Budget breakdown: How IT budgets changed over the years

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Curious to spot however IT fund dollars shifted implicit the years? We revisited erstwhile IT fund surveys to find out.

Whether you emotion it oregon loathe it-- IT fund readying is simply a must. For much than 7 years, TechRepublic Premium has tracked IT spending by surveying tech professionals astir their IT fund plans for upcoming fiscal years.

Just however person IT trends changed---or stayed the same--over the years? We revisited erstwhile surveys regarding IT fund plans for fiscal years 2015-2021 to find out.

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IT spends

It's nary astonishment that IT spends accrued year-over-year during the past 7 years. After all, exertion options proceed to germinate and progressively supply workforce solutions for the endeavor astatine accelerated rates.

In 2015, much than 80% of survey respondents indicated that IT budgets were arsenic much, oregon much than the erstwhile year. Nearly half— 44% — reported that the 2015 fund was somewhat oregon importantly higher than 2014.

Spending increases continued successful 2016; however, according to the bulk of survey respondents, 2017 budgets saw lone a tiny summation implicit 2016 spends. Optimism persisted, and successful 2017, 18% of survey respondents said that their 2018 IT budgets would summation by 11-20%. By 2018, 39% of respondents reported that their IT budgets would summation 1-5%. This nonstop fig repeated itself for 2019 budgets with 39% of 2019 respondents saying that their IT budgets would summation 1-5%. For 2020 budgets, this fig dropped somewhat to 37% of respondents saying that their IT budgets would summation 1-5%. In addition, 8% of respondents said their 2020 fund would summation 20% oregon more.

Dollar amounts for IT budgets person remained consistent. Seventy percent of survey respondents reported that 2019 IT fund would beryllium nether $1 million. The aforesaid was existent for 62% of 2018's survey respondents, and 66% of 2017's survey respondents. (Only 9% of 2019's respondents reported that IT budgets would beryllium much than $20 million.)

Staying successful taxable with erstwhile reports, successful 2020, 62% of respondents said that IT fund would beryllium nether $1 million. However, 13% of respondents reported that IT 2020 fund would beryllium much than $20 million.

While successful 2021, IT budgets skewed much to comparatively tiny companies with larger IT budgets. Of the organizations surveyed that year, 44% had IT budgets beneath $1 million, 16% had budgets that were successful excess of $9.9 cardinal dollars, and 17% had budgets for IT that ranged from $1 cardinal to $9.9 cardinal dollars.

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Impact of COVID-19

Last year, much than fractional of the survey respondents (62%) said they would tighten their 2021 IT budgets arsenic a effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced companies to reengineer their concern processes and workforces. Further, 17% of survey respondents planned to postpone large projects successful 2021.

The pandemic besides affected affected IT priorities successful 2021. Slightly much than 1 4th of respondents (26%) said that were spending much connected distant exertion to let employees to enactment from home. The 2nd highest percent (22%) said that web and net information was a precocious priority.

Corporate commitment

For 2018 budgets, 35% of survey respondents noted that betwixt 1-5% of the full firm fund for 2018 was committed to IT. This stayed comparatively the aforesaid for 2019 IT fund plans, arsenic 39% of survey respondents said that the firm fund allocation for IT was betwixt 1-5%, and successful 2020 that fig dipped somewhat to 37%.

The firm fund committed somewhat much to IT successful 2021, arsenic 39% of survey respondents said that IT would person betwixt 1% to 5% of the wide budget. Another 23% of respondents said that the IT fund would comprise betwixt 6% to 10% percent of the wide firm budget.

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Budget priorities

In 2015 budgets, improving ratio and concern processes were considered the astir pressing IT matter, with 63% of respondents indicating it arsenic a large priority. IT priorities remained mostly unchanged successful 2016, but mobile instrumentality absorption made flimsy headway owed to organizations deploying BYOD (bring your ain device) policies and much mobile exertion deployments successful the field.

As 2017 IT budgets took shape, companies shifted their absorption to web and information security, which was expected considering the influx of information breaches that occurred. Sixty-nine percent of survey respondents listed web information for IT systems arsenic a large initiative, and 57% said they planned to put successful web infrastructure.

The astir notable alteration successful 2017 IT budgets was the determination to much computing astatine the edges of the endeavor and distant from a cardinal information center. Forty-seven percent of respondents said their companies allocated much fund dollars for borderline computing devices with a renewed absorption connected end-point PC hardware and operating systems. Also noteworthy was the precise aboriginal signifier that Internet of Things (IoT) applications were astatine astir companies. Only 3% of respondents reported that they had an IoT exertion installed.

Security remained an accent connected budgets successful 2018 and 2019 according to 53% of survey respondents and 63% of survey respondents, respectively. This inclination continued successful 2020, wherever fractional (51%) of the survey respondents ranked improving information arsenic their fig 1 fund priority. Cloud services placed second, with 45% of respondents stating that wealth was acceptable speech for unreality investment. Rounding retired IT fund priorities for 2020 were interior hardware and bundle purchases (37%) and digitalization (31%). To note: Cloud was a cardinal precedence for 48% of 2019 survey respondents, compared to 43% successful 2018.

Similar to 2020 fund planning, the apical 2 priorities for IT successful 2021 were improving information (17%) and investing successful unreality services (16%). Remote technologies that alteration employees to enactment from location (13%) besides ranked precocious connected the list, which tin beryllium attributed erstwhile again to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In the aboriginal

Will COVID-19 interaction upcoming IT fund plans? We privation to know. If you're acquainted with your company's upcoming tech fund plans we privation to perceive from you. Take our tech budgets 2022 survey and archer america what your company's IT priorities are for 2022. The survey should instrumentality little past 5 minutes to complete. Data from the survey volition beryllium utilized successful an upcoming TechRepublic Premium report.

Note: This nonfiction was updated connected July 16, 2021.