The Gartner EXP Worldwide Survey provides CIO insights from more than 1,450 enterprises across dozens of countries and many industries. In addition to the theme of significant change, it also reveals some interesting thoughts on talent, employment brands, and technology. Mark McDonald, group vice president and head of research for Gartner EXP, says:

"IT difference is the reason customers use when they choose a company's products and services."

Employment Brand. We believe that IT difference also carries over to a technically superior career site. We’ve found that candidate experience is a major factor in establishing a winning employment brand.

With only 27% percent of CIOs thinking that they have the right number of people to align with business needs, McDonald says:

"The skills of your people count. Two-thirds of IT organizations that do not meet business expectations claim that skills are at the core of their performance issue."

This finding is confirmed by the FPS Umbrella study called Recruitment and IT – Shaping the Future where CEOs worldwide are relating up to half their growth problems to the shortage in IT workers which is now the highest in a decade.

War for Talent. The war for talent is clearly raging in IT; the solution: a unified approach to recruiting talent and reviewing performance.

The Gartner report also states that CIOs think Web 2.0 and social computing are on the rise. McDonald states:

"Every company is entering a world rich with information and personal expression. Web 2.0 and social computing provide tools to capture both and turn them into customer insight, engagement and retention."

Social Networking for Recruiting. We believe and Gartner agrees that organizations should allow and encourage social networking to boost referrals and recruiting. Substitute candidates for customers and you will see how this applies to HR.

With IT budgets expected to increase 3.3% in 2008, organizations look like they want to make the investment in making a difference. We think SaaS delivery of talent management should be at the top of the list. Read how Jim Holincheck of Gartner weighs in on how SaaS is a delivery model, not a market.