This problem was further highlighted within the financial services industry, where 71% of respondents claimed that maintaining network performance for end users is their primary networking headache.
David Galton-Fenzi, group sales director at Zycko, said internet downtime is not acceptable and that the onus is firmly on CIOs to make sure it never happens. Business users expect 100% performance from their IT networks and the pressure to deliver new technologies, such as VoIP or video conferencing services is intense, he said. There is a high level of dissatisfaction with existing network systems.
Only half of the CIOs questioned claimed to be happy with their suppliers, so upgrading networks to improve performance is the logical decision.
However, serious homework needs to be done to evaluate the available systems on the market and their supposed business benefits. According to the research, careful evaluation should also be applied to any decision of whether to select a proprietary or open standards networking system. Of those questioned, 40% admitted that being locked into proprietary systems with expensive licensing upgrades is their heaviest grievance.
Data management, such as securing increasing data volumes, also continues to plague IT managers, with 39% admitting that it is a major headache. Half of all respondents also admitted that they are not happy with their current supplier and 59% stated that they believe open standards networking will deliver significant cost savings, for example through improved choice and flexibility.
IT managers have traditionally relied on tried and tested brand names for their networking requirements, but 2007 will see a revolution in purchasing, added Galton-Fenzi. The market is growing and there are already high quality open standards networking systems available to deliver the best performance available. IT managers are clearly fed up with underperforming networking and licensing agreements, and so moving to open systems that can help alleviate network headaches, save money and improve overall business performance.