Dive Brief:

• IT decision makers (ITDMs) more often serve as an organizations' primary purchase influencer, while business decision makers (BDMs) are more likely to give the final nod on technology purchases, according to a survey from Spiceworks. The survey included 584 IT decision makers and 305 business decision makers from North America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

• More specifically, the study found almost 90% of ITDMs "evaluate and recommend technology solutions." However, 47% of BDMs provide final approval for technology purchases compared to only 22% of ITDMs.

• Spiceworks also found IT decision makers have more purchase influence for nearly all technologies, and even more so when it comes to more complex technologies such as servers, virtualization, networking, cloud and security solutions.

Dive Insight:

Though business roles have evolved over the years, the majority of technology decision-making duties remain primarily with the ITDM. According to Spiceworks, "It's still the IT decision makers' responsibility to determine the technology needs, evaluate solutions and vendors, make the final recommendation, and ultimately implement and manage new technology."

That may not be the case for long, however. International Data Corporation recently predicted business unit technology spending will nearly equal that of the IT organization by 2020, meaning business units will make IT purchasing decisions outside the IT department.

However, ITDMs/CIOs are reporting to CEOs and sitting on corporate boards more often, which means their influence is being heard and considered at a higher level. So while more decisions may be made in other areas of the business in the future, CIOs will continue to have a growing responsibility for making decisions that drive bottom line improvements.