By John Swainson

The current economic environment has intensified the pressure to do more with less. Companies are cutting costs and working at becoming more efficient, but at the same time, they need to stay focused on two important goals: driving their competitive edge and building their businesses. These goals are more important today than ever, as companies work to ensure they not only survive the economic downturn, but also can act on market opportunities and emerge strong and thriving.

Increasingly, the competitive edge comes from the effective use of technology. Companies that leverage IT to support the delivery of new services to drive top-line growth and make business processes far more efficient are the companies that will succeed and increase profitability and shareholder value. Because IT has become such an essential component of driving business strategy and marketplace success, CIOs are in a challenging position.

CIOs need to deal with increased complexity in their IT environments and manage growing service demands, while at the same time facing shrinking budget resources. Compromising the quality of IT services delivered to internal and external customers is not an option. To do so would leave their companies at a competitive disadvantage in the current economic environment and especially when the economy improves.