They enable the early identification of issues by highlighting areas that deviate from expected performance levels, allowing for proactive maintenance and minimizing downtime. Furthermore, KPIs support capacity planning by tracking usage trends, which is essential for scalable and sustainable growth of IT resources. Ultimately, these metrics inform decision-making processes, guiding investments and improvements that optimize the cost-effectiveness and reliability of technology infrastructure.
KPI |
Definition
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Business Insights [?]
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Measurement Approach
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Standard Formula
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Application Load Time More Details |
The time it takes for applications to start and be ready for use, affecting the end-user experience.
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Insights into the responsiveness of applications, user experience, and potential performance bottlenecks.
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Measures the time taken for an application to become fully operational after being launched.
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Average time taken from initiating the launch of an application to reaching full operational status
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- Increasing application load time may indicate growing complexity in the application architecture or insufficient server resources.
- Decreasing load time can signal successful optimization efforts or improvements in network performance.
- Are there specific applications that consistently have longer load times?
- How does our application load time compare with industry benchmarks or user expectations?
- Optimize code and reduce unnecessary processes to improve application performance.
- Invest in faster servers or cloud-based infrastructure to handle application load more efficiently.
- Implement content delivery networks (CDNs) to reduce latency for geographically distributed users.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing the trend of application load times over time.
- Box plots to visualize the distribution of load times across different applications.
- Long application load times can lead to user frustration and abandonment of the application.
- Consistently high load times may indicate underlying issues in the application architecture or infrastructure.
- Application performance monitoring tools like New Relic or Datadog to track and analyze load times.
- Load testing tools such as Apache JMeter or LoadRunner to simulate heavy user loads and identify performance bottlenecks.
- Integrate application load time data with user experience analytics to understand the impact on user behavior and satisfaction.
- Link load time metrics with infrastructure monitoring systems to correlate performance with underlying hardware and network conditions.
- Improving application load time can enhance user satisfaction and retention, ultimately impacting the overall user experience and brand perception.
- However, reducing load time may require investments in infrastructure and development efforts, impacting short-term costs.
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Asset Lifecycle Management Efficiency More Details |
The effectiveness of managing the lifecycle of IT assets, including procurement, maintenance, and disposal.
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Improves decision-making on asset maintenance, upgrades, and retirement to optimize asset investment.
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Tracks the performance, maintenance, and cost throughout the asset's lifecycle.
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(Total Asset Value - End of Life Salvage Value) / Total Number of Asset Lifecycle Years
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- Increasing asset lifecycle management efficiency may indicate improved procurement processes or better maintenance practices.
- Decreasing efficiency could signal issues with asset tracking, aging equipment, or ineffective disposal methods.
- Are there specific types of IT assets that consistently have shorter or longer lifecycles?
- How does our asset lifecycle management efficiency compare to industry benchmarks or best practices?
- Implement a centralized asset tracking system to monitor the lifecycle of IT assets more effectively.
- Regularly assess the condition of assets to identify maintenance needs and prevent premature disposal.
- Explore opportunities for refurbishing or repurposing assets to extend their lifecycle and reduce disposal costs.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing the trend of asset lifecycle management efficiency over time.
- Pie charts illustrating the distribution of assets at different stages of their lifecycle.
- Low asset lifecycle management efficiency can lead to increased downtime and higher maintenance costs.
- Poor disposal practices may result in environmental and regulatory risks.
- Asset management software like SolarWinds or ServiceNow for comprehensive tracking and analysis of IT assets.
- IoT sensors and RFID technology for real-time monitoring of asset usage and condition.
- Integrate asset lifecycle management with IT service management systems to align asset needs with service requirements.
- Link asset tracking with financial systems to accurately assess the total cost of ownership and lifecycle costs.
- Improving asset lifecycle management efficiency can lead to cost savings through reduced maintenance and extended asset lifespans.
- However, changes in disposal practices may require compliance with new regulations and environmental standards.
