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Comparing Linux and Windows: Executive Summary
Computer Economics recently conducted a survey of system administrators and IT managers that have experience with both Linux and Windows as server operating systems. The results are mixed, with Linux being preferred for its security, reliability, flexibility, scalability, and total cost of ownership and Windows taking the lead for ease of installation/administration and availability of support professionals.
June, 2006
Managing the Risk of an Avian Flu Pandemic 2006
Although many IT organizations are prepared to face natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and even terrorist attacks, most IT disaster recovery plans do not take into account the special characteristics of pandemics, such as one involving avian flu (bird flu). This Research Byte is a summary of our special report, IT Preparedness for an Avian Flu Pandemic, which outlines the specific ways in which pandemics are different from other types of natural disasters and provides planning scenarios and specific actions that IT risk managers should consider to prepare for a potential avian flu pandemic.
June, 2006
IT Preparedness for an Avian Flu Pandemic 2006
Public health authorities are warning that a pandemic of avian flu, commonly known as "bird flu," is a real possibility. But because pandemics are fundamentally different from the types of disasters commonly envisioned in business continuity plans, most IT organizations are not prepared to face the threat of an avian flu pandemic. As an aid to IT risk managers, this report outlines the specific ways in which pandemics are different from other types of natural disasters. It suggests three planning scenarios, and it outlines specific actions that IT risk managers should consider to prepare for a potential avian flu pandemic. If adequately prepared, the IT group can continue to support critical business functions, and it can provide solutions to help the organization as a whole to get through a pandemic. (7 pp., 1 fig.) [Executive Summary]
June, 2006
Vendor Discounts on Computer Equipment (June 2006)
Market intelligence on current discounting practices for computer equipment can be difficult for buyers to obtain. Vendors often require buyers to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition to receiving their largest and best discounted. As a result, future buyers may find it difficult to determine whether the discount that the vendor is offering is typical or whether a better deal can be negotiated. This updated report, based on our current knowledge of current market conditions, provides IT buyers with insight and guidance concerning current discount structures on a variety of categories of computer equipment. Categories include personal computers (desktops, notebooks, and monitors), servers (blade servers, mainframes, and midrange servers), workstations, disk systems, tape storage, miscellaneous I/O, and networking equipment. Vendors covered include IBM, HP, Sun, EMC, HDS, StorageTek, Cisco, Juniper, and CipherOptics. (6 pp., 15 figs.)
June, 2006
Shifting Priorities in IT Budgeting
Using data from ten years of our IT spending and staffing studies, we analyze long-term changes in IT budget line items as a percentage of total IT spending. This analysis shows how changes in economic conditions and technology have affected IT spending priorities in the past and what it means for the future. This article is an execuutive summary of our article, Long-Term Trends in IT Budget Ratio Line Items.
May, 2006
Long-Term Trends in IT Budget Line Item Ratios
This article, the third in our series on long-term trends in IT spending and staffing, analyzes changes in IT spending on a line-item basis, based on 10 years of data from our IT spending and staffing surveys. Using the ratio of each budget line item to the total IT budget, changes in corporate spending are analyzed for the following categories of IT spending: personnel, training, recruiting, data center hardware (servers and storage), software, desktop and end-user hardware, network infrastructure, outside services, facilities, overhead and supplies, security, and business continuity. By understanding long-term shifts in spending trends, the future direction for spending in each category can be better understood. (14 pp., 12 figs.)[Executive Summary]
May, 2006
IT Training Budget and Staffing Metrics by Organizational Size and Industry
An analysis of corporate spending for IT training shows that many organizations are not investing adequately in professional development of their IT staff, the largest single line item in the IT budget. This article reviews IT training budget and staffing benchmarking metrics from 2000 through 2005, with projection for 2006. It also examines the differences in training spending and staffing ratios between organizations of different sizes and in various industry sectors. (6 pp., 5 figs.)
May, 2006
Organizations are at Risk from Lax Wi-Fi Security
According to our research, laptop computers comprise about one-third of all personal computers in U.S. and Canadian businesses, and most of them include wireless communications capabilities. But according to data from our 2006 IT Security Study, many IT organizations fail to grasp many of the easier concepts and configurations that are available to secure wireless networks. This article quantifies the adoption rate for two public wireless security standards (WEP and WPA) and breaks down the analysis by organizational size (based on the number of laptops supported.) The article also includes practical recommendations for securing wireless networks and itemizes the reasons that organizations should upgrade to the WPA standard as soon as possible.
April, 2006
Questioning the Cost Performance of Mainframes
Many IT professionals are under the impression that mainframe computers (a.k.a, enterprise servers) have strong cost-performance characteristics. But recent data from Computer Economics challenges that assumption, especially when mainframes are used in a mix of with other classes of servers in the same data center.
April, 2006
The Case for Mainframe Migration and Consolidation
Mainframe computers still occupy a major position in the hardware inventory of many data centers, especially in certain industries such as banking, finance, and insurance, and among larger companies. According to statistics collected in our annual IT spending survey, the economic performance of mainframes is not as good as that of other hardware platforms, especially in data centers where mainframe computers are used in a mix with other classes of servers. For organizations with such a heterogeneous server mix, these findings may be used to justify migration of mainframe applications to other server platforms or, at a minimum, undertake a mainframe server consolidation strategy. (8 pp., 7 figs.)[Executive Summary]
April, 2006
Overcoming Obstacles to Data Classification
A formal data classification scheme is fundamental to information security. Yet, many organizations--even those that profess a commitment to protecting company and customer information--fail to implement data classification. This article looks at the reasons that data classification can be difficult to develop and implement in practice and offers several practical guidelines to overcome these obstacles.
April, 2006
IT Labor Supply Tightens
The pool of IT professionals seeking employment shrunk in 2004 and early 2005. Computer workers are experiencing the lowest jobless rate since 2001. This report, based on our 2005 IT Salary Report, provides employment statistics for eight IT job categories, and it should alert IT managers to the upcoming shortage of skilled professionals to fill job openings and concomitant demand-driven wage increases. This article also reports the results of a Computer Economics survey on the effectiveness of personnel management and workload management processes, disciplines that are essential in addressing the tightening IT labor supply. (5 pp., 4 figs.)
April, 2006
2006 IT Salary Report
This edition of our annual salary report provides 2006 salary ranges for 81 specific IT job positions in 70 U.S. metropolitan areas along with high level job descriptions for each position. Salary ranges are further broken down by organizational size for each job position within each metropolitan area. Organizational sizes are defined as: small firms (annual revenues less than $250 million), medium-size ($250-750 million), and large (over $750 million). To aid in analysis, all salary statistics are provided at the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile. (334 pp., 83 figs.)[Read the detailed description of this report]
April, 2006
IT Job Market Strengthening in 2006
In North America, 2006 is destined to become a pivotal year for technology professionals, as both salary and hiring trends are finally on the upswing. This report analyzes changes in IT staffing and salary trends from 2001 to 2005 with projections for 2006, including the IT skills that will be in greatest and least demand. A discussion of the impact of IT outsourcing on the job market is also included. This article is based on material presented in the first chapter of our 2006 IT Salary Report. (9 pp., 2 figs.)
April, 2006
Combating Back Door Vulnerabilities in Data Center Procedures
Although IT professionals usually adhere to strict security guidelines when dealing with user systems, they sometimes drop their guard when the implement systems and procedures in the data center itself. This article highlights the security weaknesses that can be created by such administrative procedures and outlines common sense management practices that can close such back door vulnerabilities.
March, 2006