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Laptop Growth and Impact on Technical Support Staffing Requirements
In many organizations, laptops are becoming a larger percentage of the PC inventory. From the perspective of IT organizations, laptops can ease the burden of relocations, changes, and upgrades. But there are also costs: Laptops cost more than comparably equipped desktops, introduce new security threats, suffer damage more frequently, and are more costly to repair than desktops. This study examines current trends in desktop and laptop PC acquisition, and how the changing mix of laptops to desktops is influencing IT staffing requirements. (5 pp., 9 figs.)[Executive Summary]
August, 2008
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IT Security Staffing Ratios and Trends
There is little doubt that security professionals remain in strong demand. Yet the percentage of IT employees actually dedicated to security in any given IT organization is relatively small and has been declining, somewhat surprisingly, over the past three years. In this study, we provide three metrics for security staffing: security staff as percentage of total IT staff, number of users per security professional, and number of network support employees per security professional. We first examine the trend in security staffing by analyzing staffing ratios for the composite sample. We then provide the three metrics by organization size. Third, we show how these metrics vary by industry sector. Finally, we examine how outsourcing, network complexity, and the number of network sites can influence security staffing needs. We conclude with our assessment of current trends in security staffing. (7 pp., 12 figs.) [Executive Summary]
August, 2008
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Factors Influencing IT Employee Turnover Rates
Because it is generally less expensive to retain good employees than find new ones, lowering turnover rates is a good strategy for reducing IT personnel expenses. In this study, we examine current trends in turnover rates and provide benchmarks for turnover by organization size. We then examine 11 factors commonly believed to influence employee retention, specifically: education and training opportunities, flexible schedules, work environment, social environment, incentive pay/bonuses, base salaries, insurance benefits, employee recognition programs, paid time off, retirement programs, and telecommuting opportunities. We assess how IT executives rank the importance of these factors, and we measure the impact of each factor on actual turnover rates. We conclude with recommendations on how organizations can most cost-effectively reduce turnover. (7 pp., 9 figs.)[Executive Summary]
August, 2008
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Web/E-Commerce Staffing Ratios and Outsourcing Trends
After peaking in 2001 and then declining during the post-boom years, web development and e-commerce staffing levels have remained surprisingly steady over the past three years. In this report, we provide benchmarks on typical web/e-commerce staff by organization size and industry sector, examine the ratio of web staff to applications development staff, analyze web/e-commerce outsourcing levels, and look at the three-year trend in web staffing ratios. (5 pp., 9 figs.)[Executive Summary]
June, 2008
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Help Desk Staffing Ratios and Outsourcing Trends
This study provides guidelines for planning appropriate staffing levels for the IT help desk (service desk) function. We provide help desk ratios by number of users and the number of PCs serviced by each help desk worker. We also analyze these statistics by organization size and industry. Finally, because help desk is a common target for outsourcing, we also examine current trends and levels in the use of outside service providers who provide IT help desk support. (6 pp., 11 figs.)[Executive Summary]
May, 2008
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ERP Support Staffing Ratios 2008
ERP systems can be major investments requiring a substantial effort in implementation. Yet many organizations do not realize that the total cost of ownership of an ERP system is composed largely of ongoing support. In this report, we analyze ERP support staffing levels by size of the installation, the scope of functionality implemented, class of software vendor (Oracle and SAP vs. all others), the extent of system modification, the number of ERP versions and instances in production, and the age of the system. In addition, we analyze the allocation of ERP support staff to specific job functions. Based on these statistics, we conclude with recommendations for optimizing ERP staffing levels to better manage costs and improve user satisfaction. (8 pp., 9 figs.) [Executive Summary]
April, 2008
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Current Trends in Use of IT Contract Workers (2008)
Managing a contract workforce has become an increasingly important task for IT organizations. In this study, we examine the use of contractors and temps by organization size and sector. We also examine the four-year trend between 2004 and 2007 to discover how the use of contract labor has changed over time. Furthermore, we examine how the aggressive use of temporary employees relates to staff growth and turnover rates. The report concludes with our view on current and future trends in the IT contingency workforce. (5 pp., 7 figs.)[Executive Summary]
April, 2008
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Minimizing Data Center Job Failure Rates
The successful completion of batch and online processing is crucial to meeting service level objectives in any data center, yet a surprising percentage of data centers do not routinely collect metrics concerning job failures. This article presents statistics concerning the average rate of job failure in IBM mainframe (z/OS) data centers along with the typical rate of failure experienced by organizations that implement best practices. We also break down failure rates by type of failure and provide recommendations for attaining best-practice status. (3 pp., 3 figs.)
