Over one-quarter of chief information officers (CIOs) are looking to spend more on voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services and technology in the next year, a new poll has revealed.

Carried out by recruitment firm Robert Half Technology, the survey ranked VoIP as the fourth biggest priority for businesses in terms of their IT budgets, with the top three areas of spending consisting of security, virtualisation and data centre efficiency.

In terms of VoIP, Robert Half Technology noted that those investing more in the platform are likely to benefit from lower telephony costs, increased network flexibility and unified messaging.

Dave Willmer, executive director or Robert Half Technology, highlighted the fact that many firms are increasingly realising that they cannot afford to put off IT investments that could help to improve efficiency, revenues and security during the recession.

"Organisations also are trying to make sure they are prepared for growth when conditions improve and enhancing their IT infrastructure is part of that process," he added.

Sue Dennis of Holiday Now, the homeworking division of Future Travel, recently told the Travel Trade Gazette that her company had managed to reduce telephony costs by £30 per worker per month by moving to a VoIP system.