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Data Center Consolidation: Business Case Metrics August, 2008 The study quantifies the benefits of data center consolidation and provides recommendations to ensure the success of the effort. It tracks the three-year trend in increasing data center consolidation activity and reports current consolidation trends by organization size. The business case for consolidation is then presented in two ways: first, we analyze total data center costs per server for Windows, Unix, Linux, and mainframe data centers, showing substantially lower per-server costs as data center size increases. Second, we find a reduction in total IT spending per user for organizations with single data centers versus those with multiple data centers. The study concludes with a summary of the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) experiences of organizations undergoing data center consolidation and recommended best practices for mitigating risks in the migration effort. (8 pp., 9 figs.) [Executive Summary] Factors Influencing IT Employee Turnover Rates August, 2008 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] IT Security Staffing Ratios and Trends August, 2008 There is little doubt that security professionals remain in strong demand. Yet the percentage of IT employees actually dedicated to security in any given IT organization is relatively small and has been declining, somewhat surprisingly, over the past three years. In this study, we provide three metrics for security staffing: security staff as percentage of total IT staff, number of users per security professional, and number of network support employees per security professional. We first examine the trend in security staffing by analyzing staffing ratios for the composite sample. We then provide the three metrics by organization size. Third, we show how these metrics vary by industry sector. Finally, we examine how outsourcing, network complexity, and the number of network sites can influence security staffing needs. We conclude with our assessment of current trends in security staffing. (7 pp., 12 figs.) [Executive Summary] IT Spending, Staffing, and Technology Trends 2008/2009: Full Study July, 2008 Our 2008/2009 IT Spending, Staffing, and Technology Trends study provides a comprehensive view of the current state of IT budgeting and staffing levels, outsourcing trends, IT management best practices, and technology ROI, TCO, and adoption trends for business and governmental organizations in North America. This article allows purchase of all 25 chapters at a significant discount off the individual chapter price. As a special bonus, buyers of the full study receive a complimentary copy of our 2008 IT Salary Report. (1,155 pp., 780 figs.) [Full Study Description and Chapter Pricing] Top IT Investment Areas for 2008 July, 2008 According to our study of over 200 IT managers, about 30% of IT spending this year will go towards new initiatives (as opposed to ongoing, "keeping the lights on" spending). But where are those new-initiative dollars going? In this study, we examine where IT organizations are most frequently spending their new-initiative dollars to gain efficiencies, improve service levels, and support business objectives. (5 pp., 8 figs.) [Executive Summary] IT Staffing Ratios: Benchmarking Metrics and Analysis for 13 Key IT Functions June, 2008 This special publication (in PDF format) bundles the entire collection of our reports on IT staffing ratios. The IT functions covered include applications development, business analysts, database administration, help desk, desktop support, IT training, ERP support, project management, IT quality assurance, server administration, IT management, web/e-commerce, and network administration. This special collection is a valuable source of information for IT executives interested in benchmarking their staffing levels with those of similar organizations. The price of this bundle includes a 60% discount over the cost of the 13 reports if purchased separately. (132 pp., 103 figs.) [Read more about the bundle] Web/E-Commerce Staffing Ratios and Outsourcing Trends June, 2008 After peaking in 2001 and then declining during the post-boom years, web development and e-commerce staffing levels have remained surprisingly steady over the past three years. In this report, we provide benchmarks on typical web/e-commerce staff by organization size and industry sector, examine the ratio of web staff to applications development staff, analyze web/e-commerce outsourcing levels, and look at the three-year trend in web staffing ratios. (5 pp., 9 figs.) [Executive Summary] Microsoft Vista Migration Still Slow in 2008 June, 2008 Most organizations are still not rushing to deploy Microsoft Vista in 2008, according to preliminary results from our annual survey of technology trends. In this report, we examine adoption levels and deployment plans for Vista by organization size. We also assess the improvements that Service Pack 1 brings, and we compare Vista's adoption trends to those of desktop Linux, which is one alternative to Microsoft's platform. We conclude with our perspective on issues surrounding Vista and the reason for slow adoption. (5 pp., 5 figs.) [Executive Summary] Help Desk Staffing Ratios and Outsourcing Trends May, 2008 This study provides guidelines for planning appropriate staffing levels for the IT help desk (service desk) function. We provide help desk ratios by number of users and the number of PCs serviced by each help desk worker. We also analyze these statistics by organization size and industry. Finally, because help desk is a common target for outsourcing, we also examine current trends and levels in the use of outside service providers who provide IT help desk support. (6 pp., 11 figs.) [Executive Summary] Virtualization Improves Productivity of Data Center Staff May, 2008 One of the least recognized factors of server virtualization ROI is the positive impact that virtualization has on the productivity of data center personnel. In this article, we provide statistics showing that the productivity of data center staff improved significantly from 2006 and 2007, concurrent with an increase in OS virtualization levels. These trends are consistent across Windows, Unix, and Linux platforms. We conclude by summarizing the reasons that data center staff productivity benefits from increasing the level of virtualization. (4 pp., 4 figs.) [Executive Summary] ERP Support Staffing Ratios April, 2008 ERP systems can be major investments requiring a substantial effort in implementation. Yet many organizations do not realize that the total cost of ownership of an ERP system is composed largely of ongoing support. In this report, we analyze ERP support staffing levels by size of the installation, the scope of functionality implemented, class of software vendor (Oracle and SAP vs. all others), the extent of system modification, the number of ERP versions and instances in production, and the age of the system. In addition, we analyze the allocation of ERP support staff to specific job functions. Based on these statistics, we conclude with recommendations for optimizing ERP staffing levels to better manage costs and improve user satisfaction. (8 pp., 9 figs.) [Executive Summary] Holding IT Accountable for Energy Costs March, 2008 Rising energy costs are creating new pressures on IT managers to lower the amount of energy consumed by data centers. Yet, surprisingly, nearly half of IT organizations are not held accountable for energy costs in their IT budgets. This article analyzes current practices in IT budgeting for power and cooling costs, looks at two key concepts for assessing the return on investment from more energy-efficient data center technologies, and suggests ways in which IT mangers could actually benefit from having utilities charged to the IT budget. (4 pp., 4 figs.) [Executive Summary] IT Salaries Rising Despite Economic Slowdown February, 2008 After several years of growing investment in technology, IT managers are now coming under pressure to restrain headcount, reduce costs, and improve the efficiency of their IT operations due to the slowing economy. At the same time, there is ample evidence that investments in Web-based initiatives, database-centric business applications development, and converged voice/data networks will continue to place upward pressure on salaries for certain job functions where skills are in tight supply. This free Research Byte is an executive summary of our 2008 IT Salary Report, which provides an analysis of IT staffing and salary trends from 2001 through 2007, including our projections for 2008. It also provides extensive tables of salaries for 78 IT job positions in 78 U.S. metropolitan areas for small, medium, and large organizations at the median, 25th, and 75th percentiles. |
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Data Center Consolidation Shows Overwhelmingly Positive ROI IT Employee Retention: It's Not All About the Money IT Security Staff Levels Are Declining Virtualization, Business Intelligence, Automation Top List of IT Investments Businesses in No Rush to Adopt Vista Web and E-Commerce Staffing Levels Holding Steady IT Staffing Ratios: Special Report Bundle Maximizing Help Desk Efficiency Virtualization: Key to a Productive Data Center >> Browse all Research Bytes |
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