IT benchmarking: uncovering optimisation potential

In the digital world, IT benchmarking and the optimisation it enables is essential for a company’s success, as it allows potential for improvement to be identified. By comparing their own IT performance with the best practices in the industry, companies can recognise weaknesses and increase their efficiency. In this article, we take a look at the specific fields of action in the IT area that can be optimised and the benefits that these optimisations bring.

What is IT benchmarking?

IT benchmarking is the systematic comparison of a company’s own IT performance with industry standards or best practices. This enables companies to objectively evaluate their IT processes, costs and performance and identify opportunities for improvement. The BAMAC Group makes a fundamental distinction between price and cost benchmarking. General core elements of IT benchmarking are:

Key elements of IT benchmarking

• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Cost transparency
• Process efficiency
• Use of technology

Why IT benchmarking uncovers potential for optimisation

As already mentioned, the comparison with other companies gives you a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of your IT. This approach forms the basis for targeted optimisation measures.

In addition, targeted IT benchmarking optimisation allows processes to be designed more efficiently and costs to be reduced. A comparison with the best in class helps to recognise areas with above-average costs. As a result, considerable savings potential can often be realised here without compromising quality.

Thinking outside the box shows you which innovative technologies and methods other companies are using successfully. This allows you to learn from the best and future-proof your IT strategy. If you rely on IT benchmarking optimisation, you will be able to accelerate your digital transformation and thus significantly increase your competitiveness.

Fields of action for optimising your IT in benchmarking

Within IT, there are a number of fields of action whose potential for optimisation can be uncovered through IT benchmarking. These include network performance, IT security, data, software and application management as well as IT infrastructure.

There are opportunities for optimisation here, for example in the implementation of network monitoring tools, modern network devices and security systems. Efficient database management systems and their maintenance also offer potential. Automated update tools and application performance monitoring can be used in software management. The IT infrastructure can also be improved through virtualisation, cloud migration and energy-efficient solutions.

The advantages of these measures are:

• Improved network performance: higher speed, reliability and scalability
• Increased IT security: reduced risk of data loss, increased company resilience
• Optimised data management: faster access, improved processing, minimised downtimes
• Efficient software and application management: productivity in software development and customising of standard software, closed security gaps, optimised licence management
• Improved IT infrastructure: resource efficiency, reduced hardware and energy costs, lower environmental impact

In the following, we want to be even more specific and present some further fields of action in IT benchmarking to optimise your IT in more detail, as well as their benefits for the entire company.

Hardware-Lifecycle-Management

We understand hardware lifecycle management as a strategic approach to managing and optimising the entire service life of IT equipment in a company. The optimisation option here is to improve the useful life of IT equipment.

The benefit for the company is the:

• Reduction in acquisition costs
• Reduction of energy consumption
• Reduction in maintenance co

Increase process efficiency

Increasing process efficiency refers to the optimisation of workflows in a company in order to achieve maximum productivity with minimum use of resources; we also achieve this by automating IT processes. Repetitive tasks, which are first identified in IT benchmarking, offer potential for optimisation before they can be automated.

The benefit for the company is the:

• Time savings of up to 40% for routine tasks
• Reduction of error rates
• Freeing up resources for strategic projects

Optimise Incident Management

Incident management is a structured process within IT service management that aims to quickly identify, analyse and resolve faults or unexpected events in IT systems. This results in optimisation opportunities for improving IT response times and resolution rates.

The benefit for the company is the:

• Increase in employee productivity
• Increase in customer satisfaction
• Reduction of downtimes of critical systems

Optimise software licensing

Within licence auditing and management, the inventory and use of software licences in a company are managed efficiently in order to minimise compliance risks, reduce costs and at the same time ensure that all employees have access to the applications they need. This is where IT Benchmarking Optimisation reviews and adjusts the software portfolio to identify opportunities for improvement.

The benefit for the company is:

• Savings of 10-20% on licence costs
• Avoidance of compliance risks
• Better overview of software in use

Implementation of zero trust architectures

To optimise IT security, the implementation of zero-trust architectures can be a good idea. This is a modern security approach that assumes that no user, device or network is automatically trusted, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the company network. Instead, continuous verification and authentication is requested for every access to resources. In this case, the optimisation opportunities lie in switching to stricter access controls.

The benefit for the company is a:

• Significant reduction in the risk of attack
• Better protection of sensitive data
• Increased control over network access

Increase innovative capacity

As mentioned above, IT benchmarking optimisation will tell you how innovative your company is compared to the best in class in your industry. This means that the introduction of agile development methods, i.e. the switch to agile frameworks such as Scrum or Kanban, can be one of the suggested optimisation options.

The benefit for the company lies in a:

• Acceleration of product development by 30-50%
• Improved adaptability to market changes
• Higher quality of software products

Promotion of DevOps practices

Ultimately, the promotion of DevOps practices, i.e. the focus on better collaboration between software development and IT operations, can improve various processes in the company.

The benefit for the company lies in a:

• Reduction of deployment times by up to 70%
• Increase in software stability
• Faster troubleshooting and update cycles

Conclusion: Measurable added value through targeted IT benchmarking optimisation

You have seen that IT benchmarking makes it possible to identify precise optimisation potential in your IT. As a result of focussing on these specific areas of action, you can achieve significant improvements in efficiency, costs and innovative strength.

The optimisation options presented not only offer short-term benefits, but also create a solid foundation for long-term business success. From cost savings to increased security and improved innovative capacity – every optimisation helps to make your IT fit for the future and competitive.

Use the findings from IT benchmarking to initiate targeted improvement measures and continuously increase the value contribution of your IT. This strategic approach allows you to optimally position your company for the challenges of the digital future.

If you would like to find out more about how you can implement these optimisation potentials in your company, please contact us!

If you would like to delve even deeper into the topic of IT benchmarking, we have provided you with detailed case studies from our IT benchmarking practice on the performance of IT products and for location determination and orientation!