Survey: Bosses ignore IT and networks

Most top managers in British companies are failing to get involved with the big questions about their IT and telecommunications infrastructure, according to research published on Tuesday.

The report, released by telecoms firm Telefonica UK, found that 87 percent of business heads either never attend strategic review meetings with their IT and network managers, or do so only rarely.

Telefonica claims that this means that the companies in question will miss out on the benefits of technologies such as broadband -- the implication being that IT staff can't always be trusted to make the correct decisions on their own.

"Broadband networks are not a passport to maximising business efficiency without the regular input and interaction of both IT and non-IT senior management," said Andrew Peters, chief executive of Telefonica UK.

"As the survey indicates, the high number of IT departments being left to decide, on their own, what's good for business in some companies is somewhat alarming," Peters added.

Telefonica also found that around 80 percent of companies are already using VPN links or are planning to do so this year -- a sign, it said, that most companies recognise the benefits of broadband.