Featured Research

Help Desk Staffing Ratios August, 2009 Because the help desk (or service desk) comprises a sizable portion of the IT staff, it is often a target for cost reduction, outsourcing, and efficiency gains. As such, determining appropriate help desk personnel levels for an organization is critical. This study provides benchmarks for help desk staffing. Key metrics include number of users and number of PCs per help desk staff member. We provide both metrics for the composite sample and by organization size. We also examine help desk staff as a percentage of the IT staff, the trend in help desk personnel over time, and impact of outsourcing on help desk employee headcount. We conclude with recommendations on optimizing help desk staffing levels. (9 pp, 8 figs.) [Executive Summary] Technology Trends and IT Management Best Practices 2009/2010 August, 2009 This study is designed to assist organizations in planning for use of new technologies in light of the adoption and economic experiences of those that have already implemented them. It also gives the IT executive insight into how widely IT management best practices are put to use by other organizations. Technologies covered include ERP, CRM, Business Intelligence, SOA, server virtualization, storage virtualization, desktop virtualization, SaaS, cloud computing, VoIP, unified communications, social networking, and green IT, along with 10 IT management best practices. Read the full report description for more information. (71 pp., 54 figs.) [Full Report Description] Green IT Taking Root Despite Uncertain Payback August, 2009 The term green IT most frequently refers to initiatives to reduce IT energy consumption but can also entail recycling, proper disposal of toxic materials, and even telecommuting. Although the adoption of green IT is on a sharp upward curve, the economic rationale for these investments is unclear. This study first looks at adoption trends, which provide insight into how many organizations have green IT initiatives, how many are in the process of implementation, and how quickly such environmentally-friendly investments are likely to increase over the next year. We then examine the economic experience of those that already have made such investments by examining the percentage of organizations that report positive and break-even ROI within a two-year period and the percentage that exceed budgets for total cost of ownership. (9 pp., 7 figs.) [Executive Summary] Staffing Ratios for IT Quality Assurance and Testing July, 2009 The skills of a capable IT quality assurance group are essential to improving IT processes in general and application development processes in particular. Yet, the appropriate level of QA staffing is often difficult to determine. This study provides benchmarks for staffing the QA function within the IT organization. We provide the ratio of QA staff to total IT for the composite sample and by organization size. We also examine the ratio of application developers to QA staff, the four-year trend in QA staffing, and the influence of outsourcing on QA staffing. (14 pp., 8 figs.) [Executive Summary] Service Desk Software Prime Focus for IT Investment July, 2009 Tools for automating the IT service desk (help desk) are part of a mature market. Still, as IT budgets are tightened, demand for help-desk services continues to escalate and the bottom-line benefits of automated, efficiency-enhancing tools have become increasingly attractive. In this study, we examine adoption trends and current investment activity for service desk software by organization size and industry sector. We also discuss types of service desk software and provide our assessment on key factors IT organizations should consider when investing in service desk automation tools. (9 pp., 5 figs.) [Executive Summary] IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2009/2010: Full Study June, 2009 Our 2009/2010 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 North America. This article allows purchase of all 21 chapters at a significant discount off the individual chapter price. (1,053 pp., 576 figs.) [Full Study Description and Chapter Pricing] Use of IT Security Outsourcing Low but Rising as Threats Grow June, 2009 Outsourcing at least a portion of IT security operations makes increasing sense in today's online business environment. In this study, we examine data on the percentage of organizations outsourcing security for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. We also look at the level of satisfaction with IT security service providers, the amount of security work outsourced by organizations, and the trend in terms of the percentage of organizations changing their level of security outsourcing. Our analysis also discusses the types of outsourcing services, changes in the industry, and the cost and benefits of security outsourcing. We conclude with reasons security outsourcing should continue to grow and mature. (13 pp., 8 figs.) [Executive Summary] Measuring Help-Desk Efficiency May, 2009 As a labor-intensive function, the IT help desk (or service desk) is generally high on management’s list of areas targeted for productivity gains. But, as it is often said, if you cannot measure something you cannot improve it. To meet the needs of managers seeking to better handle this critical function, this study examines the most common metrics used for tracking help-desk efficiency, costs, and productivity. It also assesses the role of technology, service-level agreements, outsourcing, and IT service management best practices in improving the return on investment for the service desk. (14 pp., 6 figs.) [Executive Summary] IT Staffing Ratios, 2009: Benchmarking Metrics and Analysis for 14 Key IT Functions May, 2009 This special publication bundles the entire collection of our reports on IT staffing ratios. The IT functions covered include IT management, project management, documentation and training, help desk, desktop support, business analysts, server support, network administration, applications development, ERP support, database administration, IT quality assurance, IT security, and web/e-commerce. This special collection is a valuable source of information for IT executives interested in benchmarking their staffing levels with those of similar organizations. (197 pp., 108 figs.) [Full Report Description and Free Sample] Insider Misuse of Computing Resources March, 2009 This special report, based on our survey of IT security professionals and executives worldwide, analyzes the threat of insider misuse of computing resources--that is, any violation of an organization's policies regarding acceptable use. Examples include unauthorized file copying; downloading of software, music, or other media; P2P file-sharing; rogue remote access programs, modems, and wireless access points; misuse of business or personal email; instant messaging; blogging and posting to message boards; and personal web surfing. For each of these types of insider misuse, we present data concerning the perceived seriousness of the threat, typical organizational policies or lack thereof, frequency of violations against company policy, analysis of preventive and detective actions taken by organizations to deter the misuse, and typical levels of enforcement. (77 pp., 75 figs.) [Extended Description] [Executive Summary] 2009 IT Salary Report February, 2009 The Computer Economics 2009 IT Salary Report provides current salary ranges for 70 specific IT job positions in 73 U.S. metropolitan areas. Salary ranges are further broken down by organizational size for each job position within each metropolitan area. (Small organizations are those with annual revenues less than $350 million and fewer than 50 IT staff members. Midsize/large are those with least $350 million in revenue and 50 IT staff members). To provide typical salary ranges, all salary data is provided at the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile. source:computereconomics.com