Updated: Sep 2, 2019

…the cloud will dominate technology solution development, procurement and integration this year.

In 2016 companies will have to operate leaner and be even more strategic with technology within an increasingly competitive market.

Chris Willemse, CEO of DAC Systems, believes the cloud will dominate technology solution development, procurement and integration this year.

DAC Systems is a national provider of business solutions, incorporating Microsoft and Nintex products in their solutions.

One of the biggest challenges facing CIOs in 2016 will be budgets – or the lack thereof, to be more specific Willemse adds.

While 2015 was not easy for many businesses in terms of available budget, the outlook for this year is even worse, according to Willemse and fellow executives from DAC Systems.

The advice from the company is to follow the principle of purchasing as much as possible from a single vendor. “You will be able to save a lot by buying cloud based productivity solutions, CRM and ERP solutions in bundles … this will then also help with budget constraints,” Willemse explains.

Agility in this market is all about approach, DAC Systems explains, and this is particularly true when it comes to the selection of technology solutions, how, when and where to integrate.

“The approach to buying best of breed and then integrating the different components thereafter tends to be far more costly than buying an integrated solution from a single vendor. Focus rather on the best integrated solution that provides the most complete functional fit. Make the vendor selection and then make sure to choose the right implementation partner,” says Willemse.

The persistent shortage of specialist technical skills will likely continue and this scarcity will negatively impacts the CIO’s budget as the existing recourses will just cost more. The challenge for vendors is to develop these scares skills and in order to keep costs manageable.

Despite several challenges, including a bulging exchange rate, skills shortages in niche areas, connectivity issues and the cost of bandwidth, the CIO will have to remain focused on the core of the business in order to balance the budget.