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Network Infrastructure and Carrier Service Spending Benchmarks
Over the past four years, IT organizations have squeezed costs out of network carrier service fees to pay for substantial investments in network infrastructure. With the squeeze on carrier service providers potentially nearing an end, IT organizations need to ensure they are not overspending for carrier service or underspending on critical investments in network infrastructure. To help IT executives assess the adequacy of their network infrastructure and carrier service spending plans, this study provides metrics for carrier service and network infrastructure spending per user and as a percentage of the IT operational budget. Metrics are provided by sector and organization size. (14 pp., 8 figs.) [Research Byte]
April, 2011
Quality Assurance Remains High Priority for IT
The skills of a capable IT quality assurance group are essential to improving IT processes in general and application development and maintenance in particular. Yet, the appropriate level of QA staffing is often difficult to determine. This Research Byte looks at the 4-year trend in the ratio of QA staff to IT staff, examining the role of QA in IT today and the various factors which have influenced it. It provides tips for IT managers in staffing and maintaining their own QA or testing staff.
April, 2011
IT Quality Assurance and Testing Staffing Ratios 2011
The skills of a capable IT quality assurance group are essential to improving IT processes in general and application development and maintenance in particular. Yet, the appropriate level of QA staffing is often difficult to determine. This study provides benchmarks for staffing the QA function within the IT organization. We provide the ratio of QA staff to total IT staff for the composite sample and by organization size and sector. We also examine the ratio of application developers to QA staff, the four-year trend in QA staffing, and the percentage of organizations that have QA staff. We conclude with best practice recommendations. (17 pp., 7 figs.) [Research Byte]
April, 2011
Predictive Analytics Solutions Gain Traction
Business intelligence (BI) solutions are moving beyond monitoring business activity to making predictions about customers, products, and markets. The ultimate objective is to make predictions in real-time so decisions can be automated to increase customer value, reduce fraud, improve operations, or achieve myriad other purposes. This Research Byte presents data on current adoption and investment rates for predictive analytics, examining the factors affecting investment, how businesses perceive the practice, and where adoption may be headed.
April, 2011
Predictive Analytics ROI and TCO Experience
Business intelligence (BI) solutions are moving beyond monitoring business activity to making predictions about customers, products, and markets. The ultimate objective is to make predictions in real-time so decisions can be automated to increase customer value, reduce fraud, improve operations, or achieve other purposes. This study examines adoption trends for predictive analytics, providing data on how many organizations have the technology in place, how many are implementing it, and how many are expanding implementations. We examine return on investment (ROI) experience, and total cost of ownership (TCO) risk, measured by the percentage of organizations that exceed TCO budgets. We conclude with recommendations on implementing the technology. (13 pp., 7 figs.) [Research Byte]
April, 2011
Vendor Discount Report (April 2011)
Market intelligence on current discounting practices for business equipment can be difficult obtain. As a result, buyers do not know whether a better deal can be negotiated. This updated report, based on our knowledge of recent deals, provides buyers with guidance concerning current discount structures on a variety of equipment. Categories include IT equipment (desktops, laptops, network equipement, printers, servers, and storage), office equipment (copiers, mail equipment), forklifts, medical equipment, test equipment, and miscellaneous equipment. Major vendors include IBM, HP, Dell, HP, Apple, and others. Includes a downloadable PDF workbook of nearly 400 individual deals used in the report to calculate average discounts and soft cost statistics. (18 pp., 12 figs.).
April, 2011
SaaS Comes of Age
This Research Byte looks at current investment and adoption rates for software-as-a-service (SaaS) with respect to the changes in these rates over the last three years, analyzing the current trend, the factors that contributed to it, and how organizations are viewing and implementing SaaS solutions today.
March, 2011
Software-as-a-Service Adoption and Economic Experience
This study examines adoption and investment trends for SaaS, providing data about how many organizations have the technology in place, how many are implementing it, and how many are expanding implementations. To give additional insight, we look at the economic experience of those that have adopted the technology: We examine return on investment experience and balance the potential ROI against the risks, measured in terms of the percentage of organizations that exceed budgets for total cost of ownership (TCO). In addition, we report on the service-success and cost-success rates for outsourcing of the application hosting function, and on adoption by sector and organization size. We conclude with recommendations on SaaS adoption. (15 pp., 9 figs.) [Research Byte]
March, 2011
IT Management Headcount Falls to Normal
Having an appropriate number of managers is essential for a smooth-running IT department. This Research Byte looks at the 4-year trend of managers as a percentage of IT staff.
February, 2011
IT Management and Administration Staffing Ratios 2011
Having an appropriate number of managers is essential for a smooth-running IT department. To benchmark IT management, we report IT managers as a percentage of the IT staff and the number of users per IT manager. We provide metrics for small, midsize, and large organizations. To provide further perspective, we consider the four-year trend in IT managers as an average percentage of the IT staff. We also report metrics for IT finance, vendor management, and procurement staff, as well as for clerical staff. (16 pp., 8 figs.) [Research Byte]
February, 2011
Project Managers Proliferate in IT Organizations
This Research Byte looks at how the project manager position has changed in relation to IT staff as a whole over the last four years, examining the reasons behind the trend and the shifting focus of IT staffing strategy.
February, 2011
Project Manager Staffing Ratios and PMO Adoption
In this study, we first examine the question of how many project managers a typical IT organization requires. We present three benchmarks by organization size. They include project managers as a percentage of the IT staff, users per project manager, and application developers per project manager. In addition, we report on the adoption of project management offices (PMOs), which is impacting the practice of project management today. We also look at the five-year adoption trend, the current adoption trend, adoption by organization size and sector, and the maturity level of this management best practice. Finally, we provide perspective on how to improve and measure the success of project managers and PMOs. (21 pp., 10 figs.) [Research Byte]
February, 2011
Disaster Recovery Outsourcing Gets Wider and Deeper
Outsourcing some or all of an organizationâs disaster recovery processes is a popular strategy for ensuring business continuity. This Research Byte looks at how the percentage of organizations outsourcing disaster recovery has changed since 2007 and what this means for the near future.
February, 2011
Disaster Recovery Outsourcing Trends and Experience 2011
Disaster recovery is a high priority for all organizations, and outsourcing some or all of an organization’s DR processes is a popular strategy for ensuring business continuity. To help IT executives assess their options, this study reports the percentage of organizations outsourcing disaster recovery (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 experiences, show how these trends differ by organization size and sector, and examine the role that offshore outsourcing plays in this market. (20 pp., 14 figs.) [Research Byte]
February, 2011
Disaster Recovery Spending Benchmarks
How much should an IT organization be spending on its disaster recovery efforts? In this study, we look at DR spending per user, per server, and as a percentage of the IT operational budget. We also examine differences in DR spending by organizational size and sector. Finally, we assess how many organizations are periodically testing their disaster recovery plans, a best practice that is all too often ignored. The metrics provided in this report can be used to benchmark an organization’s disaster recovery spending and testing practices. (15 pp., 10 figs.) [Research Byte]
February, 2011