After a few key figures have been entered, such as company size, industry and the size of the budget, users obtain straightforward comparative analyses and interpretation aids. The more exact the breakdown of the details of the IT budget - for instance the outlay for applications or the proportion of cloud services - the more precise the analysis.

The basis for the comparison is provided by techconsult's extensive database. Among other things, the market researchers have been questioning companies about their IT expenditure for more than two decades. Last year alone, techconsult conducted more than 25,000 interviews with IT experts on the provider and user sides.

IT becoming the business enabler
'IT and consequently the significance of IT budgets are currently undergoing a rapid change,' says Khaled Chaar, Managing Director Business Strategy at Pironet NDH. 'A few years ago the outlay for IT infrastructure and applications was merely regarded as a cost factor, but at most companies today, information technology is assuming the role of a business enabler.' Trends such as digitisation and Industry 4.0 have played a role in this. 'How companies are structured in IT terms has an enormous influence on their business success,' explains Mr Chaar.

Cloud computing is a cornerstone for this IT reorientation. At the same time the technology is playing a part in changing the IT budget, moving it away from inflexible investment towards flexible outlay which adapts to companies' business trends.

The Benchmark is available here: www.business-cloud.de

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