October 31, 2008

An acute problem confronting many CIOs is how do they continue to innovate under difficult economic conditions? The relentless pace of globalization and digitization demand innovation — new strategies, new initiatives and new applications of information technology to achieve business breakthroughs — but the current economic downturn is putting pressure on IT budgets and resources. The simple reality is that most IT organizations still expend 80 percent of their resources maintaining day-to-day operations, leaving only 20 percent available for new initiatives.

This Smart Enterprise Exchange examines current economic trends, their likely impact on IT strategy and how IT can remain on an innovative footing. Among the topics explored:

• What is the business outlook for the next 12 to 18 months, and what is the likely impact on the IT budget?
• In the current business climate, how should IT prioritize? How do you strike the optimal balance between operational support and new application deployment?
• Given the above, how can IT maintain or improve on current service levels while freeing up resources for new projects and initiatives?
• When growth slows and budgets tighten, does innovation have to fall by the wayside? Can IT continue to foster a culture of innovation, even in the face of business pressures and cutbacks?

 

	Brian Gillooly Editor-in-Chief, InformationWeek Events
	Madge Meyer EVP, Global Infr. Svcs. State Street Corp.
	Daniel J. Sheehan CIO Dunkin' Brands, Inc.
	Rebecca Wettemann VP, Research Nucleus Research Inc
	Louis A. Blatt, Ph.D. Sr. V.P, Strategy & Business Dev. CA, Inc.