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Technology Trends 2017
This major study provides insight into the customer experience and adoption rates for 12 technology initiatives 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 technology initiatives. They also can gain insight into just how aggressively competitors and peers are making these investments. (97 pp., 86 figs.) [Full Description and Sample Pages] [Research Byte]
February, 2017
Agile Development Adoption and Best Practices 2017
After more than two decades of maturation, agile development methodologies promise to deliver new systems more quickly, improve software quality, and increase user satisfaction. While adoption remains only moderate, agile development continues to gain adherents as organizations seek to respond to a continuously changing environment. In this study, we report how widely and deeply agile development is being embraced by IT organizations today, by organization size and sector. We conclude with our recommendations on how to best use, and not misuse, agile development methodologies. (14 pp., 5 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2017
Agile Development Use Increases, but Barriers Remain
Software development is as important as ever, and agile methodologies have moved into the mainstream. But agile still has a long way to go to attain more widespread adoption in enterprise IT. In this Research Byte, we review the trend in the practice rate for agile development.
January, 2017
Project Managers as Percent of IT Staff Drops Again
The role of the IT project manager is critical, as new technology adoption, regulatory compliance, outsourcing, and other factors make it vital that projects be properly planned and controlled. But too few organizations adequately staff the project manager function. In this Research Byte, we review the trend in project managment staff as a percentage of the IT staff.
January, 2017
IT Project Management Staffing Ratios 2017
In this study, we examine the question of how many project managers a typical IT organization requires. We present six 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, application programmers per project manager, and capital budget 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. (25 pp., 11 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2017
New Customer-Facing Systems Extend the Reach of SMBs
Small businesses play a vital role in the economy and are often the leading innovators in new products and services. In recent years, software vendors have announced new products to address the challenges of multichannel commerce and the global markets that small and medium sized businesses face. In this Byte, we review two of them, SAP and Microsoft, which are building new, customer-facing systems specifically to serve SMB customers.
January, 2017
Strategic Cost Optimization
In the GCC, the record drop in oil prices over the past two years has put significant pressure on companies to quickly reduce their cost structures. Albeit quick, layoffs are not the most effective and productive route to achieve cost savings. Companies can use more effective methods to identify cost-cutting initiatives across the business that have a positive impact on overall performance and cost structures without jeopardizing the company's operational performance.
January, 2017
Cloud ERP Poised for Growth, New FinancialForce CEO Says
FinancialForce named a new CEO this month, and he’s already touting the market opportunity for his new employer, and for cloud ERP generally. With only a few days on the job, veteran tech executive Tod Nielsen is signaling his goal to increase FinancialForce’s revenue tenfold. This Research Byte evaluates how FinancialForce might get there and what it means for customers.
January, 2017
Vendor Discount Report (January 2017)
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 equipment, 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 more than 300 deals used in the report to calculate average discounts and soft cost statistics. (14pp., 21 figs.)
January, 2017
State-of-the-Art Data Centers Driving Down Server Support Staffing Levels
State-of-the-art data centers are changing the equation on optimal server support staffing levels, and the result of those changes is that the ratio of that support staff as a percentage of the total IT staff declined again in 2016.
January, 2017
Server Support Staffing Ratios 2017
State-of-the-art data centers with virtualized architectures are changing the equation on optimal server support staffing levels. How many server support staff members does an organization need? To answer that question, we provide four key benchmarks: server support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per server support staff member, physical servers per server support staff member, and OS instances per server support staff member. We provide these metrics for small, midsize, and large organizations. (18 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2017
IT Asset Management Adoption and Best Practices 2017
IT departments often find it difficult to keep track of all the hardware, configurations, software licenses, user permissions, and other information regarding IT assets. IT asset management systems can make the challenge less formidable. In this study, we look at the changing nature of the asset management field, how far along organizations are in implementing asset management systems, and some of the tools and options for improving asset management. (17 pp., 5 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2017
IT Asset Management: Keeping the Chaos Under Control
Given the constantly changing nature of IT knowing precisely what equipment is owned and the current status of each item is essential. In this Research Byte, we review the adoption of this IT best practice.
January, 2017
Web/E-Commerce Staffing Ratios 2017
The growth of mobile applications, analytics, and e-commerce demands are increasing the back-end requirements for the web/e-commerce support staff function. 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. (15 pp., 7 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2017
Web/E-Commerce Operations Staff On the Rise
The growth of mobile applications, analytics, and e-commerce demands are increasing the front- and back-end requirements for the web/e-commerce support staff function. So while some IT staff functions lately have been declining as a percentage of the total IT staff, the need for technically savvy web/e-commerce support personnel is expanding.
January, 2017