VoIP planning becomes reality

This month, wired and wireless networking projects are the top IT priority, as measured by our IT Priorities research. Currently, more VoIP projects are underway than any other networking solution, a trend that started in January, showing the shift from 12-month planning to deployment. And VoIP projects are still top-of-mind among 12-month networking plans (true for 8 of the last 12 months). Longer-term, wireless networks lead the pack.

Hardware upgrades claim the #2 IT Priority slot, with server upgrades and migrations dominating current implementations. Storage area networks climbed to the top of planned hardware initiatives, and server consolidation will be most prominent in the 2-year timeframe—reflecting the natural progression of server lifecycle management.

Security rose to 3rd highest ranking priority, slipping past software infrastructure. Not surprisingly, IT managers are actively implementing anti-spam solutions. They are planning on authentication and anti-spyware projects down the road.

Among software infrastructure projects, ERP implementations and upgrades rank highest among enterprise applications. New to the “top priority” scene among 12-month planned initiatives is document management—paperless offices and printing solutions--followed by groupware 24-months out.

Rounding out the top 5 IT priorities, IT management makes a strong showing, with HIPPA and SOX projects rolling along. In the mid- to long term windows, IT managers will be turning their attention to managing and improving business processes to improve ROI, and see outsourcing as a means to further control costs.