Growing adoption of cloud services, the “internet of things” and mobility solutions are changing the landscape of enterprise IT. In an increasingly crowded vendor market, it’s difficult to understand how enterprise IT decision makers develop and execute spending plans. To shine light on this buyer journey, IDG Enterprise conducted an online survey of IT leaders working in companies with an average size of more than 11,000 employees and spanning verticals including education, technology, manufacturing, finance, business services, health care, government and retail.
The 2016 IDG Enterprise Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker survey results were compiled to provide a better understanding of IT models and purchasing processes. Among the key findings, IDG Enterprise found the best way for vendors to reach enterprise decision makers is through “free trials and test drives of products; timely/relevant information; advice/best practices; and case studies.”
Based on the survey results, 67% of respondents said quick response to questions was the most important thing “an IT vendor can do to engage … when you are researching solutions for purchase.” That was followed by level of importance with providing free product trials, to which 64% of respondents responded favorably. Here’s a graphical break down of all the factors.
Other key findings addressed by IDG Enterprise include enterprise IT models, and understanding interdepartmental relationships.
According to the survey, IT models are changing: 57% of respondents work with a centralized model giving “CIOs control of the IT budget and technology assets;” 34% have “federated/distributed” models; and with 8% each, business unit controls its own IT decision making.
Other main points include the procedural, multistakeholder nature of IT purchasing processes and the role of technology resources. Read more from IDG Enterprise and the 2016 IDG Enterprise Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker survey.
