Some IT leaders, however, aren’t convinced about the IBM report’s focus on IT shortcuts vs. innovation. IT spending is driven more by a desire to enable business goals, such as growth, and managing risks, including cyberattacks, says Yvette Kanouff, partner at JC2 Ventures, a tech-focused venture capital firm.
“These objectives might require short-term IT spending to help the business achieve its goals, but it’s not a trade-off,” she says. “It delivers results.”
Still, there is some tension between short-term and long-term goals, because every organization has a backlog of IT tasks that need attention, she adds. “While it’s important to address the backlog, continuously focusing on cleanup can get in the way of forward progress,” Kanouff says. “This is why it’s essential to balance short-term and long-term objectives.”
