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ERP Dead Last in Economic Experience in 2018
Despite its maturity, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems continue to struggle to demonstrate return on investment (ROI). Moreover, as shown in Figure 2 of the Computer Economics Technology Trends 2018 study, ERP not only has the lowest ROI rating of all the technologies in our study, but organizations also struggled with cost certainty. The study polled 219 IT organizations on their experience with 14 leading technologies and ranked them based on their risk rates (how often they came in at the expected cost or less) and reward rates (the percentage of companies reporting that they broke even or saw a positive return on investment).
February, 2018
Technology Trends 2018
This major study provides insight into the customer experience and adoption rates for 14 technologies that are top-of-mind for many companies. The study also delves into satisfaction 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. (101 pp., 102 figs.) [Full Description and Sample Pages] [Research Byte]
February, 2018
Disaster Recovery Planning Adoption and Best Practices
As recent outages demonstrate, the ability to recover operations quickly and effectively after a disaster should be an organizational priority. However, too few companies are planning for disaster recovery formally and consistently. In this study, we first look at adoption trends for disaster recovery planning by organization size and sector. We also discuss the elements that every disaster recovery plan should contain, and steps IT organizations should take in establishing such plans. (16 pp., 6 fig.) [Research Byte]
February, 2018
Too Few Companies Formally Plan for Disaster Recovery
The range of disasters, natural and otherwise, that can cripple a company are staggeringly wide. At the extreme, a flood of Biblical proportions takes out scores of Houston-area businesses. Or mission-critical IT systems fail at Delta Airlines, resulting in thousands of canceled flights and $100 million in lost business. But, sadly, not enough companies are taking disaster recovery planning seriously.
February, 2018
A Rapid Implementation of ERP Financials at BLD Brands
The implementation of any complex, enterprise-wide system can be fraught with difficulties. Installations can take more than a year and, in some cases, never work as advertised. So it was encouraging to hear about BLD Brands, a company of 3,700 workers and 134 locations, implementing a suite of financial modules in less than three months.
February, 2018
Acumatica Continues Expansion of Industry-Specific ERP
The enterprise resource planning (ERP) market continues to evolve, with consolidation the order of the day and newer cloud ERP vendors swooping in to grab headlines and customers. One of these is Acumatica, the Seattle-based ERP cloud vendor that celebrated its 10-year anniversary at its partner and customer conference in late January.
January, 2018
IT Project Management Staffing Ratios 2018
In today’s environment of fast-paced change, the role of the IT project manager is critical. Nevertheless, too few IT organizations adequately staff the project manager function. In this study, we examine the question of 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. All of these ratios are presented by organization size. In addition, we look at the influence of sector on the key ratios. We conclude with recommendations on assessing the performance of the project management function. (24 pp., 11 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2018
Project Managers Decline Again as Percentage of IT Staff
In today’s environment of fast-paced change, the role of the IT project manager would appear to be critical. New technology adoption, regulatory compliance, outsourcing, and the ever-present mandate to do more with less make it vital that projects be properly planned and controlled. Even with the use of project managers, IT projects often fail to come in on time and on budget. The need seems clear, and yet, for the fourth straight year, the percentage of IT staff dedicated to project management has fallen.
January, 2018
Most Large Companies Not Increasing IT Headcounts in 2018
Despite a strong global economy and moderate growth in IT budgets, most large companies are not adding to their IT staff headcounts this year. In fact, on average, they are slightly decreasing them this year. It is too early to tell, but this may be the first sign that the cloud is actually reducing staff rather than just hindering growth in staff levels. This year, for the first time, our outlook for IT spending and staffing for the new year goes beyond the U.S. and Canada to also report the outlook for the rest of the world.
January, 2018
Cloud Transition Reins in IT Budgets Worldwide
For the third straight year, IT organizations worldwide are keeping tight control over their IT budgets, with companies in the U.S. and Canada particularly choosing to restrain spending. Rather than a sign of economic uncertainty, much of the reason for the slow budget growth is the cloud transition. This year, for the first time, our outlook for IT spending and staffing in the new year goes beyond the U.S. and Canada to also report the outlook for the rest of the world.
January, 2018
Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook for 2018
IT leaders all over the world have a positive outlook for the global economy, but despite that confidence, IT budgets are growing only modestly. For the first time, our annual Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook report provides data on both the global and U.S./Canadian trends for IT spending in the coming year. This year, our Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook assesses IT operational and capital spending plans for 2018, priorities for IT spending and investment, and plans for hiring, outsourcing, and pay raises for IT organizations worldwide and in the U.S. and Canada. (32 pp., 24 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2018
Database Administration Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience 2018
Database administration (DBA) outsourcing often leads to satisfied customers who save money. But compared to other outsourcing categories, it is not a widely embraced strategy. To help IT executives understand their options, this study examines adoption trends in DBA outsourcing. We report on the percentage of organizations outsourcing database administration (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work being outsourced (trend). We also present success rates for customer cost and service experience. Finally, we show how these trends differ by organization size and sector. (17 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2018
DBA Outsourcing Rebounds But Demand in Question
This year, database administration (DBA) outsourcing increased but has not rebounded to recent historic levels. Demand for database administration – whether delivered through internal resources, or outsourced – has fallen for several years running and that may be capping DBA outsourcing growth, despite good service and cost success.
January, 2018
Web/E-Commerce Staffing Ratios 2018
The percentage of the IT staff that is dedicated to web/e-commerce functions has dipped the past four years, with the median dropping to 3.1% of the total IT staff in 2017, down from 4.3% in 2013. In this report, we provide benchmarks for staffing functions related to web and e-commerce development and operations. We benchmark web staffing with two ratios: web/e-commerce staff as a percentage of the IT staff and users per web/e-commerce staff member. Benchmarks are provided by organization size. We also assess the influence of sector on web staffing. (20 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2018
Web/E-Commerce Staffing on Downward Trend
Web/e-commerce support personnel play a strategic role in organizations, but several factors have combined to result in a smaller percentage of the typical IT staff devoted to this vital function. It may seem counter-intuitive, considering the increasing volume and complexity of websites and e-commerce. Nevertheless, the percentage of the IT staff devoted to this function has been on a general decline since 2013.
January, 2018