Symposium/ITxpo 2003
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2003--Security is the
most critical IT priority in the manufacturing vertical market in
2003, according to a survey by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc.
(NYSE:
IT) and (NYSE:
ITB).
From December 2002 through January 2003, Gartner Dataquest
conducted an e-mail survey of 35 manufacturing IT decision makers in
the United States to identify the industry's key business issues,
technology drivers and IT spending priorities.
The respondents were asked to rank the importance of a list of IT
projects for their organization. Manufacturers rated security as the
most important IT project, followed by ERP (including upgrades and
extensions). The IT priority that came in No. 3 was Web services.
"Security is top-of-mind today because of a number of business,
competitive and environmental factors. According to the survey
results, manufacturers anticipate the government to issue regulations
that would require more stringent IT security. Whether or not this
expectation will become a reality is still uncertain," said Geraldine
Cruz, senior analyst for Gartner Dataquest's IT Services group. "In
addition to regulations, the threat of war could spur some
manufacturers, such as aerospace and defense manufacturers and those
with significant government contracts, to fortify the security of
their IT systems.
"On the business front, trading partners are increasingly
demanding manufacturers to demonstrate the security of information
systems before the partners share data and transactions," Cruz said.
"Manufacturers also have a personal interest in securing trade
secrets, intellectual property and operational data that, if
compromised, could undermine their competitive advantage in the
industry."
Gartner Dataquest analysts said that going forward, security
issues might not be confined to pure security projects. As the
manufacturing industry links internal functional and business units
with global trading partners, security could play a larger role in a
number of enterprise applications and technology deployments,
including supply chain, customer relationship management and Web
services projects.
Return on investment (ROI) and other metrics of project success
will need to shift from benefits delivered to risks or cost avoided.
This will entail more sophisticated, business-specific measurement
techniques than just a comparison of security benefits achieved vs.
investments made.
If manufacturers do not implement formal enterprise risk
management techniques to select and deploy security technologies equal
to the risks, Gartner Dataquest analysts said they may end up
investing because of fear, uncertainty or the compulsion to keep up
with what peers are doing.
"Just like with other hot applications and technologies of the
past, manufacturers may over-invest and not enjoy true risk management
benefits," said Cruz. "Because metrics are not easily measured,
manufacturers may continue to invest until their budgets are overtaxed
or until the industry loses interest or becomes more complaisant."
The manufacturing vertical includes discrete (auto, high tech,
industrial equipment) and process (chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
food/beverage, paper/pulp) manufacturing.
Additional information is available in the Gartner Dataquest
report "Security Tops List of IT Priorities in Manufacturing in 2003."
The report looks at the industry's key business issues, technology
drivers and IT spending priorities. This report can be purchased on
Gartner's Web site at
http://www4.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=384882&ref=g_search.
Gartner will provide additional analysis on the top IT priorities
of enterprises at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, to be held March 23-27
at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Gartner
Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic
conference, providing business leaders with a look today at the future
of IT. For more details, please visit
http://www.gartner.com/us/symposiumwest or call 1-800-778-1997. Member
of the media can register for the event by contacting Maria DiMasi at
212-699-2734 or by e-mail at
Email Contact.
Gartner Dataquest, a unit of Gartner, Inc., is the recognized
leader in providing the high-technology and financial communities with
market intelligence for the semiconductor, computer systems and
peripherals, communications, document management, software, and
services sectors of the global information technology industry.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than
10,500 clients leverage technology to achieve business success.
Gartner's businesses consist of Research, Consulting, Measurement,
Events and Executive Programs. Founded in 1979, Gartner is
headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and has 4,000 associates,
including more than 1,000 research analysts and consultants, in more
than 75 locations worldwide. Fiscal 2002 revenue totaled $907 million.
For more information, visit
http://www.gartner.com.
CONTACT: Gartner Dataquest, San Jose Christy Pettey, 408/468-8312 Email Contact