SHELVED TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS TO PROCEED: CIOs Surveyed Plan to Move Forward With Upgrades, Other Initiatives

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology executives are signaling a readiness to make critical IT investments, a new survey shows. More than one-third (37 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed said, post-recession, they plan to implement software and hardware upgrades that had been deferred due to a soft economy. Others foresee moving forward with virtualization projects (16 percent) and website design initiatives (16 percent) as conditions improve.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, "Which IT projects, if any, did you put on hold in 2009 due to the economy that you plan to implement post-recession?" Their responses*:

"Software and hardware upgrades are necessary to support the evolving technology needs of organizations," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "Businesses recognize that delaying system upgrades and other investments for too long could prevent them from taking advantage of emerging technologies that provide a competitive advantage."

The plan to move forward with new technology initiatives is good news for IT job seekers, Willmer added. "As they initiate previously deferred projects, many companies will need to hire additional employees, on either a full-time or project basis, to install new systems, staff the help desk, provide network support or handle information security," he said.

About the Survey

The national survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. The survey is based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the survey to be statistically representative, the sample was stratified by geographic region, industry and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of the number of employees within each region.

About Robert Half Technology

With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com. Follow Robert Half Technology on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RobertHalfTech.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology