UK IT directors face boardroom governance battle

UK IT managers are failing to understand the demands associated with rolling out systems capable of coping with more stringent corporate governance regulations, research has claimed.

According to a recent YouGov survey, governance issues have failed to filter down from board level to the IT department, and there remains a lack of clarity on how IT departments should respond.

The poll, commissioned by business services management firm Managed Objects, found that over 40 per cent of IT directors have no plans to adopt IT governance principles, and only four per cent consider compliance with corporate governance regulations to be the top objective for the IT department in 2005.

Instead risk management and IT measurement emerged as the highest priorities for IT directors in 2005. Almost three quarters of respondents cited minimising the risk of IT failure as their key objective, while 41 per cent identified the need for better measurement and management of IT.

Thomas Mendel, senior analyst at Forrester Research, said: "The need for greater governance and regulation of IT can also be reduced if the IT department ensures that IT service metrics are defined, aligned with overall business objectives, and measured for service quality on an ongoing basis."

However, almost all the respondents admitted that they find it difficult to measure the performance of IT effectively.

"It is very worrying that the survey demonstrates that risk management, performance and measurement are not connected in the minds of IT directors," said Sean Larner, European managing director at Managed Objects.

"With the board focused on corporate governance best practice, we assumed that an IT governance and measurement culture would be ingrained. Clearly, there is a need for major education among IT directors and the board."