Businesses hit by 'fragmented' IT procurement

A lack of communication between business units is leading to fragmented IT buying strategies, according to a new survey, meaning that many organisations are failing to feel the benefits of technology. Business intelligence specialist Cognos found 68 percent of its sales enquiries come from individual departments sourcing point solutions to solve an immediate business problem. The company believes they rarely take into account whether other divisions might also benefit from the technology. Graham Walter, managing director of Cognos UK, said: "All too often, the sales team will purchase a new IT system and fail to ask whether the marketing, or finance team, might benefit from it too. Companies can't afford to have this 'blinkered' approach to purchasing because they're missing out on greater efficiencies and the obvious economies of scale that come with buying IT systems. All divisions need to have the interests of the entire company in mind, and not just their own." He added: "Whether you're buying a business intelligence or a CRM system, it pays to ask around to see if other departments need it too. As well as splitting the cost, it also ensures IT systems are integrated across departments, rather than each taking a selfish approach, which is of little benefit to long-term success."

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