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ERP Adoption Trends and Customer Experience 2021
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have long been one of the most adopted and mature technologies we track, and new investment in ERP systems also remains relatively high. This study helps IT executives understand how aggressively their peers are investing in ERP and the risks and rewards presented by those investments. We report adoption and investment rates by sector and organization size. We also measure customer experience in terms of the success rates for return on investment and total cost of ownership. We identify the functional areas where organizations are planning or considering making new investments in ERP. We also examine where ERP systems are deployed as well as their typical age and length of time between version upgrades. We wrap up with recommendations for improving the ROI of ERP.
August, 2021
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Web Operations Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience 2021
Web operations outsourcing is one of the most popular types of managed services. As the pandemic showed more than ever, organizations of all kinds continue to expand their efforts in online marketing, website management, and e-commerce. To help IT executives better assess their options, this report analyzes the percentage of organizations outsourcing web operations (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change to the amount of work being outsourced (net growth trend). We also present data on cost and service experience and how these trends differ by organization size and sector. We conclude with recommendations on how to engage with a web, e-commerce, or electronic data interchange (EDI) service provider.
August, 2021
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IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2021/2022: Full Study
Our IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study for 2021/2022 provides a comprehensive view of the current state of IT budgeting and staffing levels for business and governmental organizations in the US and Canada, based on our 32nd annual survey. Detailed metrics are provided by organization size and by industry sector.
July, 2021
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Robotic Process Automation Adoption Trends and Customer Experience 2021
Robotic process automation (RPA) is the use of software “robots” to automate processes that are normally performed by clerical or administrative users. This report provides an overview of RPA adoption and investment trends, providing data on how many organizations have solutions in place, how many are in the process of implementing it, and how many are expanding implementations. We also look at the return on investment (ROI) experience, total cost of ownership (TCO) experience, and considered or planned uses for new RPA investments. We conclude with important principles to apply in planning and implementing RPA solutions.
June, 2021
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IT Project Management Staffing Ratios 2021
In this study, we assess how many project managers a typical IT organization requires. We present five benchmarks: project managers as a percentage of the IT staff, project managers as a percentage of the application group, users per project manager, applications per project manager, and application programmers per project manager. Our analysis also includes the influence of organization size and industry sector. We conclude with recommendations on assessing the performance of the project management function.
May, 2021
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IT Help Desk Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience 2021
The decision to turn over an IT organization’s help desk function to a service provider has a long and varied history. It is one of the services that helped establish the contemporary IT outsourcing industry. Even so, our research shows that help desk outsourcing is not as pervasive as one might think. In this report, we analyze the percentage of organizations outsourcing help desk (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work being outsourced (trend). We also present data on cost and service experience and on how these trends differ by organization size and sector. We conclude with some key questions to consider.
March, 2021
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IT Security Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience 2021
IT security has become a major focus for IT leaders in 2021. This is because the threat landscape is evolving with increased reliance on the cloud, a greater diversity in the IT service portfolio, more employees working from home, and a more burdensome regulatory environment. This report helps IT executives compare their outsourcing activity and experience with other IT organizations. We use three metrics to measure IT security outsourcing activity: how many organizations outsource IT security (frequency), how much of the workload is typically outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work outsourced (trend). We also measure the cost and service experience of organizations that outsource this function and determine how outsourcing activity and experience vary by organization size and sector. We conclude with recommendations.
May, 2021
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Security Training Adoption and Best Practices 2021
Security training is a business best practice that involves the training of all IT and user personnel in a company’s security policies, procedures, and best practices to increase awareness and ensure compliance. It is a highly advisable practice for every organization. Many companies report the existence of security training, yet there is ample room for improvement. This report begins by defining security training and summarizing the main types of training available. We next study the adoption and practice levels and examine those by organization size and sector. We conclude with best-practice recommendations.
April, 2021
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IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2020-2021: Full Study
Our IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study for 2020/2021 provides a comprehensive view of the current state of IT budgeting and staffing levels for business and governmental organizations in the U.S. and Canada, based on our 31st annual survey. Detailed metrics are provided by organization size and by industry sector.
July, 2020
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The Mandate for Growing IT Spending in the Insurance Industry
Insurance providers are at a crossroads. Many have large, complex legacy systems deeply embedded in back-end processes. These require legions of IT personnel to keep them responsive to changing market needs. Now, these established players face new competitive threats from upstarts, unencumbered by legacy systems, able to rethink how insurance services can be delivered to customers in new ways. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into strategic planning in the insurance industry.
October, 2021
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Technology Trends 2021
This major study provides insight into the customer experience and adoption rates for 15 technologies that are top-of-mind for IT leaders worldwide. The study also delves into the satisfaction level of the customer experience and the specific types of solutions under consideration. With this information business leaders are in a better position to assess the potential risks and rewards of each of these technologies. They also can gain insight into just how aggressively competitors and peers are making these investments. Looking forward, we also explore 18 future and early adopter technologies (138 pp., 111 figs.)
March, 2021
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Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook for 2021
Despite the chaos of 2020, the outlook for 2021 is surprisingly positive. IT organizations are expecting budget growth. They also plan to consolidate the changes made in the past turbulent year. This report, based on our Q4 2020 survey, provides worldwide trends for IT spending and staffing in 2021. This year, our report assesses IT operational and capital spending plans, executive priorities for IT investment, and plans for hiring and outsourcing for IT organizations worldwide. (21 pp., 11 fig.)
February, 2021
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IoT Adoption Trends and Customer Experience 2021
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a maturing technology, and for many years it has promised benefits such as lower labor costs and better tracking of assets. But investments in IoT projects are stuck at a relatively low rate. This report provides an overview of IoT adoption and investment trends, providing data on how many organizations have the technology in place, how many are in the process of implementation, and how many are expanding implementations. We also look at the return on investment experience, total cost of ownership experience, and considered or planned uses for new IoT investment. We conclude with important principles to apply in planning and implementing IoT systems.
March, 2021
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Communications System Support Staffing Ratios 2021
Corporate communications systems have become more complex, although the number of IT specialists who support these systems has stabilized in the past few years. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, IT organizations can benefit from a periodic assessment of their communications system support staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to make that assessment: support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, percentage of support staff in relation to organization size, and support staff spending per user. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector.
January, 2021
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Application Developer Staffing Ratios 2021
The way that enterprise applications are internally developed and maintained has changed. With these changes, the need for application developers is in flux, and IT organizations can benefit from a periodic assessment of their staffing levels. This report uses three metrics to make that assessment: developers as a percentage of the IT staff, users per developer, and applications per developer. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size and by sector. We also provide a benchmark for the larger Application Group, which includes personnel engaged in web development and support, quality assurance, data management, and business systems analysis.
February, 2021