Understanding business needs is the first step to making the decision between build and buy. Before any organization can/or should make the decision to purchase, it must understand the business requirements at the smallest level.

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Using the open-source model for the enterprise application needs of the organization requires careful preparation in terms of process, people, and technology. Follow Info-Tech's recommendations to get the enterprise ready for Open Source...

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Over the course of an application's lifecycle, maintenance costs will comprise the majority of total cost of ownership. An Application Maintenance Policy should be in place for all COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) applications to maximize...

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Application development is a major cost center for most IT shops. On average, application development accounts for 40% of FTE allocation. Info-Tech presents five key strategies for reducing the impact of app-dev.

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Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications involve significant costs for most enterprises. Follow five key strategies to drive the costs out of the COTS portfolio.

Effective Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is fundamental to the success of any enterprise. Market leading software solutions offer structured project and portfolio management functionality, robust reporting, full-bodied resource management,...

An appropriate description of requirements is essential to the successful deployment of a new application function, whether purchased or developed. Too often, we get the requirements wrong, and as a result, we fail to satisfy our internal and...

Small enterprises often employ system integrators to assist in the deployment of newly purchased applications. To ensure success, IT must effectively coordinate the integrator's work with that of the business and IT.

As part of IT cost management efforts, financial services industry shops focus on three IT service areas: servers and storage, application development, and workstations. Info-Tech's research suggests three key strategies to prioritize in-house...

This research note provides techniques for cost reduction within the application development services area. The techniques are categorized according to time frame and are accompanied by potential pitfalls to help IT align the need to reduce...

Cutting back on service levels, negotiating with vendors, and implementing good application maintenance processes can yield short and long-term cost reduction results with minimal consequences on day-to-day business activities. Assess the area...

If in-house developed applications are not secured as well as they could be, achieving a level of comfort with enterprise risk will be difficult. Enterprises that employ dedicated security staff should be leveraging this expertise to improve...

When it comes to ensuring secure application development, small enterprises have set a bar that their larger peers are failing to meet. Continued focus on the degree to which IT security staff are involved in application development projects...

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Some open-source software configuration management (SCM) tools are as good as their commercial counterparts ? without the licensing fees. Use this Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) comparison tool to capably determine the cost difference between the...

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For smaller development teams, open-source software configuration management (SCM) tools are a tempting alternative to commercial off-the-shelf packages. Use this total cost of ownership tool to find the real cost differential between...

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Licensing savings are just a small part of the cost considerations when adopting an open source solution. Use this total cost of ownership calculator to assess the real cost difference between open source and off-the-shelf software.

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IT managers that attempt to implement Open Source Software (OSS) without adequate planning are setting up the project for failure. Introducing the OSS model into an enterprise requires careful preparation in terms of process, people, and...