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Backup Success Rate More Details |
The percentage of backup operations that complete successfully without errors, important for data integrity and disaster recovery.
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Provides insights into the reliability of data backup systems and the potential risk of data loss.
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Calculates the percentage of backup operations that were completed successfully without errors.
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(Number of Successful Backups / Total Number of Backup Attempts) * 100
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- An increasing backup success rate may indicate improved backup processes or technology, leading to better data protection and disaster recovery capabilities.
- A decreasing rate could signal issues with backup systems, data integrity, or potential risks for disaster recovery preparedness.
- Are there specific data sets or systems that consistently have lower backup success rates?
- How does our backup success rate compare with industry standards or best practices?
- Regularly test backup systems and processes to identify and address any potential issues.
- Implement automated monitoring and alerts for backup failures to quickly address any issues.
- Invest in modern backup technologies and solutions to improve success rates and reduce the risk of data loss.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing the trend of backup success rates over time.
- Pie charts to visualize the distribution of backup success rates across different systems or data sets.
- Low backup success rates can lead to data loss, compliance issues, and potential business disruptions in the event of a disaster.
- Consistently high failure rates may indicate systemic issues that need to be addressed to ensure data integrity and business continuity.
- Backup and recovery software such as Veeam, Commvault, or Veritas to improve backup success rates and streamline data protection processes.
- Cloud-based backup solutions like AWS Backup or Azure Backup for scalable and reliable data protection.
- Integrate backup success rate monitoring with incident management systems to quickly respond to and resolve backup failures.
- Link backup success rates with risk management processes to ensure data protection aligns with overall business continuity and disaster recovery strategies.
- Improving backup success rates can enhance data security and resilience, reducing the risk of data loss and potential business impacts.
- However, investing in backup improvements may require budget allocation and resource reallocation, impacting overall IT spending and resource utilization.
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CORE BENEFITS
- 35 KPIs under Technology Infrastructure Management
- 15,468 total KPIs (and growing)
- 328 total KPI groups
- 75 industry-specific KPI groups
- 12 attributes per KPI
- Full access (no viewing limits or restrictions)
FlevyPro and Stream subscribers also receive access to the KPI Library. You can login to Flevy here.
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Bandwidth Cost Efficiency More Details |
The cost-effectiveness of network bandwidth usage, considering both financial and performance aspects.
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Helps in understanding the cost-effectiveness of network bandwidth usage and guides cost optimization strategies.
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Measures the cost of bandwidth relative to the data transferred.
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Total Cost of Bandwidth / Total Data Transferred
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- Bandwidth cost efficiency tends to improve over time as technology advances and network optimization techniques become more sophisticated.
- Increasing use of bandwidth-intensive applications and services may lead to higher costs and strain on network performance.
- Are there specific areas or departments within the organization that consistently use more bandwidth than others?
- How does our bandwidth cost efficiency compare to industry benchmarks or best practices?
- Implement bandwidth monitoring and traffic shaping tools to identify and control excessive bandwidth usage.
- Consider investing in technologies like SD-WAN to optimize network traffic and reduce bandwidth costs.
- Regularly review and update network infrastructure to take advantage of cost-effective bandwidth options and technologies.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing bandwidth cost trends over time.
- Pie charts illustrating the distribution of bandwidth costs across different network segments or departments.
- Uncontrolled bandwidth costs can lead to budget overruns and financial strain on the organization.
- Poor bandwidth cost efficiency may result in degraded network performance and user experience.
- Network monitoring and management tools such as SolarWinds or PRTG for tracking bandwidth usage and costs.
- Cloud-based networking solutions that offer cost-effective bandwidth options and scalability.
- Integrate bandwidth cost data with financial management systems to align budgeting and cost allocation with actual network usage.
- Link bandwidth cost analysis with network performance monitoring to understand the relationship between cost efficiency and service quality.
- Improving bandwidth cost efficiency can lead to reduced operational expenses and improved financial performance.
- However, cost-cutting measures should be balanced with the need to maintain network reliability and performance.
