Two thirds of company leadership bypass their own IT departments when buying new technologies for digital transformation, according to a new survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

A study of 303 senior executives from private and public sector organisations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, produced by the EIU for software firm BMC, also found that despite the sidestepping of IT departments for purchasing decisions, 43 per cent would still hold them accountable if digital transformation initiatives were to go wrong.

By contrast, just 15 per cent of business unit leaders would be considered responsible for poor outcomes.

More than a third (37 per cent) said that organisations often fail to consult their IT teams for fear of the procurement process taking an excessive amount of time, while 38 per cent of IT leaders within organisation are asking their business counterparts to set more realistic goals for digital transformation.

BMC said the survey results “fly in the face” of IT departments’ traditional role as a gatekeeper of new technologies, with decisions on new IT systems and digital technologies being taken by other business functions as the role of data, cybersecurity and digital transformation take an increasingly central role in core business strategy.

For organisations which have only had their digital transformation initiatives in place for one or two years, only 42 per cent strongly agree their organisation is realising the benefits. This is much lower than the 63 per cent of respondents who have had their initiatives in place for three or more years.

Kevin Plumberg, editor of the report, said: “Digital transformation is not a one-off, unique journey that some organisations are experimenting with, it has become the norm, and companies where IT teams are working closely with the business rather than in silos are better positioned to manage the challenges that inevitably arise.”

Share Story: