Every five years or so, each information technology (IT) officer looks back at performance and builds a new corporate IT strategy. A benchmarking study that involves comparing your current IT governance parameters with similar companies is an integral part of strategic planning. Comparable parameters (e.g. IT costs per user or per euro earned, the percentage of technology maintenance costs in total technology costs, or the number of computer hardware units to be serviced per specialist full-time equivalent) depend on the database you’re using, they’re easy to understand, and selecting them raises no questions.
IT officers keep wondering what group they should be using for comparison. Databases available for comparative analysis offer comparable companies with comparable revenues grouped by industry. However, IT officers tend to avoid comparing relevant groups and will seek out companies that are using equally worn-out technology infrastructure and haven’t switched to cloud. Their reasoning sounds a bit doomy – ‘this is the technology inventory I’m supposed to ensure business continuity with, so I’m going to compare with similar peers’. Each IT officer needs to be a true steward who’s brave enough to compare with similar companies globally and is able to demonstrate the need for investment to their directors and shareholders. Your IT officer should be capable of transforming your IT infrastructure and systems to satisfy your shareholders that the investment benefits your company and each subsequent iteration of your IT strategy helps you achieve a higher level of digital maturity. And everything mentioned above is the direct responsibility of your IT officer.
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