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The Ebb and Flow of Help Desk Staffing
Formulating Your Strategy for Digital Real Estate
Factors Affecting DBA Staffing Ratios
IT Spending as a Percentage of Revenue by Industry
IT Spending in the Insurance Industry
IT Spending in the Retail Industry
Featured Research
Help Desk Staffing Ratios
January, 2023
The help desk plays an important role in the delivery of IT services to the business. However, in 2022, help desk staffing declined to a level not seen since prior to the pandemic. Businesses are adapting to new working models, which may be one factor impacting this staffing ratio. The Research Byte summarizes our full report on help desk staffing ratios. (26 pp., 12 figs.)[Research Byte]
Formulating Your Strategy for Digital Real Estate
January, 2023
Digital real estate refers to virtual space within a virtual world that can be purchased by consumers and enterprises for brand experiences and interactions with customers or partners in the metaverse. The metaverse is the next disruptive medium for selling goods and services, and digital real estate is central to this strategy. Enterprises must consider issues such as platform differences, experience, and the perceived limit on digital real estate when formulating their omniverse strategies. Early adopters will have the first slice of the metaverse pie, similar to e-commerce, where the first-mover advantage was crucial for companies. Residual Value Forecast January
January, 2023Our monthly Residual Value Forecast (RVF) report provides forecasts for the following categories of IT equipment: desktop computers, laptops, network equipment, printers, servers, storage devices, and other IT equipment. It also includes residual values for other non-IT equipment in the following categories: copiers, material handling equipment (forklifts), mail equipment, medical equipment, test equipment, and miscellaneous equipment such as manufacturing machinery and NC machines. Residual Value Forecasts are provided for five years for end-user, wholesale, and orderly liquidation values (OLV) prices.
For historical RVF reports, contact us.
Database Administration Staffing Ratios
December, 2022
Database administration (DBA) staffing remained steady in 2022, even though organizations are capturing and analyzing greater amounts of data. One reason DBA staffing levels are not rising is technology, specifically AI/ML, which is assisting DBAs in collecting, sorting, managing, and controlling ever-larger volumes of data. The Research Byte summarizes this full report on database administration staffing ratios. (25pp., 10 figs.)[Research Byte]
IT Salary Report 2023
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The Computer Economics IT Salary Report 2023 provides total compensation for 80 IT job functions for more than 400 US metro areas and 20 industry sectors. The executive summary also provides our forecast for pay raises and hiring in 2023 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. (40 pp., 14 figs., plus salary tables.)[Research Byte]
[Full Description and Free Executive Summary]
IaaS Adoption Trends and Customer Experience
December, 2022
The need for agility continues to drive investment in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). And the global pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruptions have only increased this trend. Cloud infrastructure makes it easier for companies to respond to fluctuations in demand, changes in business requirements, and the need to optimize costs over time. This Research Byte provides a summary of our full report on IaaS adoption trends and customer experience. (27 pp., 16 fig)[Research Byte]
IT Project Management Staffing Ratios
December, 2022
The role of the IT project manager is critical in this dynamic, changing IT environment. The rise in the remote/hybrid work model puts project managers in the middle of recreating business and project management processes to reflect a more dispersed workforce. This Research Byte provides a summary of our full report on IT project management staffing ratios. (27 pp., 11 fig.)[Research Byte]
Fair Market Values
December, 2022Our Fair Market Value (FMV) report provides data for the following categories of equipment: (1) IBM mainframe and midrange hardware and IBM peripherals; (2) Workstations, PCs, and servers from Compaq, Dell, HP, IBM/Lenovo, Lexmark, Okidata, Silicon Graphics, Sony, Sun, and Toshiba; (3) Network Communication gear from Cisco, Bay/Nortel, IBM, Intel, Lucent, and others. Fair Market Values are provided for end-user, wholesale, and orderly liquidation values (OLV) prices.
For historical FMV reports, contact us.
