CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--A year after
its inaugural quarterly CIO Confidence Poll, Forrester Research, Inc.
(Nasdaq: FORR) finds that the outlook for future industry health
continues to be strong among CIOs, despite lagging the levels set
during the past two quarters. Forrester's CIO Confidence Poll surveys
approximately 200 CIOs of North American firms each quarter, measuring
their confidence in the health of their industries, businesses, and IT
spending.
Highlights include:
Views on the current business climate remain positive. Fifty-seven
percent of those polled cited a strong or very strong current business
climate, compared with 36 percent that responded similarly in Q1 of
last year. As in Q4 2004, CIOs at companies with at least 5,000
employees feel most positive about today's business climate.
The future outlook has dimmed slightly. The CIO community
continues to be optimistic about future prospects -- only 3 percent
expect a more challenging business climate three quarters from now.
But the brightness of the future outlook has dimmed slightly.
Currently only 14 percent of CIOs expect three quarters from now to be
much better than today. This compares with 23 percent in Q4 2004 and
18 percent in Q3 2004.
IT spending continues to show more upside. Almost half of the
respondents -- 45 percent -- expect to spend above their 2005 IT
budget or at least find new sources of funding. Smaller enterprises --
those with 1,000-5,000 employees -- are most likely to spend above
their planned IT budgets. Forrester has seen this number increase
quarter over quarter -- at the same time last year only 25 percent
expected to outspend their budgets.
Forrester also asks CIOs a few questions each quarter about new
initiatives -- this quarter the topic du jour was risk management and
compliance. While 29 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with the
term or unsure of their company's efforts, 62 percent cited that a
corporate-wide compliance and risk management initiative was underway.
The research mentioned in this release, "CIO Confidence Poll: Q1
2005," is available to Forrester WholeView 2(TM) clients and can be
found at www.forrester.com.
About Forrester
Forrester is an independent technology research company that
provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology's
impact on business. Business, marketing, and IT professionals
worldwide collaborate with Forrester to align their technology
investments with their business goals. Forrester offers products and
services in four major areas: Research, Data, Consulting, and
Community. Established in 1983, Forrester is headquartered in
Cambridge, Mass. For additional information, visit www.forrester.com.
CONTACT: Kristen Wilson
Manager, Public Relations
Forrester Research, Inc.
+ 1 617/613-6205
press@forrester.com
SOURCE: Forrester Research, Inc.
