The 2008 Information Technology Survey will help you:
- Find out how much other firms of your size, type, or region are spending on information technology.
- See how many IT staff are typical for a firm of your size, and get background, qualifications, and compensation data for IT directors and managers.
- Get the hard facts on the systems and platforms in which firms are investing.
- Make sure your firm is on the leading edge—not the bleeding edge—of technology.
How much did your firm spend on computers last year? How much on networks, hardware, software, training, consultants, and everything else? Was it too much... or not enough?
On one hand, you can't afford to under-invest in information technology to run your business. On the other hand, you can't afford to over-invest, driving up overhead and making it impossible for you to compete. So how do you determine what's normal for IT spending in a firm of your type, size, or region?
If you're looking for answers to information technology dilemmas, you need the 2008 Information Technology Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms. This updated report contains all the latest data on IT systems, spending, staff, and more. Whether you need to find out how your firm's spending stacks up among other firms in the design and environmental consulting industry; you're looking to justify new hardware or software purchases; or you want to find out how other firms use project web sites, firm web sites, and other IT tools, this is the book for you. The information is broken out by firm type, staff size, region of the firm's headquarters office, firm growth rate, and client base so you can make comparisons between your firm and others just like it.
Topics covered include:
IT spending. In addition to providing total IT spending data, we've given special attention to a detailed breakdown of physical plant expenses, hardware expenses, software expenses, data telecommunication costs and Internet access, consulting/support expenses, IT staff costs, and training costs. Use the breakdowns and trend data to find out how your firm's IT investments match up to other firms, and find out what kind of projections firm leaders are making for IT spending over the next year.
IT staff. How many IT staff are typical for a 50-person firm, and how many for a 250-person firm? At what point do firms typically hire an IT manager? In addition to providing IT support for their own firms, do IT staff ever provide consulting services to other firms? If so, what types of services and how much revenue did they generate last year? Find out how your firm's staff measures up, and see if there are opportunities for these staffers outside of your firm.
Project web sites. Are project web sites still growing in popularity? Whether your firm has jumped on the project web site bandwagon or not, you won't want to miss these survey statistics. Find out everything from how much firms are charging for project web sites to which types of projects they're most useful for. Also get firm leaders' opinions on whether project web sites are truly an effective tool for improving project management.
Systems and platforms. Most firms have a standard set of requirements they use for purchasing new PCs. But IT systems change so quickly, how can you be sure you're keeping up? Find out what other firms require for storage, RAM, network cards, processor speeds, and monitors, and make sure your employees aren't saddled with old equipment that could hurt their productivity... and your firm's profits.
And we've barely scratched the surface—in addition to these topics, much more on networking, technical and CADD applications, office productivity and communications applications, and IT management and training is also included. There's even a chapter devoted to firm leaders' and IT managers' specific thoughts on IT successes and failures. Before your firm makes a major investment in a new area of IT, find out what other firms' experiences have been!
There's no doubt about it—the Information Technology Survey is the ultimate resource on all aspects of IT. And it gets better every year! With IT changing so fast, you can't afford to miss out on the latest available data. Be sure your firm is keeping up with your competition!
