It's safe to say that 2016 hasn't gotten off to the best start from an economic standpoint. Global markets are down, consumer confidence is on the decline -- and there's a general financial concern regarding the rest of the year. Because of this, many companies are tightening spending habits. Some are going so far as to pause IT projects that were previously slated for the 2016 calendar year.
While some IT projects can justifiably be put on the back burner, there are plenty of others that should move forward regardless of the economic outlook.
Technology is an ever-increasing necessity in today's business world. Research firms including Gartner and technology vendors such as Cisco Systems have been sounding the alarm regarding how digital disruption will soon completely reshape the business landscape. A complete digital transformation may be years off, but it does highlight the absolute necessity to keep up with, or even outpace, your competitors in terms of technology prowess. Your compay's ability to use technology to pivot to emerging markets within your industry vertical could be crucial to succes in difficult times.
A sluggish economy -- and the need to spend money on critical IT projects -- puts IT decision-makers in a precarious situation. The goal should be to thoroughly vet the current list of projects, while choosing to pursue ones that provide the greatest amount of value to the company. IT projects that should be pursued include those that have the ability to cut costs, streamline processes, help the organization make intelligent business decisions, and increase employee productivity.
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Here are eight examples of projects that we think you should move forward in 2016. We'll point out why these technologies are critical for your growth, competitiveness, and ability to cut costs in the long run. While your specific IT project may not be on our list, we hope to help you to start thinking about the benefits -- and potential drawbacks -- if any of your projects are delayed until 2017 or beyond.
Once you've reviewed our eight picks, let us know what you think of our list. Which projects you are working on that you consider important enough to pursue in a stagnant economy? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.