Companies are still not fully aligning IT strategies with business objectives, despite recognising the critical role IT has to play, according to new research* from BT Engage IT, the IT services division of BT Business.

More than a third (35 per cent) of CIOs questioned by independent research agency Vanson Bourne believed that their board thought that IT was critical to the success of their businesses, but only three per cent said that their IT is fully aligned to their organisation’s business objectives. Surprisingly, seven per cent reported that IT and business objectives are completely separate.

Financial services companies topped the list, with more than half of CIOs (52 per cent) believing their IT strategies and business objectives are well or exactly aligned, with almost a third (32 per cent) seeing alignment on new implementations and projects. This correlates with how the CIOs believed their board feel about IT, with more than half (56 per cent) claiming it is viewed as critical to the success of the business.

Interestingly, four per cent of respondents from financial services companies didn’t know if their IT and business objectives were aligned or not.