Study: CIOs see looser purse strings

Technology managers in North America are showing a renewed willingness to open up their wallets.

Nearly 45 percent of chief information officers told Forrester Research that IT spending at their companies will exceed this year's budget, or that they expect to find new sources of funding. Forrester's CIO Poll, conducted each quarter, surveys approximately 200 executives at North American companies.

In the first quarter of 2004, by comparison, only 25 percent of CIOs expected to outspend their IT budgets. The boost this year seems to be coming from small enterprises that have 1,000 to 5,000 employees, Forrester said Monday.

The outlook for the business climate as a whole remains positive among the survey group, with 57 percent of CIOs describing the climate as strong or very strong. That compares with 36 percent in the first quarter of last year. In the current quarter, the most optimistic of the executives are at companies with at least 5,000 employees.

Only 3 percent of the executives foresee a more-challenging business climate three quarters from now, but the number who expect it to be much better edged down slightly.