Canada's business leaders agree there is an IT skills shortage, but disagree on the role IT should play in business, according to a new survey.

Ninety per cent of respondents to a Strategic Counsel survey said Canada is experiencing an IT skills shortage. Only 60 per cent of corporate executives however, felt it was a serious issue for business, while 90 per cent of chief information officers and 77 per cent of IT professionals considered the issue serious.

The survey found that most executives view system upkeep and maintenance as the most important role for IT, but three-quarters of IT professionals want a chance to play a larger and more strategic role in their organization.

One thousand executives, IT professionals and students were surveyed by phone and over the Internet in early February. The results are considered accurate within five perentage points, 95 per cent of the time.

The survey was released to coincide with the launch of Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

IT workers spend about 80 per cent of their time on maintenance and upkeep, Andrew Dixon, director of Microsoft Windows Server System for Microsoft Canada, told the OBJ in a telephone interview.

"IT professionals are looking for tools that will allow them to spend less time on maintenance and more time being a strategic business partner," he says.

Because their IT emplyees spend so much time on maintenance and upkeep, most corporate executives have a low opinion of their IT departments.

Most corporate executives said the one trait they most associate with their IT staff is "reactive", well ahead of "strategic" and "innovative."

The survey found 73 per cent of IT professionals are looking for technology that will help minimize the time spent on system maintenance and allow them to build an even more effective IT strategy.

Ninety-two per cent of chief information officers said IT talent is difficult to attract and retain, but only 61 per cent of corporate executives shared the same opinion.

Reducing the amount of time spent on routine maintenance and upkeep may help lessen the skills shortage by making IT careers a more appealing option for students, says Warren Shiau, lead analyst of IT research at The Strategic Counsel.

"If IT has this extra time, they can demonstrate they can do stuf other than maintenance and upkeep," says Mr. Shiau.

Among IT students, 70 per cent see new technology as a way to help untap the potential of today's IT departments and make information technology a more attractive career.