FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Rapid changes in technology combined with tightening budgets have renewed the corporate emphasis on training and retaining the existing information technology (IT) workforce. Training and productivity are the top issues facing IT organizations, according to the board of advisors for the Information Technology Research Center (ITRC) at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas.

Bill Hardgrave, executive director of the ITRC, said, "While training has always been important to any IT organization, the internet, security concerns and Java have heightened the need for more and better training. However, limited funding for training continues to make this a challenge. IT organizations are placing renewed interest in developing and retaining the existing workforce rather than hiring new workers. Despite the slumping economy, well-trained, qualified IT workers - who can hit the ground running - are still sought."

The ITRC is an interdisciplinary research unit of the Walton College. Its board of advisors is comprised of 14 technology executives from international, national and regional businesses as well as state government. The board provides long-term strategic direction, industry feedback on IT research and education and, in some instances, funding for IT research. At a recent meeting, the ITRC board members ranked the top-10 issues (see Summary) currently facing their IT organizations,

Rather than focusing on technologies, which change rapidly, the survey of the board reflects what is currently on the minds of the top IT executives. The top-10 issues provide a barometer of activities in these organizations and serve as a signpost for the academic community for research and curriculum issues.

According to Hardgrave, the corporate budget and project prioritization ranked as the second issue with the ITRC board. He said, "In response to tightening budgets, little growth in human resources, and increasing demand for information systems, IT organizations are closely examining projects to ensure the maximum return on investment (ROI) to the business. These organizations are being asked to do more while under growing budget pressures."

Security was also ranked as a top issue. Hardgrave added, "The increasing importance of security is no surprise. IS vulnerabilities such as spamming, filtering and denial of service attacks have always been of concern, but today privacy, viruses, hacking, disaster recovery, and the security issues associated with the growth of wireless networks and PDAs have added to the complexity of the problem."

The ITRC board’s other top concerns include treating IT as a strategic partner in the business rather than a service component. IT managers are taking a greater leadership role and emerging as drivers of change. Along with this recognition of the important role IT plays in business, the issue of improving business processes for increasing efficiencies becomes more critical. The IT workforce has to better understand the business and be agents of continual change and improvement through IT initiatives.

Project management, another top-10 issue, is a difficult and highly valued skill among IT professionals. The ever-increasing demand for IT systems and services within tighter budgets highlights the need for better project management.

Other issues in the top 10 include: systems integration, web-enabling applications, and establishing portals. These issues are decreasing slightly in importance, compared to their rankings last year, as efforts in application integration, supply chain integration, web solutions, and portal development, among others are beginning to pay dividends.

ITRC board members include: Wally Anderson, Acxiom Corporation; John Haley, ALLTEL Corporation; Joseph Smith, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield; Mike McGibbony, Arkansas Department of Information Systems; Phil Porter, Arvest Bank Group; Michael Matheny, Beverly Enterprises; Don Hall, Data-Tronics Corp.; Bill Holder, Dillard’s Inc.; Kay Palmer, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.; Marty Shoenthaler, Phillips Petroleum; Ray Shepard, RHI Consulting; Dee Hency, Southwestern Energy; Gary Cooper, Tyson Foods Inc.; and Dan Phillips, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. In addition, members from the Walton College include Doyle Z. Williams, dean; Fred Davis, David D. Glass Chair in Information Systems and chair of the Information Systems department; and Anne O’Leary-Kelly, professor of management.

The ITRC was established in the Walton College in 1999 with a portion of the endowment created by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation gift of $50 million in 1998. The ITRC conducts IT research for and with organizations, collects and analyzes data, provides on-site research reviews, hosts research workshops and provides research facilities.

For more information on the ITRC, check the web at http://itrc.uark.edu/ or contact (479)

575-4261.

(Sidebar - Summary)

Top 10 Issues Facing IT Organizations this year

(According to ITRC member organizations)

1. Training and development of information technology workers

2. Budget and project prioritization

3. Retaining information technology workers

4. Security

5. Improving and maintaining the IT organization as an enabler by the business

6. Business process design

7. Project management

8. Systems integration

9. Web-enabling applications

10. Portals

 

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