Cloud Governance Best Practices
November, 2022
With the continued migration to the cloud, governance becomes even more critical. Cloud governance provides a complete overview of an organization’s cloud resources and how they should be managed. Therefore, it is not surprising that many organizations see the vital role cloud governance plays in their daily operations, and practice rates are high compared to most best practices in our annual best practices study. (16 pp., 6 fig)[Research Byte]
Application Developer Staffing Ratios
November, 2022
The process of developing and maintaining enterprise applications is changing. Agile methodologies and DevOps are contributing factors to the decline in application developer staffing ratios. Low-code/no-code, rapid application development approaches that aim to reduce coding and application development times further reduce the need for developers. Developers still make up the largest portion of most IT organizations, and they are quite expensive. Therefore, IT leaders should assess their developer needs in order to optimize their personnel budgets. (24 pp., 10 fig.)[Research Byte]
Desktop Support Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience
October, 2022
The question of whether to turn over the desktop support function to a service provider is a critical and surprisingly complicated one. Our research shows that there is a strong cost advantage to outsourcing desktop support tasks, but many organizations have reported negative service experiences. This research byte summarizes our full report on desktop support outsourcing. (17 pp, 8 figs)[Research Byte]
Oracle Charging Ahead with Cerner Integration but Big Hill to Climb
October, 2022
It’s been almost a year since Oracle announced its costly acquisition of Cerner, a giant provider of digital systems to healthcare companies. But it’s been a difficult year with more challenges ahead. It is a complex endeavor, and Oracle has devoted a tremendous amount of resources to it. Appropriately, healthcare technology was a major focus of the recent Oracle CloudWorld Conference in Las Vegas.Digital Workplace Technologies Adoption and Customer Experience
October, 2022
Over the past two years, pandemic lockdowns led to a huge boost in the adoption of digital workplace technologies to enable remote work. But even though workers are returning to offices, organizations are not returning to old ways of working. The digital workplace is here to stay. (20 pp. 10 figs.)
[Research Byte]
Disaster Recovery Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience
September, 2022
If there were ever any questions about the need for disaster recovery planning, those doubts were dispelled over the past few years. A worldwide pandemic, power outages, wars, and cyberattacks exposed those organizations that were not fully prepared to respond to those disruptions. But what if the IT organization does not have the resources or the capability to do it all in-house? This is why many organizations are turning to disaster recovery outsourcing providers to step into the gap. (18 pp., 8 figs.) (18 pp. 8 figs.)[Research Byte]
European IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2022/2023: Full Study
September, 2022
This report is a companion study to our annual IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study, which provides a full set of IT budgetary benchmarks and IT staffing metrics by industry sector and organizational size. This companion study for Europe should be used in conjunction with our full study to provide insight into how high-level spending and staffing benchmarks differ for European organizations. From within this article, you can purchase all 19 chapters at a significant discount off the individual chapter price. Individual chapters are also available for purchase. Click the full study description for details. (978 pp., 533 Fig.)[Full Study Description]
[Research Byte]
Insider Security Risk Assessment Best Practices
September, 2022
Most IT organizations have insider security risk assessments to some extent, but, too often, they are not formally established, comprehensive in their scope, or followed consistently. Because of this, insider threats remain prevalent and continue to increase annually. This comprehensive report examines the many ways to limit the access of insiders to the minimum required and other countermeasure to deter malicious insider threats. (22 pp., 6 figs.)[Research Byte]
Applying ESG to the IT Organization
August, 2022
Increasing concerns about the effects of climate change and socio-economic disparities have made environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance a front-burner issue for organizations around the globe. But ESG is not just a program for the organization as a whole. It also has implications for each area of the business. And one of the most important areas is the information technology (IT) function. This Research Byte summarizes our full report on Integrating ESG with IT Strategy. (8 pages, 2 figs.) Application Management Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience 2022
August, 2022
As the application portfolio grows, the ongoing support for those systems can become a burden on the IT organization, leaving little time for developing and implementing new systems. In response, a growing number of organizations see outsourcing application management as an attractive option. Still, we are a long way from eliminating application management entirely from the IT organization. (17pp, 7 figs)[Research Byte]
Cross-Border Commerce, Digital Currencies, and the Future of Money
August, 2022
Traditional payment systems are proving to be too slow to accommodate increasing levels of e-commerce and cross-border transactions. And demands for faster payment processing will only increase as commerce enters the omniverse. This Research Byte outlines the factors driving the need for speed in financial transactions. We examine the benefits and drawbacks of one kind of digital currency—cryptocurrencies—and what the future of money could look like. We conclude with recommendations for enterprises to understand and prepare for the future of money.IT Vendor Governance Best Practices
August, 2022
IT vendor management is a function and set of practices that guide the selection, management, and assessment of IT suppliers to ensure that all parties comply with the terms of their contracts. IT supplier management has been a best practice for many years, but the disciplines have evolved. Traditional IT vendor governance practices are now inadequate to navigate the changing ecosystem of vendors and complex business relationships. The upshot is that most organizations need to transform their vendor governance programs from reactive, control-oriented functions to programs that are proactive, strategic, and value-driven. (18 pp, 6 figs)[Research Byte]
