What are your IT plans for 2004?

As some economic indicators bring the hope of recovery, what’s still not clear is when, where and how much of a recovery will be coming. However, cautious optimism seems to be replacing pessimism.

Many companies slammed on the brakes when it came to IT spending in 2003. Does that mean there is pent-up demand for management capabilities that simply can’t be put on hold any longer? Or will IT organizations have to live with more of the same in 2004?

One of the changes that occurred this year was consolidation among management vendors, where many small fish were either eaten by bigger fish or simply went belly-up. For those IT organizations using products from the vendors that are gone, what are they doing?

At the same time, many management vendors are pushing their visions for on-demand computing. While much of this is still a work in progress, there are some vendors that are starting to deliver such capabilities in their products today. These initiatives will continue into 2004 and beyond. Is your company looking to make a move toward on-demand computing in 2004, or will it be sitting on the fence for now? 

As 2003 draws to a close and we look forward to 2004 approaching, how will we fare next year, compared to this year? I’d like to hear about your company’s IT plans for 2004. Here are the types of questions I’d like you to answer.

What specific management technologies and/or initiatives is your company planning to take on next year?

What management technologies and tools do you need but your company won’t buy?

Are there new business initiatives that your company will be focusing on next year that would positively affect investment in IT? 

How much is your overall IT budget increasing, decreasing or remaining the same in 2004?

Is your company considering moving toward the “real-time enterprise” or “on-demand” concept next year?

Is automated provisioning of IT resources something you’ll be implementing next year?

Is IT automation something your company will be implementing next year, or not?

What is your network and system management wish list for next year? What do you want vendors to provide? What do you wish you could have, if only you had the budget?  

Please send your comments to me at mailto:rasmussen@emausa.com in the next week (with “2004 Plans” in the subject line), and I’ll report back to you about what the outlook looks like for 2004.