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Logicalis recently conducted its second-annual Optimal Services Study, and we discovered CIOs are becoming increasingly aware that their fellow line-of-business executives wield greater influence over IT purchasing decisions. In response, CIOs are actively re-shaping IT departments as internal service providers.

In the survey of top IT pros spanning 24 countries, CIOs acknowledged that the balance of power in information and communication technology spending has shifted decisively toward line-of-business executives. The trend also shows no sign of slowing down as the “shadow IT” trend increasingly takes center stage.

Here are some of the other key results from our survey of CIOs:

  • 57% think line-of-business colleagues have gained more power over the last 12 months.
  • 28% admit their colleagues hold the balance of power in IT decision-making.
  • 64% believe the trend will continue over the next three to five years.
  • 66% report the IT department is responsible for managing technologies and services purchased by their colleagues.

Commenting on the findings, Chris Barnard, Associate Vice President at IDC says, “The 2014 Optimal Survey Results confirm major trends IDC observes within the industry with the shift to a new technology platform, the Third Platform, which is built on mobility, cloud, big data analytics, and social technologies. This creates challenges for the CIO and IT organizations as they struggle to balance strategic and operational choices.”

To learn more about these startling trends, you can access the Logicalis study study and a related infographic at http://bit.ly/1rAzJcV.

We also invite you to watch a brief video explaining the Logicalis service-defined experience and to download the white paper, “Why Every CEO Wants to Lead a Service Defined Enterprise and Why the CIO Needs to Make it Happen” at http://ow.ly/EXaVy.