Here is what is being discussed around the CIO water coolers at present, according to CEO Chris Maclean and Marketing Manager Andrew Charlesworth, of Auckland-based integrator Maclean.

7) Green

“The importance of green initiatives is now lower on the agenda” for our customers, says Maclean. While less than two years ago, IT Brief would receive press releases touting different organisations, green credentials virtually everyday, now Maclean's customers are simply wanting to save dollars through reducing energy consumption, nothing more.

6) Virtualisation

The V word has virtually disappeared (excuse the pun) from server infrastructure discussions, with customers expecting that integrators will incorporate a virtualised server infrastructure by default. The focus seems to have shifted to virtualising the desktop, with 'VDI' (Virtualised Desktop Infrastructure) being the key area.

5) Specified brands

Not unlike medicine, more and more vendor marketing is getting CIOs and IT managers to specify a brand to be included in proposals. While in the example of an Apple iPad being specified, Maclean doesn’t see a problem, when it comes to very core infrastructure products, both sides need to be aware of the expectations around support.

4) Co-opetition

Our spell checker didn’t like it, but most integrators are learning to embrace it. Many customers are turning away from a one-stop-shop provider, to a situation where their core network, server and desktop infrastructure is being provided separately from their applications and systems development - often referred to as the shift from one source to multi-sourcing.

3) Cost agility

Gone are the days of building technology infrastructure for years of future growth. Organisations want their technology infrastructure to be planned around today’s requirements, with the ability to bolt on extra scale (with a cost) when required. We have heard this also described as “Pay as you grow” and JITI (Just In Time Infrastructure).

2) Right Now ROI

The global financial crisis has applied a significant amount of additional scrutiny on the accountability and ROI (return on investment) of ICT implementations. This, in turn, has lead to customers presenting businesses cases and increasingly expecting business results upon implementation, rather than over the multi-year life of the solution.

1) The cloud

No explanation needed. You, like us, are probably sick of hearing about it. But its position as number one seems undeniable.