Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. subsidiary, has released results of a European survey of 374 IT managers in the UK, France and Germany.
The survey, conducted by independent research company Vanson Bourne, found that almost half (44 percent) of IT managers believe that a lack of IT process integration is limiting their businesses’ ability to compete at a global level.
Despite the fact that almost three quarters (73 percent) of European IT managers face a more complex global supply chain than they did three years ago, the survey suggests that many companies are struggling to address the integration challenges of globalised business.
A third of IT managers surveyed stated that their company operates separate IT systems for each internal business unit or division. Despite this reliance upon separate systems, over a quarter of IT managers have not integrated effective process integration across the internal IT systems of their company’s global operations, regional offices and various lines of business.
“This survey shows that a large number of European businesses are still struggling to take control of internal and external IT process integration, to the extent that it is limiting their ability to compete,” says Chris Hayes, senior product marketing manager for Sterling Commerce. “The integration challenges revealed by this survey reflect companies’ desire to continue to leverage the value of their existing IT systems, but this needs to be done in a manner which delivers the adaptability necessary to handle ongoing business change and future business growth.”