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Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook for 2020
Although IT leaders worldwide have a positive outlook for the global economy, that outlook seems a bit tinged with frustration compared to previous years. This report, based on our Q4 survey, provides data on the global and U.S./Canadian trends for IT spending and staffing in 2020. This year, our report assesses IT operational and capital spending plans, executive priorities for IT investment, and plans for hiring, outsourcing, and pay raises for IT organizations worldwide and in the U.S. and Canada. (34 pp., 24 fig.)
January, 2020
Application Maintenance Staffing Ratios 2019
As an organization’s application portfolio grows, the application maintenance role becomes a more critical function and IT organizations can benefit from periodic assessment of their staffing levels. This report uses three metrics to make that assessment: application maintenance staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per application maintenance staff member, and applications per application maintenance staff member.
March, 2019
IT Management and Administration Staffing Ratios 2019
When it comes to IT managers, it is important to find the sweet spot. Too many, and the IT group can become top-heavy and bureaucratic, while too few can leave IT staff members feeling unsupported and without direction. This report examines how many IT managers a well-run IT organization typically requires, along with staffing metrics for two related administrative functions: IT finance/vendor management and clerical support.
August, 2019
Application Developer Staffing Ratios 2019
With the use of agile and advent of DevOps, the way that applications are being developed in the enterprise is changing. With these changes, the need for application developers is in flux, and IT organizations can benefit from periodic assessment of their staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to make that assessment: developers as a percentage of the IT staff, users per developer, and applications per developer.
November, 2019
Desktop Support Staffing Ratios 2020
When viewed as a percentage of the total IT staff, the percentage of desktop support personnel has now reached a three-year low. We expect this metric to stay flat or decline further in the near future for several reasons. In this study, we use four metrics for benchmarking: desktop support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, PCs per desktop support staff member, applications per desktop support staff member, and users per support staff member.
February, 2020
IT Security Staffing Ratios 2020
IT security staffing has finally increased to match increases in IT spending. In this report, we present the five-year trend in IT security staffing and provide benchmarks for understanding IT security staff head count: as a percentage of the IT staff and as a percentage of the Network and Communications Group. We also analyze IT security staffing in terms of the number of applications, users, and network devices.
November, 2020
Data Management Staffing Ratios 2020
The data explosion is finally making an impact on data management staffing. Through the middle of the decade, data management staffing plateaued despite the fact that organizations of all sizes were making more use of data. However, data management head count recently has increased significantly. In this study, we use four benchmarks to assess data management staffing levels: data management staff as a percentage of the IT staff, data management staff as a percentage of the Application Group, users per data management staff member, and applications per data management staff member. (21 pp., 10 fig.)
September, 2020
IT Quality Assurance Staffing Ratios 2020
Staffing levels for IT quality assurance personnel are in a state of flux for several reasons, including the new ways in which software is being developed and the varying needs of industry sectors. In this report, we first evaluate recent changes in IT QA staffing levels. We then provide three benchmarks by organization size and by sector: QA staff as a percentage of the IT staff, QA staff as a percentage of the Application Group, and applications per QA staff member.
October, 2020
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