IT industry warned over wasted money

UK biz not happy

Four in ten of the UK's bosses reckon they've wasted money on new technology. Although a third admit that were to blame for a dodgy purchase, a quarter blame the IT industry for selling them duff kit.

So says the Sage Business Heartbeat Survey, which also found that many company bosses rely on friends, family or colleagues for info on new software and products rather than turning to IT vendors for help.

According to Sage, this underlines the need for IT companies to communicate better with business.

"The fact that business people believe money is being wasted because either they are failing to identify their IT needs, the systems are implemented poorly or they are sold the wrong product is a major concern for the industry," said the report.

This message was rammed home by Sage UK MD Paul Stobart: "It [the survey] highlights the need for the industry to deliver tangible benefits, focus on selling practical solutions not technology for technology's sake and most importantly to improve after sales customer service. With the customer in mind, it is also important for us to focus on integrating new technologies with existing systems and not automatically adopt the 'rip out and replace' mindset."

The survey by the business software outfit also revealed that the desktop PC is the favourite technology for business people. A quarter of the 3,000 bosses who took part in the survey said they couldn't live without their trusty PC, while three in ten companies said they couldn't function without them. ®

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