Released on: February 17, 2008, 11:20 pm

Press Release Author: ISACA

Industry: Telecommunications

Press Release Summary: Insufficient IT staff availability, service delivery issues,
and difficulty proving the value of information technology (IT) continue to plague
executives at organizations around the world, according to a new report by the
nonprofit, independent IT Governance Institute (ITGI).

Press Release Body: New Delhi, (18 February 2008) - Insufficient IT staff
availability, service delivery issues, and difficulty proving the value of
information technology (IT) continue to plague executives at organizations around
the world, according to a new report by the nonprofit, independent IT Governance
Institute (ITGI).

ITGI commissioned a global survey of 749 CEO-/CIO-level executives in 23 countries
to determine executives' IT governance priorities and the IT-related problems their
organizations have faced. According to the IT Governance Global Status Report 2008,
which is available as a complimentary download at www.itgi.org, 58 percent of
respondents noted an insufficient number of staff, compared to 35 percent in 2005.
Also, 48 percent said that IT service delivery problems remain the second most
common problem, and 38 percent point to problems relating to staff with inadequate
skills. Thirty percent of respondents also reported problems anticipating the return
on investment (ROI) for IT expenditures.

ITGI commissioned a global survey of 749 CEO-/CIO-level executives in 23 countries
to determine executives' IT governance priorities and IT-related problems their
organizations have faced. The IT Governance Global Status Report 2008 is available
as a complimentary download at www.itgi.org.

The study is a follow-up to ITGI's 2003 and 2005 surveys and tracks IT governance
trends over the past four years. Several important business developments relating to
IT are identified in the report, including:
. 93 percent of respondents said that IT is somewhat to very important to the
overall corporate strategy-an increase of 6 percent from 2005
. IT is always on the board agenda, according to 32 percent of respondents-up from
25 percent in 2005
. 18 percent of respondents said the IT department always informs the business about
potential business opportunities, up from 14 percent in 2005
. Awareness of the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT)
framework for IT governance has surpassed 50 percent, nearly doubling since 2005
. Use of COBIT has doubled (from 8 percent in 2005 to 16 percent)

Areas for improvement include alignment-36 percent of respondents reported that
alignment between IT strategy and corporate strategy is average, poor or very poor.
Additionally, implementation of IT governance-related activities varies around the
globe. The percentage of organizations that are in the process of implementing or
have already implemented IT governance practices in different regions are:
. South America, 27 percent
. Asia, 44 percent
. Europe, 50 percent
. North America, 50 percent

"The bottom line is that many organizations around the world are needlessly
sacrificing money, productivity and competitive advantage by not implementing
effective IT governance," said Lynn Lawton, CISA, FCA, FIIA, PIIA, FBCS CITP,
international president of ITGI. "Well-governed enterprises have been shown to
provide a better return to stakeholders, and the same goes for governance over
information technology. Executives need to direct their IT for optimal advantage,
manage IT-related risks and measure the value provided by IT."

The IT Governance Institute (ITGI) (www.itgi.org) was established by ISACA in 1998
to advance international thinking and standards in directing and controlling an
enterprise's information technology. ITGI developed Control Objectives for
Information and related Technology (COBIT), now in its fourth edition, and Val IT,
and offers original research and case studies to assist enterprise leaders and
boards of directors in their IT governance responsibilities.

Survey Methodology

The ITGI Global Status Report is based on the findings of a worldwide survey
conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 23 countries from July 2007 until
October 2007. Interviews were conducted in the native language of the interviewee by
telephone or mail. Researchers contacted CIOs and CEOs from contact databases of PwC
and ITGI. The total number of interviews conducted was 749, of which 652 were from a
random sample of organizations. The total results reported are at the 95% confidence
level with a margin of error of +/ 4%.

About The IT Governance Institute (ITGI)
The IT Governance Institute (ITGI) (www.itgi.org) was established by ISACA in 1998
to advance international thinking and standards in directing and controlling an
enterprise's information technology. ITGI developed Control Objectives for
Information and related Technology (COBIT), now in its fourth edition, and Val IT,
and offers original research and case studies to assist enterprise leaders and
boards of directors in their IT governance responsibilities.

For further information please contact

Sudha Sarin / Jerin Verghese / Rahul Sharma
Sampark Public Relations
New Delhi
# 41731526 /7/ 8
# 9810091066 / 9818117244/ 9899437828


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