Software packages 'left to gather dust'

Two in three IT departments are squandering money and resources by delaying the deployment of new software by a year or more. Many organisations leave software gathering dust on shelves for six months before taking a further six months to introduce it, according to a new survey commissioned by enteo Software.

enteo's technology is designed to automate software deployment and maintenance, so the issue it raises is more than a little self-serving. That said, its findings that 69 per cent of 135 IT managers surveyed left new software untouched for six months or more and the vast majority (85 per cent) took a further six months or longer to deploy these new applications, is nonetheless noteworthy.

The majority of respondents to the survey (71 per cent), carried out by market research firm carried out by Vanson Bourne, said they spent half their time supporting end users, an important job but one which leaves less time for strategic planning. enteo argues that by delaying roll outs, not only are companies wasting money, but risking losing the competitive advantages the introduction of new technology can bring. At worst, business needs can change before software is deployed, rendering it almost useless.

"When you consider that companies spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on new software, not to mention the associated costs such as licensing, this is a worrying trend. However, software updates are an exceptionally time consuming and mundane task, and with many departments still having to do the updates manually, it is not surprising that they get pushed to the bottom of the IT department's to do list," enteo Software managing director and CTO Stephan Glathe said. ®