[Full report available at no charge on the Avasant website]
Network Operations Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience
July, 2022
Network operations is a mature but evolving outsourcing category with a wide assortment of top IT and telecom industry service providers competing with regional providers for market share. In addition, large equipment vendors are transforming their businesses beyond being manufacturing producers to delivering value-added network services. In doing so, they provide the network backbone to enterprise organizations as well as a growing variety of network services, including network design and planning, and even network support operations. (17pp, 7 figs)[Research Byte]
IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2022/2023: Full Study
July, 2022
Our IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study for 2022/2023 provides a comprehensive view of the current state of IT budgeting and staffing levels for business and governmental organizations in the US and Canada, based on our 33nd annual survey. Detailed metrics are provided by organization size and by industry sector. From within this article, you can purchase all 32 chapters at a significant discount off the individual chapter price. Individual chapters are also available for purchase. Click the full study description for details. (2,056 pp., 1,181 figs.)[Full Study Description and Individual Chapter Pricing]
System Implementation/Integration Outsourcing Trends and Customer Experience
July, 2022
The outsourcing of system implementation/integration is on the rise. Our report examines adoption trends and customer experience with system implementation/integration outsourcing. We report on the percentage of organizations outsourcing it (frequency) and the average amount of work outsourced (level). We also present data on the cost and service experience and how these trends differ by organization size and sector. We conclude with guidelines to consider when outsourcing this function. (16 pp., 7 fig.)[Research Byte]
E-Commerce Adoption Trends and Customer Experience
May, 2022
E-commerce technology, while mature, is still evolving. This report provides an overview of e-commerce adoption and investment trends, providing data on how many organizations have the technology in place, how many are in the process of implementing it, and how many are expanding implementations. We also look at the ROI experience, TCO experience, and considered or planned uses for new e-commerce investment. We conclude with important principles to apply in planning and implementing e-commerce systems. (22 pp., 11 fig.)[Research Byte]
Supply Chain Management Adoption Trends and Customer Experience
May, 2022
Supply chain management has become a hot topic. From empty grocery shelves to cargo ships lined up at ports, the term “supply chain” is on everyone’s lips. This report quantifies the current adoption and investment trends for SCM technology, as well as the benefits driving companies to expand their implementations. We assess these trends by organization size and sector and look at the ROI and TCO experiences of organizations that have adopted SCM. We conclude with practical advice for those planning new investments in SCM.
Worldwide Technology Trends 2022
April, 2022
This major study provides insight into the customer experience and adoption rates for 14 technologies that are top-of-mind for IT leaders worldwide. The study also delves into the satisfaction level 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. Looking forward, we also explore 19 future and early adopter technologies (146 pp., 105 figs.)[Full Description and Sample Pages]
[Research Byte]
IT Security Staffing Ratios
April, 2022
High-profile security attacks and the impact of remote work continue to put pressure on IT security staffing levels. In this report, we present the five-year trend in IT security staffing and provide benchmarks for understanding IT security staff head count. We also analyze IT security staffing in terms of the number of applications, users, and network devices. In addition, our analysis includes the influence of organization size and sector on staffing requirements. We conclude with recommendations for optimizing IT security staffing. (21 pp., 9 fig.)[Research Byte]
DevOps Engineer Staffing Ratios
April, 2022
DevOps is a natural extension of agile development into the deployment and operational phases of the system life cycle. It has been a way of life among modern, cloud-native software developers, and it is starting to become popular within enterprise IT organizations as well. This report provides metrics for benchmarking DevOps engineer staffing levels in the current environment. We provide four benchmarks by organization size and sector: DevOps engineering staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per DevOps engineer, and applications per DevOps engineer. We conclude with recommendations on optimizing DevOps engineer staffing levels. (23 pp., 9 fig.)[Research Byte]
Data Management Staffing Ratios
April, 2022
The data explosion continues to drive an increase in 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. (22 pp., 10 fig.)[Research Byte]
IT Outsourcing Statistics 2022
March, 2022
Outsourcing levels are growing as more organizations take advantage of the cost flexibility that service providers offer. IT leaders are expecting to increase their outsourcing budgets this year, and they expect to reap outsourcing benefits of streamlined processes and reduced operational costs. The study profiles outsourcing activity for 11 IT functions. 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. Finally, we examine the customer experience to assess whether organizations are successfully lowering costs or improving service through outsourcing. (105 pp., 91 figures.)[Full Report Description and Sample Pages]
[Research Byte]
Worldwide IT Spending and Staffing Outlook for 2022
March, 2022
Going into 2022, we seemed poised for a broad, strong recovery. IT budget increases were large. Staffing levels were increasing. And growth could be found across nearly all sectors. Although there are fears of rising inflation and global conflict, our annual study of the IT spending outlook finds that IT leaders worldwide still have a positive outlook on the year ahead. This year, our report assesses IT operational and capital spending plans for 2022, priorities for IT spending and investment, and plans for hiring, outsourcing, and pay raises for IT organizations worldwide. (25 pp., 15 fig.)[Research Byte]
