27/04/2016

London, UK; 27th April 2016 – While firms are under pressure to keep pace with the digital world, 32% of IT decision makers have said they spend more time reacting to problems in the workplace than proactively developing and delivering an IT strategy. This is according to a Voice of IT survey commissioned by worldwide computing accessories company Kensington.

Kensington Voice of IT survey reveals barriers and frustrations in the IT department.

The online poll, which explores the needs, ambitions and frustrations of IT decision makers, comes at a time when enterprises are challenged not by the lack of technology, but by the vast number of technologies that can transform the way everyone does business.

Nearly a third of respondents said they felt like the ‘firefighter’ in the organisation, and that they are not allowed enough time to improve employee productivity and wellbeing through the use of technology. On average, IT professionals spend 44% of their day on troubleshooting and administrative tasks – both of which are barriers for implementing change in the organisation. It’s therefore no surprise that just 5% is committed to providing IT training to employees.

When asked about their frustrations when managing IT solutions for the organisation, they admitted being hampered by lack of time/resources (44%), insufficient budget (40%), IT being viewed as a cost, not an opportunity (36%), and employees disregarding the ‘rules’ (28%).

“Many IT decision makers are left feeling undervalued and underutilised in their organisation,” said George Foot, Vice President at Kensington. “The IT department is the most common driver of implementing technologies to improve productivity, yet our research suggests that too much of their time is instead allocated to administrative and helpdesk duties.”

“We have found that IT professionals are expected to juggle many different responsibilities, and this makes it increasingly difficult for them to focus on strategy. After all, they will only prosper and feel more valued if they can allocate sufficient time and resources to advocate and plan the use of technology to directly impact the organisation’s bottom line.”

Other survey highlights include:

• Organisations are looking at ways to increase workforce productivity with the majority (62%) adopting multi-screening monitors/displays. 47% have implemented tablets/mobile device support and 37% allow flexible remote working or hot desking.
• Nearly half (48%) have received requests from colleagues regarding their workspace wellbeing (most commonly monitor/laptop risers and workstation assessments).
• With key concerns around security, new technology advances and driving productivity, 65% of organisations accept the importance of regular IT reviews.
• The factors IT professionals believe will have the biggest impact on their role in the future are the cloud, security, budget, and company direction/management.
• Approximately two out of five organisations plan to increase spend in 2016 on security and employee connectivity/uptime. This is not surprising given that the average IT professional currently spends just 10% of their time on security.

Observing the dominance of the firefighter role, Ben Hawkes, business psychologist and Director of Mindsight.work, commented: “IT professionals are far from alone in being firefighters: their colleagues across all business functions – from Sales to HR to Finance – feel the same way. Part of the problem is that IT professionals make great firefighters, but then that’s how they get pigeonholed by their colleagues outside of IT.”

To overcome this issue, Ben devised three top tips to empower IT Managers:

1. It’s easy to focus on tasks that are High Importance and High Urgency. That’s firefighting. But strategy and proactivity are HILU: High Importance and Low Urgency
2. Carve out time - every day if possible - to devote to HILU tasks. Set aside time not just in your schedule, but also in meetings and in conversations with your manager to discuss strategy and proactivity
3. If you think your non-IT colleagues don’t understand what IT does, you’re right. And only IT can change that. Make your work visible to your organisation through regular communications, newsletters or even roadshows

For more details, visit: www.kensington.com/ITProVoice2016.

Notes to editors

About Kensington

Kensington is a leading provider of desktop and mobile device accessories, trusted by IT, educators, business and home office professionals around the world for more than 35 years. Kensington products empower people to dynamically interact with content, creating a better working experience for productive performance. In both office and mobile environments, Kensington’s extensive portfolio of award-winning products provides trusted security, desktop productivity innovations, and ergonomic well-being. Our core competencies in engineering, industrial design, product quality and responsive customer support make Kensington The Professionals’ Choice™.

Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Kensington operates as the technology division of ACCO Brands (NYSE: ACCO), one of the world’s largest designers, marketers and manufacturers of branded business, academic and consumer products, sold in more than 100 countries across the globe.

Kensington is the inventor and worldwide leader in laptop security locks, the acknowledged leader of Trackball innovation and offers a broad range of premium-branded desktop productivity solutions.