Gartner Survey Shows Companies Aspire to Real-Time Enterprise Objectives, But Doubt They Can Make It Happen.

Business Editors

Symposium/ITxpo 2003

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2003

Analysts Discuss Importance of Real-Time Enterprises

During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003 in San Diego 

By the end of 2003, more than 20 percent of Global 2000 enterprise CIOs will cite real-time enterprise (RTE) as one of their top five investment areas, according to Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB).

In January of 2003, Gartner surveyed IT managers from 120 middle and large enterprises across North America and Europe by phone to gauge their interest in RTE, as well as their understanding of how it is performed. Gartner analysts provided results from this survey today during the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003 conference, which is taking place March 23-27 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.

While the majority of enterprises surveyed are confident of making progress in reducing business process cycle times during the next five years, many have a limited understanding of what real-time really means, and have doubts about their ability to move systems to real-time.

"Real-time is becoming an important competency as businesses fight to retain demanding customers, while coping with economic uncertainty and turbulence. The speed of management's response to narrowing windows of opportunity is a crucial issue," said Mark Raskino, research director for Gartner.

"Competitiveness increasingly depends on the ability to detect critical events sooner and respond to them faster," said Raskino. "However, a general intent to do everything a bit quicker will not only be a poor substitute - it will be damaging. Focus is key and companies can't afford to waste precious IT resources on generalizations. Defending the business from threats that might knock it off course requires a company to change its game significantly. This means accelerating a few carefully selected information flows and decision-making processes."

According to the Gartner survey, businesses have experienced significant time reductions in many key business process areas, and are expecting to see elapsed times continue to shrink by up to 50 percent during the next five years. IT is the key enabler and Gartner analysts said not one technology, but rather a range of technologies, from instant messaging to mobile, and from real-time analytics to enterprise portals, will be required.

"The variety of technologies and applications available can be confusing, making it difficult for enterprises to find focus. Enterprises must be selectively aggressive in the early adoption of only those technologies that support key business initiatives and market imperatives," said Raskino.

The survey revealed that managers that doubt they can move their own systems and processes to real-time, believe a start up company in their industry with a 'green field' could do so.

"This is a key finding as we believe technology is creating business opportunity gap and fear of the consequences will overcome uncertainty, compelling companies to take action on renovating their enterprise architecture and process base," said Raskino. Gartner analysts predict that by 2007, the dominant players in every business segment will have achieved leadership or fortified their lead through real-time capabilities.

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic conference, providing business leaders with an insightful look at the future of IT. For more than 10,000 IT professionals from the world's leading enterprises, Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of their annual planning efforts. Attendees are responsible for more than $35 billion in IT spending for their respective companies. For more information about Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, please visit www.gartner.com/symposium or call 1-800-778-1997.

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 www.gartner.com.