IT Management Best Practices 2022
March, 2022
The 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 33 IT management practices, which we have grouped into five major categories: IT governance practices, IT financial management practices, IT operational management practices, IT security and risk management practices, and application development practices. (196 pp., 178 figs.)[Full Report Description and Sample Pages]
[Research Byte]
IT Quality Assurance Staffing Ratios
February, 2022
Staffing levels for IT quality assurance personnel have been relatively steady over the past five years 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. We conclude with recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the QA function.[Research Byte]
IT Security, Cybersecurity, and Compliance Spending Benchmarks
February, 2022
Security and cybersecurity incidents are costly, with losses increasing every year. It is no wonder, then, that organizations continually rank security as a top priority for new spending. But how much are they spending? This report provides spending and staffing benchmarks by industry and organization size for IT security, cybersecurity, and related compliance. Benchmarks are calculated by number of users, organization revenue, and percentage of IT spending, as well as by number of network devices, locations, and endpoints. Security staffing is calculated as a percentage of the IT staff and also per user. Industry benchmarks are provided for business services, financial services, critical infrastructure, public sector, healthcare, manufacturing/distribution, and retail. There is also a breakdown for identity/access management, security policy/awareness, cybersecurity/incident response, threat and vulnerability management, data privacy/security, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) (33 pp., 20 figs.)[Research Byte] [Free Sample Pages]
Four Technology Trends for 2022—Putting People Back in the Picture
February, 2022
IT organizations everywhere have been tasked with leading the digital transformation. But that transformation seems pretty bleak—artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotic process automation, and blockchain. Where are the people in your digital transformation? When you look back on what you accomplished in 2022, will you be able to say you made things better for your customers? How about your users?
Virtual and Augmented Reality Adoption Trends
February, 2022
VR and AR are extending their reach into different industries and producing positive benefits for adopters. Even though adoption and investment rates are low, return on investment is promising, earning a moderate rating. This report quantifies the current adoption and investment trends for VR and AR technology, as well as the benefits driving companies to expand their VR and AR implementations. We assess these trends by organization size and sector and look at the ROI and TCO experiences of organizations that have adopted VR and AR. We conclude with practical advice for those planning new investments in VR and AR.[Research Byte]
SD-WAN Adoption Trends and Customer Experience
February, 2022
Software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) has evolved from a technology designed to reduce costs and enhance operational efficiency to being a crucial element in business sustainability. It is a fundamental pillar for business and digital transformation. This study quantifies the current adoption and investment trends for SD-WAN as well as the benefits driving companies to expand their SD-WAN implementations. We assess these trends by organization size and sector. We also look at the ROI and TCO experiences of adopters along with current investment levels. We conclude with practical advice for planning new investments in SD-WAN and associated services. [Research Byte]
Desktop Support Staffing Ratios
January, 2022
When viewed as a percentage of the total IT staff, the percentage of desktop support personnel remains essentially unchanged. 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. We also assess these ratios by organization size and sector. In addition, we provide benchmarks for the end-user support group, comprised of desktop support, help desk support, and IT training/documentation staff. We conclude with strategies for improving the efficiency of desktop support staff.[Research Byte]
IT Management and Administration Staffing Ratios
December, 2021
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; too few and IT staff members can feel 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 administrative support. To benchmark IT management, we use two metrics: IT managers as a percentage of the IT staff and users per IT manager. We provide metrics for small, midsize, and large organizations. To provide further perspective, we consider the five-year trend in IT managers as an average percentage of the IT staff.[Research Byte]
Network Support Staffing Ratios
December, 2021
Computer networks are more important than ever. Although the level of network support staffing has plateaued in previous years, there are signs of resurgence. This report will help IT managers determine whether their organization is keeping pace with improvements in network management by comparing their network support staffing ratios against industry benchmarks. We provide four benchmarks: network support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, network support staff as a percentage of the Network and Communications Group, network devices per network support staff member, and users per network support staff member. We provide benchmarks by organization size and sector and offer recommendations.[Research Byte]
RFID Adoption Trends and Customer Experience
December, 2021
Radio-frequency identification is gaining ground in certain industry sectors and applications where its benefits are clear. Although RFID may one day become even more widespread than barcodes, it will take longer than its advocates hope for. This report quantifies the current adoption and investment trends for RFID technology as well as the benefits driving companies to expand their RFID implementations. We assess these trends by organization size and sector and examine the ROI and TCO experiences of adopters. We conclude with practical advice for planning new investments in RFID technologies.