Infotech makes its first acquisition to expand CIO Analytics. The platform uses AI and updated IT data so CIOs can spend less time explaining their environments to analysts.
Infotech has launched CIO Analytics -- a platform that combines data from members' IT systems with AI analysis, the firm's research and advice from its analysts.
The company, formerly Info-Tech Research Group, launched the platform globally on Oct. 14 and announced its acquisition of Zluri, a SaaS management and identity governance provider. Buying Zluri lets Infotech add software tracking and access management tools to CIO Analytics sooner than it could build them itself, said Tom Zehren, CEO of Infotech. The deal is Infotech's first acquisition in its nearly 30-year history.
CIO Analytics uses APIs to pull current data from members' IT systems, reducing the need for IT leaders to send files and repeatedly explain their environments to advisors. This lets Infotech analysts give CIOs advice based on a more up-to-date view of their IT environments.
"We can make more prescriptive recommendations rooted in the member's data and context, then help them work through the decisions and implementation," Zehren told TechTarget.
Access to CIO Analytics depends on members' Infotech membership packages. Some capabilities come at no additional charge for eligible members, while others cost extra.
The platform's core capabilities
CIO Analytics is launching with three modules: Service Desk Analytics, Application Discovery and Identity Governance and Administration.
"The platform reads and recategorizes every ticket, helping uncover recurring patterns that may be obscured by how tickets were originally logged," Zehren said.
The Service Desk Analytics module in Infotech's CIO Analytics platform shows performance scores and monthly trends in metrics such as customer satisfaction, ticket backlog and resolution time.
Zluri powers the other two modules, Application Discovery and Identity Governance and Administration. The Application Discovery module brings together software activity, licenses, contracts, ownership and spending. CIOs could use that information before contract renewals to find unused licenses or applications with overlapping features, then work with analysts to assess consolidation options.
Identity Governance and Administration manages application access as employees join, change roles or leave. Members can authorize actions in supported applications, such as removing access when someone leaves or reclaiming unused licenses.
In addition to the three modules, the platform also supports AI-Assisted Advisory, which helps members create documents such as service desk strategies and ransomware response runbooks. Members provide context, AI helps draft the document and an analyst shapes and validates the finished work.
Where human analysts fit
CIO Analytics keeps human analysts involved in assessing recommendations and validating deliverables, Zehren said.
Analysts help CIOs decide how to act on AI-generated recommendations, taking into account the organization's priorities, employees and constraints. They also remain responsible for the quality of documents produced through AI-Assisted Advisory.
AI helps clean and organize members' data. It then uses that data, along with Infotech's research, to generate insights and recommendations, Zehren said.
Members can continue speaking with analysts as often as their existing memberships allow.
Tom ZehrenCEO, Infotech
The platform does not change members' existing access to analysts.
"Members can continue speaking with analysts as often as their existing memberships allow. For almost all memberships, that means as often as they want," Zehren said.
Infotech expects the additional data and analysis to make those conversations more useful by giving analysts a deeper understanding of each member's environment.
Membership access and setup
The Service Desk Analytics and Application Discovery modules are available through eligible Advisory+ seats at no additional module fee. Members connected to either module can also access AI-Assisted Advisory. The Identity Governance and Administration module costs extra, with pricing based on the organization's employee count, Zehren said.
Members retain their existing research and advisory services whether or not they connect their systems to CIO Analytics.
A member's authorized administrator configures the connection with support from Infotech's onboarding team. The member controls permissions granted, subject to its own security reviews and approvals.
Setup time varies by module. For Service Desk Analytics, the company said technical setup typically takes about an hour once approvals are in place. The connection is read-only, meaning CIO Analytics can retrieve service desk data but cannot change it in the source system.
Infotech then validates, syncs and normalizes the data. Members can generally expect dashboards and initial insights 10 to 14 days after a successful connection, Zehren said. Data refreshes automatically once connected.
The acquisition supports Infotech's effort to bring advisory closer to day-to-day IT management.
"We want to connect our guidance more closely to the systems CIOs manage and the actions their teams need to take," Zehren said.
Tim Murphy is a reporter covering IT strategy for Informa TechTarget, with a focus on IT leadership, governance, workforce skills and AI strategy. His enterprise technology coverage has earned multiple Azbee Awards.