December, 2007
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Database Administration Staffing Ratios (2007)
In this report, we examine typical database administration (DBA) headcount by organization size as well as the DBA staff as a percentage of the total IT staff. We also analyze DBA headcount as a function of application developer headcount. Finally, to assess the impact of custom software development on DBA staffing, we examine these database staffing ratios in relation to the level of custom software development. (5 pp., 7 figs.)[Executive Summary]
November, 2007
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Optimizing Application Development Staffing Ratios
Application development is often the largest single job category in the IT organization. But what is the ideal staffing level for these systems analysts and programmer staff? This article provides benchmarks for applications development staffing based on the number of users, organization size, and industry sector. We also analyze application software development headcount as a percentage of the total IT staff headcount and investigate the impact of outsourcing on applications staffing levels. (5 pp., 9 figs.)[Executive Summary]
October, 2007
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Network Staffing and Spending Ratios
Voice and data networks are an essential component of the IT infrastructure for nearly every company today. However, to ensure that networks function at an optimal level, every organization must budget an adequate amount for network support and must recruit and retain a sufficient number of skilled network personnel to do the job. This article provides an in-depth analysis of network support staffing and cost ratios. Network staffing benchmarks are shown as the number of desktops, network sites, and network devices per network support technician. Network spending benchmarks are shown as the ratio of total network spending (for voice and data) per desktop, network site, and network device. All benchmarks are broken down by size of organization and are shown at the median, 25th, and 75th percentile. (6 pp., 6 figs.) [Executive Summary]
September, 2007
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Desktop Support Staffing Ratios 2007
Determining the right number of desktop support technicians can be a difficult exercise. This article provides an analysis of desktop support staffing levels based on the total number of personal computers (including laptops and workstations). We provide support ratios for the composite sample, by organization size (based on the total number of desktops deployed), and by industry sector. In addition, we analyze how frequently desktop support activities are outsourced, by organization size. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the productivity for desktop support personnel. (6 pp., 5 figs.) [Executive Summary]
July, 2007
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Planning for the Coming Wave of IT Staff Retirements
As the baby-boomer generation ages, a growing number of senior IT professionals are nearing retirement, and many organizations have not fully prepared for the loss of so many leaders and experienced technical staff members. Furthermore, as younger IT staff replace older workers, the demographics within the typical IT shop are changing, leading to a number of "generational issues" (differences between generations in their skills, culture, and experience) that will need to be addressed. This special report, based on our survey of over 150 organizations, documents the extent of these problems by size of organization, highlights the various strategies that IT groups are taking to deal with them, and provides practical recommendations for IT executives to prepare for the coming generational transition of the IT workforce. (13 pp., 20 figs.) [Executive Summary]
May, 2007
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Managing Challenges in IT Staffing: 2007 Survey Results
Recruiting and retaining IT talent is a key success factor for any IT organization. This special study investigates current trends and challenges that IT managers are facing in recruiting and staffing, based on a survey of approximately 160 U.S. IT hiring managers. Statistics include IT staff growth rates, use of contractors and temporary employees, growth of outsourcing and offshoring, turnover rates, trends in recruiting difficulty, adequacy of the candidate supply, ability to offer competitive compensation, attractiveness to candidates of four major U.S. regions and 14 industry sectors, manager satisfaction with recruiting methods, use of outside recruiters, and the relative difficulty of recruiting for eight IT positions. (10 pp., 16 figs.)[Executive Summary]
March, 2007
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Business Analyst Staffing Ratios 2007
The role of the business analyst is among the most important in the IT organization, serving as a bridge between the IT group and the users it serves. Therefore, understanding the proper level of staffing for this position is crucial. This article analyzes the statistics from a nationwide survey of nearly 200 CIOs and senior IT managers conducted by Computer Economics. Staffing ratios for the business analyst function are provided in terms of the total IT headcount and the application development headcount. The effects of organization size and outsourcing status on these metrics are also documented. (5 pp., 6 figs.) [Executive Summary]
March, 2007
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