As we interact with CIOs of midsize companies at the MES show, there are several common themes that come out in the conversations. While cost-cutting has been the overwhelming focus of IT organizations in the last year, there seems to be a change in objectives going forward. More CIOs seem to be focused on ways to increase business revenues, rather than containing costs. The projects that are being funded are the ones that involve customer facing solutions, challenging IT to provide innovation that is targeted at end customers, rather than internal business users.
A number of companies have had positive experiences with server virtualization over the last couple of years, and are looking to take the next step – virtualizing their desktop systems. Cloud computing, especially storage is finding increased traction in the midsize organizations, as they look to improve business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Another trend seems to be the increased focus on building relationships with external service companies in this market segment, as IT executives seek to do more with less.
