Enterprise IT Needs Evolve

As it did last year, improving the capabilities and scope of customer service departments ranked as the most demanding IT department in our 2004 survey; 40 percent of enterprises expect that to be in the highest demand of IT needs, up slightly from one year ago. Engineering, and finance and accounting departments ranked numbers 2 and 3, with more than one-quarter (28 percent and 27 percent, respectively) of our executives saying they anticipate high needs from these two groups.

One area above all others, however, showed a significant increase in its IT needs--sales, which is now among the top four priorities of IT executives. In contrast, it ranked eighth on their list of critical needs one year ago.