FRAMINGHAM, MA--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2014) - IDG's Network World -- the premier technology media brand providing network strategy for the connected enterprise -- reveals the 2014 results of the Network World State of the Network study (click to Tweet). The annual research provides a comprehensive view of technology adoption trends among the Network World audience. The study indicates that IT decision-makers are seeing budget increases over the next year, with three-quarters anticipating budgets will increase or hold firm for 2014. As IT budgets continue to rise, IT staff headcount is expected to increase as well to meet demands of new IT models and technologies. Those expecting staffing increases estimate headcounts will increase by an average of 17% over the next one to three years.
Emerging Technologies Influence on IT
The quickly advancing next generation technology landscape is driving organizations to invest and prepare for changes made possible by these emerging technologies. Almost half (49%) of IT decision-makers anticipate that emerging technologies will enable their IT organizations to pool resources and drive up utilization, while reducing siloed resources. In fact, IT sees Software-Defined Networking (SDN) as a top technology opportunity with 57% actively pursuing SDN and 46% planning implementation within the next 3 years. WiFi is another substantial driver with 47% in agreement that 802.11ac, an evolutionary wireless LAN specification that leverages several ways to dramatically boost WiFi throughput, will be critical to their organizations' ability to keep up with demands for wireless access.
"Technology spending is on the rise as newer technologies allow for consolidation and utilization," said Elisa Della Rocco, vice president, Digital Sales, Network World. "This positive growth not only gives solution providers the opportunity to expand relationships with customers, but also helps drive growth and improve process efficiencies in the IT workforce."
Additional Key Findings Include:
- IT's role with business and technology objectives align closely with the priority of lowering operation costs.
- Full business value from BYOD has yet to emerge; however, 40% of respondents agree that increasing/enabling mobility will be a top objective within the next 12 months.
- Research shows that IT decision-makers are taking note of the business value from Software-Defined Networking (SDN). More than a third (36%) of respondents agreed that SDN will radically change their network for the better, and 57% are actively researching SDN technologies.
To review the full results, contact Elisa Della Rocco, vice president, Digital Sales, Network World at edellarocco@nww.com.
About State of the Network
The Network World State of the Network study is conducted annually to help tech marketers inform their product development, marketing and messaging strategies, specifically relating to emerging technologies that impact the network. The 2014 Network World State of the Network survey was conducted among members of the Network World Tech Connections Panel and the Network World audience database. Results are based on 282 respondents who indicated they have technology purchase influence at their organization.
About Network World
Network World is the premier provider of information, intelligence, and insight for network and IT decision-makers responsible for the digital nervous system of the connected enterprise: the network. With an editorial focus on delivering news, opinion and analytical tools for key decision-makers who architect, deploy and manage business solutions, Network World offers a unique and powerful combination of audiences and resources across digital (networkworld.com), events and custom solutions to meet marketers objectives. Network World is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, events, and research company. Company information is available at www.idgenterprise.com.
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