Whilst IT-business alignment is improving, many IT departments still face a challenge in expanding network services and organising their network strategies to meet the requirements of the businesses they work for.

The 2013 Cisco Global IT Impact Survey – which includes feedback from a number of financial and banking firms – shows that many feel they face a gap between the IT department and lines of business within a company - for example, business heads rolling out applications without consulting IT departments resulting in problems for the network. Other themes explored include Software Defined Networking (SDN) and the Internet of Things. Results showed that one-third say they’ve seen an actual SDN deployment as often as they’ve seen Bigfoot, Elvis, or the Loch Ness Monster, while 42 per cent claim to be vaguely familiar with the Internet of Things.

Other key findings: 63 per cent of IT professionals questioned are confident in their ability to respond to the needs of the business, but 27 per cent still equate the visibility of their IT department into their company’s business initiatives to a foggy day in London; Applications and user expectations are becoming more complex - 71 per cent reported that IT is deploying more applications today than one year ago; IT and the network are increasingly recognised as enabling the business - 78 per cent stated the network is more critical for delivering applications than it was at this time last year; IT-business alignment is improving, but IT is not always involved when the decisions are made - 89 per cent of IT leaders collaborate with line of business leaders at least on a monthly basis. However, 38 per cent said they are brought into the planning and deployment process late.

“More than ever, IT has the potential to make a profound impact on the business – and opportunity to act as a strategic partner – by building a network architecture that can leverage multiple technology transitions,” says Rob Soderbery, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco Enterprise Networking Group. “The most successful IT professionals are those who acknowledge that fast decision-making within the enterprise is directly tied to the readiness of the network.”

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