We have just published our seventh annual report on the state of IT in the UK social housing sector. This report is based on an independent online survey carried out by Housing Technology, using data submitted by senior IT executives from 250+ UK social housing providers.
The outline findings from the Housing Technology 2014/15 market intelligence the report include:
- Business goals for IT strategies: better tenant communications and improved levels of tenant satisfaction, combined with a focus on achieving cost efficiencies and value for money, are the main business goals for housing providers’ IT strategies.
- Past two years’ IT achievements: the introduction of or enhancements to mobile working and dynamic job scheduling are the most common achievements by housing providers’ IT teams.
- Next two years’ IT goals: the mobile trend is set to continue apace, comfortably outstripping the consolidation of existing IT systems and the need to channel-shift tenants.
- Delivery of technology projects’ expected benefits: almost three-quarters of IT projects delivered their expected benefits, with only 12 per cent of IT projects classed as failures.
- Plans for core applications: mobile working, housing management and asset management are the most likely applications to be implemented or enhanced within the next two years.
- Plans for non-core applications: self-service tools, apps and social media are the most likely technology areas for adoption or enhancements within the next 12-18 months.
- IT delivery models: housing providers continue to use their own on-premise IT infrastructures and datacentres; most other external IT delivery models are expected to be used less in the next year.
- IT budget allocations: housing providers are spending around 40 per cent of their IT budgets on ‘business as usual’ and around 42 per cent on the capital and operational costs of new IT projects.
- IT budget changes: budgets have increased by around seven per cent in the last year.
The pre-publication report has already been circulated to the report’s steering committee of senior IT executives from UK providers as well as to the original survey respondents.
Other housing providers and IT suppliers can now order their copies of the report from here.
