© Copyright Acquisition International 2025 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - Increased responsibilities are pushing IT to breaking point
Posted 19th November 2020

Increased responsibilities are pushing IT to breaking point

IT is now an innovator as well as a caretaker in mid-market organisations, but increased pressure is driving teams towards burnout.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

Increased responsibilities are pushing IT to breaking point
tech

IT is now an innovator as well as a caretaker in mid-market organisations, but increased pressure is driving teams towards burnout.

Increasing pressure on IT teams is pushing many IT decision-makers to the brink of burnout, according to new research from Pulsant, a leading UK provider of regional data centre and cloud infrastructure services.

Nearly two-thirds of UK IT decision-makers (65%) have felt under increasing pressure to keep the organisation running effectively over the past 12 months, with 80% of these admitting this has harmed their health and wellbeing.

The research, which was conducted on 201 UK IT decision-makers in mid-market organisations, finds increased pressure on IT has manifested in various ways: 40% of IT decision-makers impacted say they are experiencing anxiety as a result of increased pressure; over a third (35%) are suffering from increased stress which is unsustainable and will result in burn out if not addressed, and nearly a quarter (24%) have experienced burn out which has resulted with absence from the business. Plus worryingly for businesses, 20% have either resigned or started looking for a new job.

The rise in pressure could be due to an increase in expectations with 77% of IT decision-makers saying expectations of IT have risen within their organisation in the past 12 months. The biggest reasons for this increase were noted as a greater focus on security and compliance (45%), the expectation for IT to work with more areas of the business (39%), the expectation for IT to support and have knowledge of a broader range of technologies (38%), increased pressure to update ageing infrastructure (36%) and being expected to deliver projects quicker (35%).

This, in turn, means that IT teams are left stretched across a wide range of responsibilities, with over a third (34%) of IT decision-makers saying too much workload/not enough time is one of the top challenges within their teams. 

“An accelerating pace of change means that IT teams are under more pressure than ever to support more critical business initiatives and deliver results faster, while at the same time ensuring business systems remain available, secure and compliant,” says Pulsant CTO, Simon Michie. “This can place IT teams under immense strain which is detrimental to both the success of the business, and more importantly employee wellbeing, with staff left stressed, anxious and having to take time out from the business. “

The research also revealed a divide in opinions on the purpose of IT, with IT seen as both a caretaker of information and technology and also the driver of innovation across the business. Over half of IT decision-makers (58%) and business leaders (55%) believe the primary role of IT is either a help desk or technical support function or to be responsible for maintaining and running business-critical systems, while 40% of IT decision-makers and 45% of business leaders see the main role of the IT department as an enabler of innovation.

IT has also become influential in board-level business decision making with the majority (87%) of IT decision-makers saying IT is involved in setting the business strategy for the year ahead. An overwhelming majority (93%) say their organisation has a representative from the IT team on the board/leadership team, highlighting that IT is now widely regarded as a critical function.

However, while there is clear recognition for the role of IT in driving the business strategy and innovation, IT teams face challenges in delivering on expectations. Nearly two-thirds of IT decision-makers (65%) say their team is under pressure to be more innovative but there is not enough investment for this to be possible. IT decision-makers are also put off from driving new ideas forward by challenges including conflicting priorities (38%), lack of resource (36%) and time (35%).

“It’s hugely positive that both business leaders and IT decision-makers recognise the role of IT in driving innovation, but it’s clear that more attention needs to be paid to providing the IT team with the right support and resources it needs to perform both functions effectively and maintain the wellbeing of IT professionals,” concludes Michie.”

The research was conducted by Censuswide on 201 IT decision-makers and 200 business leaders in UK mid-sized companies (200-2,500 employees). The full report – The IT Paradox: Balancing support and innovation – and further insight into the findings can be found here.

Categories: Innovation


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Empowering Individuals to Live a Life They Choose to Lead
Strategy
30/08/2019Empowering Individuals to Live a Life They Choose to Lead

Angel Heart Home Care provides support for vulnerable adults who are wanting to live independently within the community. Following their success in AI’s Global Excellence Awards 2019 where they were recognised as the Best Luxury Home Care Services Providers,

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
The Role of Fintech and Brexit
Finance
30/08/2019The Role of Fintech and Brexit

Brexit and business have become reluctant synonyms since 2016. Once the EU referendum was over, thoughts immediately turned to the ways in which a departure from the European Union would affect the economy. Today, three years on, the picture may not be any cle

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Preserving a Heritage of Excellence
Innovation
23/05/2018Preserving a Heritage of Excellence

Proserv is a global leader with a worldwide presence, offering a fresh alternative in the delivery of engineering and technical services to the energy, process and utility markets.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
A Peek into Private Funds
Finance
31/07/2016A Peek into Private Funds

Asiaciti Trust is an independent, family-owned firm which has for nearly 40 years been providing administration, trustee and family office services from its head office in Singapore and eight other offices worldwide.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Factors to Consider Before Applying for a Loan
News
04/09/2023Factors to Consider Before Applying for a Loan

Image on Unsplash A personal loan can swiftly provide you with financial resources that you can utilize for nearly any purpose. You might resort to personal loans to cover unexpected costs, merge debt from credit cards with higher interest rates, or fund acqui

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
CEO of the Month: USA
Innovation
29/06/2016CEO of the Month: USA

OCEANWORX is a global sports marketing, media production and distribution founded by international media authority David Jones in the year 2000

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
A World Leader in Consumer Transaction Technologies
Finance
11/09/2017A World Leader in Consumer Transaction Technologies

A World Leader in Consumer Transaction Technologies

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Australia’s Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner Firm
Legal
31/08/2016Australia’s Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner Firm

Patentec is one of Australia’s leading intellectual property practitioner firms providing individualised, capped-fee and expert patent attorney services.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017
Innovation
01/08/2017EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017

EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have 14 unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow