Why there is a disconnect between IT on SaaS app deployments

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There has been plenty written around the disconnect between line of business and IT around cloud deployments – but what about just IT? According to the latest research from BetterCloud, there is a similar issue afoot between IT executives – CIOs and VPs – and the run of the mill employees.

“On just about every topic, entry-level admins, managers, and senior IT professionals see things through a different (perhaps more accurate) lens than IT executives (VPs and CIOs)”, the report notes.

The study argues that non-executive IT staff are more likely to say their team lacks control over their SaaS applications than the higher ups. 49% of execs polled said they did not have sufficient control, compared to 63% of non-execs. “We believe this data point shows that many non-executive IT staff have a more realistic picture of what’s going on in their own environments than the IT executives they work under,” the report says.

When it comes to visibility over their SaaS applications – in other words, how they are being used – the findings are similar, with 30% of IT execs saying their organisation lacks visibility compared to 47% of IT non-execs. It’s a similar story with budget, with non-executive IT staff 25% more likely to feel as though their IT teams lack budget when compared to their superiors.

Infact, it’s a similar story pretty much across the board; with onboarding (29% of non-execs say new hires lack access to the right SaaS apps compared with 18% of execs), offboarding (31% and 13% respectively), and staffing; 54% of non-execs believe they are understaffed compared with 38% of execs. The only issue where both sides seem to agree is over how the department is perceived; more than two thirds (74% execs, 69% non-execs) believe their IT team gives them a competitive advantage.

“Despite the major hurdles they must overcome, the majority of IT professionals believe they are making a difference,” the report concludes. “Now, the question becomes: What could IT teams do if they were on the same page? If everyone is rowing in the same direction, how much more of an impact could be made?”

You can read more here.