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Featured ResearchBusiness Analyst Staffing RatiosNovember, 2018Business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff is on an overall upward trend, and we expect that trend to continue. The business analyst serves as a bridge between the IT organization and business users. It is a multifaceted function that is important for ensuring that IT application systems meet business objectives. In this study, we assess staffing levels for the business analyst using four metrics: business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff, business analysts as a percentage of the Application Group, applications per business analyst, and users per business analyst. We also present ratios by organization size and sector. (22 pp., 10 fig.) [Research Byte] Data Center Outsourcing Trends and Customer ExperienceNovember, 2018In a growing economy, IT organizations face decisions on how best to support increased transaction volumes. Should they upgrade infrastructure, turn to hosting providers, or move some computing resources to the cloud? In this study, we provide IT executives with insight into how broadly and eagerly their peers are undertaking outsourcing as a data center strategy. We also examine the success rates that organizations are having with reducing cost and improving service through outsourcing the critical data center function. We conclude with five steps for assessing the feasibility of data center outsourcing. (18 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte] IaaS Adoption Trends and Customer ExperienceNovember, 2018IT organizations are growing their use of public cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) for a variety of purposes, such as disaster recovery, systems development, and, increasingly, for production systems. This report quantifies the current adoption and investment trends for IaaS, as well as the benefits driving adoption and the buyer concerns holding it back. We assess these trends by organization size, sector, and region. We also look at the return on investment and total cost of ownership experience of those who have adopted IaaS and conclude with practical advice for IT leaders seeking to gain support for IaaS investments. (26 pp., 13 fig.) [Research Byte] Choosing Between Solid State Drives and Hard Disk Drives When Upgrading PCs, LaptopsNovember, 2018When upgrading PCs or laptops, the choice of hard drive is a critical decision. Traditional hard drives (HDD) and newer solid-state drives (SSD) have different characteristics in terms of cost, performance, reliability, and useful life, which should influence the decision. This report provides an overview of the two types of drives and provides criteria for making the right choice. Data Management Staffing RatiosOctober, 2018Data management is a vital function that crosses departmental borders, involving business intelligence, data warehousing, data architecture, and other functions. However, over the past three years, this category of IT workers has plateaued as a percentage of the total IT staff. As such, the data management headcount requires ongoing assessment. 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. (23 pp., 10 fig.) [Research Byte] Desktop Support Outsourcing Trends and Customer ExperienceOctober, 2018Customer satisfaction with desktop support outsourcing appears to be rising, although the use of these services has not. This report examines adoption trends and customer experience with desktop support outsourcing. We report on the percentage of organizations that outsource (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work being outsourced (trend). We also present success rates for the customer’s cost and service experience, and show how use of these services differs by organization size and sector. We conclude with factors to consider when evaluating options for outsourcing this function. (17 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte] IT Security Policies Adoption and Best PracticesOctober, 2018Nearly every IT organization has security policies to some extent, but there is often much room for improvement. The fact that so many companies have IT security policies that are not formally established, comprehensive in their scope, or followed consistently is part of the reason that we continue to see little progress against high-profile cyberattacks. In this report, we look at adoption trends and maturity of IT security policies by organization size and sector. We conclude with practical recommendations for IT organizations interested improving their IT security policies. (17 pp., 6 figs.) [Research Byte] IT Management Best Practices 2018/2019September, 2018The best-run IT organizations not only focus their process improvement efforts on those of other departments, they also seek to optimize their own IT management processes internally. In this study, we examine the growth and maturity of 35 IT management practices which we have grouped into six major categories: IT governance practices, IT financial management practices, IT operational management practices, IT security and risk management practices, application development practices, and innovation best practices. (207 pp., 184 figs.) [Full Report Description and Sample Pages] [Research Byte] Application Developer Staffing RatiosSeptember, 2018For a variety of reasons, 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. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. We also provide a benchmark for the larger Application Group, which includes personnel engaged in application maintenance, web development and support, quality assurance, data management, and business systems analysis. (22 pp., 9 fig.) [Research Byte] IT Outsourcing Statistics 2018/2019August, 2018This major study profiles outsourcing activity for 10 IT functions: application development, application maintenance, data center operations, database administration, desktop support, disaster recovery services, help desk services, IT security, network operations, and web/e-commerce systems. For each IT function, we measure the frequency and level of outsourcing. We also look at the current plans of IT organizations to increase or decrease the amount of work they outsource. We examine the customer experience to assess whether organizations are successfully lowering costs or improving service through outsourcing. Finally, we show the outsourcing frequency by sector for each function. (105 pp., 89 fig.) Full Report Description [Research Byte] IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2018/2019: IT Budget and Cost Metrics by Industry and Organization SizeJune, 2018Our 2018/2019 IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study provides a comprehensive view of the current state of IT budgeting and staffing levels for business and governmental organizations in the U.S. and Canada, based on our 29th annual survey. Detailed metrics are provided by organization size and by industry sector. This article allows purchase of all 30 chapters at a significant discount off the individual chapter price. Individual chapters are also available for purchase – click the Full Study Description below for details. (1,749 pp., 1,052 figs.) [Full Study Description and Individual Chapter Pricing] Technology Trends 2018February, 2018This major study provides insight into the customer experience and adoption rates for 14 technologies 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 technologies. They also can gain insight into just how aggressively competitors and peers are making these investments. (101 pp., 102 figs.) [Full Description and Sample Pages] [Research Byte] IT Salary Report 2018January, 2018The Computer Economics IT Salary Report 2018 provides total compensation for 75 IT job functions for more than 400 U.S. metro areas and 20 industry sectors. The executive summary also provides our forecast for pay raises and hiring in 2018 and includes job descriptions for each job function. The salary tables are provided as a downloadable Microsoft Excel workbook, with total salaries reported at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentiles. (33 pp., 7 figs., plus salary tables) [Research Byte] [Full Description and Free Executive Summary] |