISC – Certified in Risk & Information Systems Management CDCE – Certified Data Center Expert CDCDP – Certified Data Center Design Professional