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Capacity Headroom More Details |
The amount of available capacity above the current usage, which provides a buffer for growth and unexpected demand surges.
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Indicates the remaining available system capacity to handle additional workload without performance degradation.
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Compares the utilized capacity to the total available capacity.
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(Total Available Capacity - Utilized Capacity) / Total Available Capacity
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- Increasing headroom over time may indicate proactive capacity planning and investment in infrastructure.
- Decreasing headroom could signal a lack of investment in capacity or unexpected spikes in demand.
- What is the typical rate of capacity utilization, and how does it compare to available headroom?
- Are there specific periods or events that consistently lead to spikes in demand, and how does the current headroom accommodate these?
- Regularly assess current capacity utilization and forecast future demand to proactively adjust headroom as needed.
- Consider implementing scalable infrastructure solutions to quickly accommodate demand surges without compromising performance.
- Invest in monitoring and alerting systems to quickly identify and respond to unexpected spikes in demand.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing the trend of capacity utilization and available headroom over time.
- Stacked bar charts comparing capacity utilization and headroom by different business units or infrastructure components.
- Inadequate headroom can lead to performance degradation or service disruptions during demand surges.
- Overprovisioning headroom can result in unnecessary infrastructure costs and underutilization.
- Capacity planning and management tools like VMware vRealize Operations or Turbonomic for proactive infrastructure optimization.
- Cloud infrastructure services with auto-scaling capabilities to dynamically adjust headroom based on demand.
- Integrate headroom monitoring with incident management systems to quickly respond to capacity-related issues.
- Link headroom data with financial systems to align capacity investments with budget planning and forecasting.
- Increasing headroom may lead to higher infrastructure costs but can improve overall system reliability and performance.
- Decreasing headroom without addressing demand surges can result in service degradation and potential revenue loss.
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Change Failure Rate More Details |
The percentage of changes to the IT infrastructure that result in failure, which can indicate the effectiveness of change management processes.
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Identifies the success of change management processes and highlights areas for improvement to reduce failures.
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Measures the percentage of changes that result in failure.
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(Number of Failed Changes / Total Number of Changes) * 100
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- An increasing change failure rate may indicate a need for more robust testing and validation processes before implementing changes.
- A decreasing rate could signal improvements in change management practices or increased stability in the IT infrastructure.
- Are there specific types of changes that consistently result in failure?
- How does our change failure rate compare to industry benchmarks or best practices?
- Implement thorough testing procedures for all changes before deployment.
- Provide additional training for staff involved in implementing changes to ensure proper execution.
- Regularly review and update change management processes to incorporate lessons learned from past failures.
Visualization Suggestions [?]
- Line charts showing the change failure rate over time to identify trends and patterns.
- Pareto charts to highlight the most common types of changes that result in failure.
- High change failure rates can lead to disruptions in business operations and decreased productivity.
- Consistently high failure rates may indicate systemic issues in the change management process that need to be addressed.
- Change management software like ServiceNow or Jira to track and analyze change failure rates.
- Automated testing tools to identify potential issues before changes are implemented.
- Integrate change failure rate data with incident management systems to quickly address any failures and minimize impact.
- Link with project management platforms to better understand the impact of changes on ongoing initiatives.
- Reducing the change failure rate can lead to increased operational efficiency and reduced downtime.
- However, overly stringent change management processes may slow down innovation and agility within the organization.
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In selecting the most appropriate Technology Infrastructure Management KPIs from our KPI Library for your organizational situation, keep in mind the following guiding principles:
It is also important to remember that the only constant is change—strategies evolve, markets experience disruptions, and organizational environments also change over time. Thus, in an ever-evolving business landscape, what was relevant yesterday may not be today, and this principle applies directly to KPIs. We should follow these guiding principles to ensure our KPIs are maintained properly:
By systematically reviewing and adjusting our Technology Infrastructure Management KPIs, we can ensure that your organization's decision-making is always supported by the most relevant and actionable data, keeping the organization agile and aligned with its evolving strategic objectives.