Addressing Diverse Stakeholders In The IT And Business Services Buying Process

For years, Forrester has written about the evolution of information technology (IT) into business technology (BT) — an idea that is rooted in Forrester's view that technology is becoming more relevant and strategic to business processes. This trend, which has accelerated over the past decade, has only increased in importance in 2009's difficult economic environment, as more companies rein in their IT spending and only projects with immediate business value are approved. Marketing and strategy professionals at IT service providers must prepare for 2010 with a deep understanding of a diverse range of IT and business stakeholders in the services purchasing process. In this document, we highlight the role of nine stakeholders across IT, business, and procurement/legal roles, with data from our recent Business Data Services survey of IT buyers.