The recession has forced IT executives to cut costs while trying to bring in quicker returns on investment, according to a study released Wednesday by AT&T.

For its "Road to Growth" study, AT&T spoke with 77 key IT executives from large global companies. Sixty-four percent said they're under pressure to focus on projects that bring in return on investment in half or less than half the time than in the past. As a result, two-thirds said this pressure has affected their IT budgets, strategies,...