Synopsis
This report presents the findings from a survey of 65 South African enterprises regarding their approach to Information & Communication Technology (ICT) procurement. The survey investigates the way that South African enterprises like to purchase technology, as well as the major IT and business objectives influencing their IT investment strategies.
Scope
Provides insights into South African enterprises’ preferred buying approaches.
Comprehend the business objectives that South African enterprises are looking to achieve through their IT investment strategy.
Appreciate the IT objectives that South African enterprises are looking to achieve through their IT investment strategy.
Understand the factors that are influencing South African enterprises’ decision to select an ICT provider.
Understand which organizational roles influence ICT purchasing decisions and signing off budgets.
Summary
Why was the report written?
To highlight the criteria on which South African enterprises select their ICT providers as well as the roles which have influence while making ICT purchasing decisions.
What is the current market landscape and what is changing?
Enterprises in South Africa prefer to procure technologies direct from suppliers and deploy them on-site, although their preference towards hosted services is also gaining momentum.
What are the key drivers behind recent market changes?
South African enterprises’ emphasis on cost cutting and reducing complexity is providing an impetus to adoption of managed and hosted services.
What makes this report unique and essential to read?
Kable Market Research Market Research has invested significant resources in order to interview CIOs and IT managers about their ICT Procurement. Very few IT analyst houses will have interviewed 60+ ICT decision makers in the South African market in H2 2012.
Reasons To Buy
Most South African enterprises prefer to buy technologies direct from suppliers and then deploy them on- site rather than using a hosted model, primarily because of the confidentiality of data or legacy systems already in place.
In the face of continued economic uncertainty, IT vendors are looking to develop solutions which enable enterprises to achieve operational efficiency and stimulate growth.
As South African businesses look to develop long-term relationships with their technology vendors, preference is given to technology vendors with a stable financial background who are capable of providing support and maintenance relating to their technology in the future.
CFOs also have a major influence on ICT investment decisions, given their role in controlling enterprise budgets and hence decision making, with an average rating of X on the same scale.
With increasing complexity of the ICT environment, South African enterprises are faced with technology management issues.
Table of Contents
1 Enterprise ICT investment trends
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Survey demographics
1.3 ICT budget changes
1.4 ICT investment priorities
2 ICT procurement trends
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Purchasing channels
2.3 Business objectives influencing IT investment strategy
2.4 IT objectives influencing IT investment strategy
2.5 ICT provider selection
2.6 Influencers
2.7 Complexity of the ICT infrastructure environment
3 Summary
3.1 South African enterprises’ ICT investment strategies revolve around improving efficiency and aligning IT with their overall business goals
4 Appendix
4.1 Definitions
4.2 Further reading
4.3 Contact the authors
List Of Tables
Table 1: South African enterprise ICT survey industry breakdown
Table 2: South African enterprise ICT survey breakdown by size band (number of employees)
Table 3: Recent and expected ICT budget changes among South African enterprises
Table 4: South African enterprises’ current and future investment priorities across technology categories.
Table 5: South African enterprises' preferred approach to buying technologies
Table 6: Business objectives which influence South African enterprises' IT investment strategy
Table 7: IT objectives which influence South African enterprises' IT investment strategy
Table 8: Factors influencing South African enterprises' decision to choose an ICT provider
Table 9: Influence of organizational roles in making ICT purchasing decisions and signing off budgets
Table 10: Complexity of the ICT infrastructure in South African enterprises
List Of Figures
Figure 1: South African enterprise ICT survey industry breakdown
Figure 2: South African enterprise ICT survey breakdown by size band (number of employees)
Figure 3: Recent and expected ICT budget changes among South African enterprises
Figure 4: South African enterprises’ current and future investment priorities across technology categories.
Figure 5: South African enterprises' preferred approach to buying technologies
Figure 6: Business objectives which influence South African enterprises' IT investment strategy
Figure 7: IT objectives which influence South African enterprises' IT investment strategy
Figure 8: Factors influencing South African enterprises' decision to choose an ICT provider
Figure 9: Influence of organizational roles in making ICT purchasing decisions and signing off budgets
Figure 10: Complexity of the ICT infrastructure in South African enterprises
