It’s complicated: 55% of organisations struggle to keep up with new tech

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: It’s complicated: 55% of organisations struggle to keep up with new tech.

In this world we can often say we have too much choice and not enough time. B2B decision-makers are finding much the same is true for them, with the influx of new technologies available to their businesses proving too much to keep up with.

Technology is changing rapidly. Keeping up with the latest innovations, challenges, opportunities and threats is a big task. How many IT decision-makers feel fully equipped?

A new study by Cogeco Peer 1, a global provider of enterprise IT products and services, found that 55% of organisations are struggling to keep up with the pace of new technology. Shockingly, 28% of IT leaders felt they personally can't keep up with all the changes and choices available to them.

The study, which questioned 150 IT decision-makers across several different industries including financial services, retail, higher education, business services and media, looked into the real value of service and found that over a quarter (28%) of respondents admitted that their organisation has actually fallen behind the rate of change in technology and the vast majority (84%) of respondents stated that their organisation is not currently running the optimum IT system.

When an organisation adopts new technology, it is clear it doesn't always go to plan. 81% of respondents had been let down by IT they've adopted in the past, when it has not lived up to expectations and almost half (48%) stated this has happened on multiple occasions. The most common impacts of this have been reliability issues (65%), not getting the service required (57%) and higher costs (52%), suggesting that the cost implications of a wrong turn can be incredibly detrimental to a business and the legacy of systems that don't work as anticipated can lead to problems for a long time to come.

Susan Bowen, VP and General Manager EMEA at Cogeco Peer 1 said: "This study gives us fascinating insight into where the priorities of IT decision-makers lie and where vendors can really be making an impact.

"It is important for an IT partner to step up when it comes to digesting the features, benefits, threats and drawbacks of introducing new products and routes a business could buy into and debrief their recommendations to the business accordingly. Only by becoming a trusted business partner can an IT vendor ingratiate themselves with a business and really add that extra level of invaluable service.

"This is something Cogeco Peer 1 is well known for and it's that which sets us apart. With new technology, IT decision makers are requiring a deeper level of technical expertise to accompany it. That can only come from dedicated technical account managers and a partner on hand 24/7."