Technology innovation and dependence have seen steady growth in recent years. Foundry’s 2023 Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker Research highlights the influence that IT decision-makers (ITDMs) play in this changing landscape. Given the diverse approaches adopted across various regions of the globe, a comparison of APAC, EMEA and North America’s (NA) response is in order to better understand their 2023 initiatives and priorities. Explore a few key comparisons below and download our Role and Influence white paper here for the full story.
Budgets remain stable during economic uncertainty
As organizations continue to realize the business value of technology solutions and their necessity to keep the business moving forward during this time, IT budgets look resilient. ITDMs in all three regions expect their tech budgets to increase or remain the same over the next 12 months (88% NA; 89% EMEA, and 88% APAC).
It shouldn’t be a surprise that budget direction is aligned with revenue expectations reflecting the same stability. EMEA respondents are especially optimistic with 62% predicting revenue growth, compared to NA (51%) and APAC (54%).
The tech purchase process is complex
The tech buying process is not simple. The complexity arises from the things like dynamic nature of the industry, the need for thorough evaluation and decision-making, budget constraints, and the diverse range of factors that must be considered to make informed choices that benefit the organization.
Respondents in all three regions agreed upon the sentiment that the purchase process is becoming increasingly complex (60% NA; 63% EMEA; 61% APAC). Given this growing complexity, it’s not surprising that the length of time organizations spend on decisions is increasing. In NA, 6.0 months is the average length of the tech purchase process compared to 5.5 months in EMEA and 7.8 months in APAC – the longest of the 3 regions.
The length of time goes hand-in-hand with the size of the buying team. The average buying team in each region is as follows:
- NA – 22
- EMEA – 29
- APAC – 29
Leadership Throughout the Tech Purchase Process
So, are there regional differences on who leads the tech purchase process? At nearly every stage of the APAC purchase process, the CIO takes control of the operation, supplemented by aid other tech specific roles (i.e., IT management, CTO). In the EMEA and NA processes, the CIO maintains control; however, opinions from outside departments are more likely to be taken into consideration, such is the case with CFO authorizing or approving the purchase of products and services.
For more on tech leadership initiatives around the globe, view our infographics detailing research from our State of the CIO research study in all three regions below:
Sources relied upon
Looking at the information sources that ITDMs rely upon throughout the tech purchase process, there are certainly some regional differences. NA organizations rely heavily upon information sources from their peers (56% vs. 35% in APAC) and NA and EMEA organizations source their info from events (both 59%) more so than APAC organizations (47%).
The top sources per region are as follows –
- North America: 1) tech content sites, white papers, online communities/discussion forums
- EMEA: 1) white papers, 2) tech content sites, 3) webcasts/webinars
- APAC: 1) tech content sites, 2) tech vendors (in-person), 3) tech vendors (phone, email)
When it comes to the amount of information consumed when researching throughout the purchase process, all 3 regions averaged the same – 5-6 pieces of information.
