Trends in IT

Navtej Kohli gives you the latest list of trends in IT.


The pace of change in information technology today is greater than
ever. This research section includes analysis of current trends in IT
from the perspective of financial and strategic management. Articles in
this section include industry practices, case studies, overviews of
vendor solutions, and practical advice for ensuring successful
implementation.


The following is a list of recent research in this section.

Recharging the IT Budget Chargeback Debate


The heated debate over chargeback practices has become muffled over the
last few years as IT spending recovered from the downturn in the early
part of the decade. But when pressure mounts on CIOs once again to more
firmly restrain IT budgets, arguments over who should own the
costs--the business units or the central IT organization--is likely to
re-emerge. This article assesses the current state of IT budget
chargeback practices, based on a special survey conducted by Computer
Economics of IT managers. It outlines which IT budget line items are
typically charged back to business units and how much of the IT budget
is usually recovered in such fashion. We conclude with recommendations
for IT managers considering cost allocation strategies for the future.

The Shifting Mix of Data Center Costs


Understanding trends in data center costs is key to managing data
center spending. For example, IT executives know that hardware costs
are declining. But by how much? And what about other costs, such as
software, personnel, and facilities? Is the long-term trend up or down?
This article examines the major categories of data center cost for Unix
and Windows servers on a per-unit basis for the years 2002 through
2006. It also analyzes how these costs have been changing and makes
recommendations based on these trends.


Windows and Linux Data Centers Lag Behind Unix in Realizing Economies of Scale


In this article, we examine total data center spending per server OS
instance across data centers of varying sizes. We break down these
metrics for Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. Interestingly, Unix data
centers experience significantly better economies of scale than Windows
or Linux shops. We report the metrics and examine the reasons for the
greater efficiencies in large Unix shops compared to other operating
systems.


More trends to follow.