Mark Gambill, CDW’s Chief Marketing Officer and the executive responsible for market insights, sees signs of a “patchy recovery” in the technology industry, as reported in the most recent Business section of the Sunday New York Times. This is based on the latest survey data from the CDW IT Monitor, a bimonthly indicator of the direction, momentum, and mindset of the U.S. IT marketplace.

Versta Research’s president, Joe Hopper, led efforts to design and launch the IT Monitor in 2007 and 2008 before joining Versta Research in 2009. According to Hopper, “Developing the IT Monitor was a successful collaboration of critical business needs and careful research. The business insights generated from this tool are now circulated and used among top decision-makers at CDW and by their clients throughout the industry.”

Hopper suggested there are three factors critical to the success of this work. First, leaders within the business must be involved. “They know their business issues better than anyone. They ensure we’re on target with our ideas and that our data will provide information they can use,” he said. Second, it relied on professionals who advised on sampling, survey design, index algorithms, and data interpretation. “That was our job,” Hopper noted. Third, it drew upon the insights of a seasoned marketing and communications team that understood the unmet needs for information, guidance and direction in the industry. “This ensured that the research continues to matter and that it resonates with the people who need it most.”

The CDW IT Monitor is based on a national online survey of 1,000 IT decision makers from business and government sectors, and measures outlook for IT related spending, investment, adoption, and satisfaction. It also tracks decision makers’ assessment of IT effectiveness in meeting business objectives.