The world inside UK higher education, research institutions and academies is changing faster than one might imagine. New fee structures, cost models, changing demographics of students, sharing and consolidation are driving new funding models and the need for cost and quality control. The consistent examination of IT services, their cost efficiency and value for money delivered by central IT to all users, staff, researchers and students is under the microscope. The pressure to differentiate value and to protect intellectual assets has never been greater, with IT playing a more significant role than ever before.
In order to establish context-aware efficiency comparisons and to drive continuous improvements, institutions benchmark themselves against others in the sector, as also against public and private sector organisations, by each IT service area. By undertaking this approach, it is possible for institutions to gain visibility of best practice in terms of costs and services from all markets.
