CIOs must trade off innovation and maintenance in 2012

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The business running as usual in 2012

CIOs face major challenges in trading off stretched budgets between innovative projects andkeeping the business running as usual in 2012.

In itsTechWatch 2012 report, Cisco found IT budgets in 2012 will be spent on maintaining existingtechnology in spite of IT leaders' aspirations to innovate through research to drive thebusiness. 

Year of innovation trade-offs

"2012 will be a year of innovation trade-offs and compromise against a backdrop of volatileeconomic conditions," said the Cisco report.

"2012 has the potential to be the Year of the Innovation Leader, when trailblazing companiesrealise the potential of tools just as cloud and mobile connectivity to revolutionise theirindustries," said Ian Foddering, Cisco UK CTO. 

"Those innovation innovators who are not daunted by the economic uncertainty of the currentclimate, and are willing to invest in innovation ahead of the curve, can take advantage of the'gear change' the industry is experiencing in remote and service-based IT." 

The only trade-off

Balancing technology against maintenance will not be the only trade-off. Others will includecollaboration against security; productivity; network reliability; and security against flexibilityand performance.

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