FEATURE/Desktop Management is Vital to Business Productivity, According to New Research by the Concours Group.

KINGWOOD, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Jan. 4, 1999-- Desktop-related costs now represent the largest line item in most IT budgets. In addition, the desktop and expanding realm of PDAs and other mobile devices now pose one of IT management's largest challenges. Most importantly, proper management, evaluation, and understanding of these technological developments can be key to the success of the business, according to a recent study of how companies can manage the desktop for maximum productivity.

The Concours Group, a leading research, management consulting and education firm specializing in IT and business management issues, conducted the research project called "Project DT: Managing the Desktop for Business Productivity."

"When desktops fail, people are idled, customers are not served, information doesn't flow, knowledge workers cannot collaborate, decisions are delayed, and resources are used for technology troubleshooting -- not business operations," said Dr. Janet Asteroff, research director for The Concours Group.

"Current productivity evaluation methods do not assess desktop issues adequately," said Timothy Zak, a senior Concours Group consultant and expert on desktop management. "IT departments must adopt a new set of frameworks, approaches and operating principles that reflect the unique challenges of optimizing knowledge worker productivity in a way that resonates with business executives."

Some key findings from Project DT include:

- Understand knowledge work. How it differs from manual and

clerical work, its components and common activities is the

essential foundation for desktop management.

- Install a desktop "product manager." A senior IT manager should

be responsible for managing the desktop product portfolio,

monitoring and improving desktop delivery services, and

anticipating future needs.

- Establish a "Desktop Driver's License" which ensures that the

end-user has elementary competence in using a desktop computer

system and its basic software function.

- Offer incentives to improve productivity. Money, recognition,

formal certificates, and self-study options motivate workers to

participate in training programs and improve their productivity.

- Measure the enablers of productivity. By leveraging areas such as

infrastructure effectiveness, training, collaboration and mobile

computing, companies can directly impact knowledge worker

productivity. The "Desktop Productivity Index," developed by The

Concours Group, measures the impact of these areas on

productivity to ensure that desktop services and assets are in

line with the productivity objectives of the enterprise.

The Project DT report may be purchased in conjunction with a telephone consultation or an on-site seminar. For pricing information, please contact The Concours Group at 281/359-3464.

The Concours Group is an independent research, management consulting and education firm specializing in managing human and information technology resources to create business value in major corporations. The firm consists of senior staff that has developed many of the important management techniques of the last decade. The Concours Group is headquartered in Kingwood, Texas, and has United States offices in Cambridge, Mass., and Westlake Village, Calif., as well as European offices in London, England, Munich, Germany and Paris, France. For more information, contact The Concours Group at 3 Kingwood Place, 800 Rockmead Drive, Kingwood, Texas 77339. Tel: [phone]. www.concoursgroup.com.