Networks, hardware and software solutions claim 55% of '06 IT plans

Of the nine technology categories we track in our IT priorities study, three constitute 55% of all IT initiatives planned for 12 months out. IT managers tell us that about 25% of their planned IT initiatives 12 months out will involve wired and wireless networking solutions. Hardware and software implementations each constitute around 15% of future plans. (software infrastructure planning appears to be increasing, though at a modest pace).

This leaves the rest of the IT planning pie divided across 6 technologies. Among these, IT management, security, web technology and data management solutions comprise 8-9% of new initiatives, respectively. Operating system migration, trending downward over the past 12 months or so as migrations and upgrades are completed, hovers around 5% of IT plans, with application development consistently representing only 2-3% of future projects.