CIOs in major companies around the world might not be looking ahead to stout budget increases this year, but they are planning to shift their spending priorities, according to a new survey from research firm Gartner.
In its 2011 IT spending outlook, Gartner found that an increasing number of CIOs are planning to shell out for new computing technologies, such as cloud-based systems and virtualization.
“New lighter-weight technologies — such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), and social networks — and IT models, enable the CIO to redefine IT, giving it a greater focus on growth and strategic impact,” said Gartner’s Mark McDonald.
At the moment, Gartner estimates that just 3 percent of CIOs run the majority of their systems in the cloud or using SaaS technologies, but over the next four years, that proportion is expected to grow to 43 percent.
Datamation reports on Gartner’s rosy forecast for cloud computing and virtualization technologies as CIOs shift their spending priorities.