An survey announced today by Juniper Networks highlights that the majority (89 percent) of IT Decision Makers surveyed view IT security as crucial to their company’s success. According to Juniper the research findings also suggest that there is a link between this view of security as a business imperative and those companies that met or exceeded their financial targets in 2009.
The majority of respondents also indicated that to sustain this competitive advantage through 2010 they believe they need to maintain a focus on delivering a high-performance network for their business. Cost control was also one of the top priorities for 2010, with 56 percent rating it as a key objective. This figure is higher among those who either exceeded or met their financial targets (57 percent) than those who mostly missed them (51 percent).
Juniper’s recently commissioned High-Performance Business survey was done by the independent research consultancy Loudhouse and surveyed the state of enterprise networks in Europe at the start of 2010. 500 IT decision-makers in medium-to-large enterprises (1.000 employees or more) in the UK, France, Germany and the Benelux were interviewed.
According to Juniper the findings of the survey highlight the delicate balance between commercial imperatives that drive cost savings and business demands that require IT decision makers to keep technology performance and security front of mind.
Comparing yearly trends to Juniper’s 2008-09 High-Performance Business survey, the current research points towards an increasing focus on network cost, with OPEX now a focus for 73 percent compared to 66 percent in 2008. The emphasis on capital expenditure (CAPEX) as a priority rose from 61 percent to 67 percent although those changes were seen largely among French and German respondents, while data from the UK, where particularly high importance is placed on costs by respondents, remained relatively unchanged.
These findings demonstrate that IT departments are now – more than ever – appreciating the role they play in the success of the overall business. And while maintaining a secure network must be a fundamental focus, the big opportunity is in the dramatic performance enhancements and reduced OPEX that can be achieved through improving infrastructure to create a high-performance network. (Source: Juniper Networks/GST)