
	Forrester Survey: IT decision-makers at NA companies found that on average only 20% of IT budgets went towards new initiatives and only 5% was truly discretionary. Computer Economics: IT and business executives were asked "How effective is your IT and business alignment strategy?" 35% responded "very effective", 45% responded "somewhat effective" and 20% responded "not effective" AMR Research: AMR Research has found that IT organizations with effective IT governance are generally: Realizing productivity improvements of 25%-50% Identifying opportunities to shift 10%-15% of IT budget into projects that improve competitiveness Slashing overall IT costs by up to 30%		IT Strategies, very much like business strategies, are driven by the long term objectives of organizations. A government agency that focuses on delivering an outstanding service to its constituency will have different strategies than an organzation that develops innovative products. IT is a tool that organizations use to deliver business objectives efficiently and effectively. IT must understand the business objectives to: Participate in identifying, selecting and prioritizing business initiatives that effectively leverage IT resources Invest IT resources prudently Identify evolving and emerging technologies that could provide business differentiation At Cedar Consulting, LLC, we believe that aligning the IT strategy to the business strategy is a critical ingredient of successful organizations. We have identified nine critical building blocks that enable IT organizations to maximize the value delivered to lines of business. To see more details on the building blocks, follow the link to the Services Page.