CIOs admit software apathy

12:50 9th October 2008

Nearly half of all businesses' chief information officers admit corporate indifference to the quality of their software, according to a new study.

The survey, conducted by Original Software, questioned 100 top-level IT executives on how the importance of software quality is perceived within their company, finding that more than 40 per cent admitted "not at all" or "nice to have".

In addition, the poll discovered that the greatest challenge to software quality assurance is balancing cost and resource, followed by the value of the software and its risk to the business.

Colin Armitage, chief executive of Original Software, said: "Such disregard is surprising given the number of high-profile horror stories the media have recently reported about poor software quality."

Mr Armitage highlighted the launch of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow as a prominent example of a PR disaster caused by a systems fault.

Last month, Gartner suggested that IT directors need to develop IT strategies that help businesses operate flexibly and adapt to changing markets.