Login, change your address, subscribe to new or manage current magazines or e-newsletter subscriptions
Computerworld Publication PageNetworkWorld Publication PageCIO Canada Publication PageITJobUniverse.ca
- The Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Job Board
Advanced Search
Knowledge Centres
Content Types
Featured White Papers
Unlock the potential of data with the right data warehouse solutionUnlock the potential of data with the right data warehouse solution read more
IBM Multiform Master Data Management: The evolution of MDM applicationsIBM Multiform Master Data Management: The evolution of MDM applications read more
Closing the data privacy gap: Protecting sensitive data in non-production environmentsClosing the data privacy gap: Protecting sensitive data in non-production environments read more
Yuk it Up
Green IT Playbook
Connect with the experts
IT is being asked to build storage infrastructures at lower costs. At the same time storage networks are deluged with content, driven by rich digital media and new governance and compliance rules. How can we better prepare for this ongoing onslaught on our storage resources? Join Shane Schick, Editor in Chief of IT World Canada, and his guests John Sloan, Senior Research Analyst, Info-Tech Research Group and Jim Decaires, Storage Product Manager, Fujitsu, for a one-hour webinar that will separate the hype from the reality and enable you to achieve more with less.
Gartner Research Note
Gartner reviews enterprise-class email archiving products that were able to prove, through strong references, their ability to address the needs of an organization looking to support enterprise email users. Discover which vendors are in the Magic Quadrant that combines completeness of vision with the ability to execute. Complimentary with registration. Sponsored by Mimosa Systems Inc.
It History Knowledge
Sign-Up for
Integrating IT
eNewsletter Delivered Weekly
Click here
Page 1 of 2

Canadians taking baby steps in bridging IT, business gap

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

When it comes to IT maturity in the enterprise, Canada is generally in its infancy.

This according to a recent study by IDC Canada Ltd. that measured the progress of IT in the business environment, where the extent to which corporate information systems serve business needs determine the level of IT maturity.

The maturity model is essentially a gauge of the role of IT in the organization – the more IT is involved as a business partner, the higher is its maturity level, according to David Senf, manager, Canadian application development and infrastructure software at IDC Canada.

"The model looks at the progress of IT with respect to business – from IT serving just basic functions, such as being able to launch a new device or deploy a new application, on one end of the spectrum, all the way to the business being able to extend or expand itself based on IT," Senf explained.

With the exception of a small segment of the market, Canadian businesses are generally at the "starting point" when it comes to their IT maturity. This means IT departments in many organizations are still performing basic functions of serving technology, rather than business requirements, said Senf.

U.S. companies, however, are demonstrating greater IT maturity than their northern cousins. That discrepancy, noted the IDC analyst, is largely due to the overall makeup of businesses in the two countries.

A large number of businesses in Canada belong to the small and medium-sized category. This contrasts with the U.S., which plays host to many large organizations, with at least 5,000 employees, said Senf. "And those (large) companies have many more moving parts in their IT and their business context, so they need a more sophisticated IT to do what they need to do."

Despite the not-so-impressive performance of Canadian organizations on the IT maturity scale, businesses are increasingly recognizing their IT department’s role in the overall business growth, according to David McJannet, senior product manager for SQL Server at Microsoft Canada.

"Companies are demanding their IT departments act as key business participants in their overall growth plans – whether it’s entering new markets, whether it’s better serving customers, whether it’s providing better information for decision makers to make more informed and timely decisions," said McJannet.

But in attempting to reinvent their role as a business partner, IT departments often face challenges that prevent them from delivering what is expected of them from a business perspective, he added.

Some obstacles include hard-coded business processes that are difficult to change and disconnected silos of information that are often difficult to get at.

Page 1 of 2
Send to a Friend  Rate This Page  Print This PageAdd a new comment
Bookmark this article on:
del.icio.us| Digg it| Furl| Google| Technorati| StumbleIt| Yahoo!

Have something to say about this article? Add a new comment

If you find a comment inappropriate, You can notify the moderator by clicking the Report an innapropriate comment icon.
ADD A COMMENT
Name:*Your email address will not appear online and will be used only in the event that the editor wishes to contact you personally for additional comment.
City:
Email:
Title:*
Comment:*
* required fields



Related Content
Articles

Book Reviews

Special Advertising Partners
IDC Case Study: Identity And Access Management Buying Criteria.
IDC analyses IAM buying criteria and deployment at Coppin State University. Coppin State replaces "first generation" IAM solution to obtain benefits needed for today's agile enterprise: ease of integration, rapid deployment, simplified compliance, flexibility.
White Papers
Closing the data privacy gap: Protecting sensitive data in non-production environments
How can IT organizations protect sensitive data, including employee and customer information, as well as corporate confidential data and intellectual property? Industry analysts recommend "de-identifying" or masking data as a best practice for protecting privacy. This white paper explains the importance of closing the data privacy gap in non-production environments, and provides guidance on effective data masking. Complimentary with registration. Sponsored by IBM.
Unlock the potential of data with the right data warehouse solution
Once you've made the decision to implement a new data warehouse, you want to make sure you choose the one that's right for your organization. This buyer's guide provides checklists for starting points that you can use when evaluating vendors and their products. Complimentary with registration. Sponsored by IBM.
Prepare for a more efficient SAP implementation: Take data issues off the critical path
This white paper outlines how the Preliminary Data Assessment Appliance (PDAA) from IBM can help address the challenges of integrating data from different operational applications across the enterprise to an SAP platform. Complimentary with registration. Sponsored by IBM.