For decades, the success of an IT department was boiled down to two simple metrics: system uptime and Service Level Agreement (SLA) compliance. These were the foundational pillars of IT, a testament to its ability to keep the lights on and the business operational. While these metrics remain crucial for a functional IT infrastructure, they no longer tell the whole story.
In today’s digital-first world, where technology isn’t just supporting the business but shaping it, measuring IT success solely by its reliability, it is like judging a car by whether its engine turns on; it misses the point of what the vehicle is actually meant to do.
“Our aim is not only to keep systems running, but to ensure every interaction those systems enable is meaningful for the user and strategic for the business.”
— Venkatesh Sri Krishna Perumal, Executive Director – IT Operations, Dexian India
This evolution demands a shift from technical efficiency to business impact. The question is no longer just “Are we up?” but “Are we making the business faster, smarter, and more competitive?”
Beyond the “Four Nines”: The Shift to Business-Facing Metrics
The traditional view of IT as a back-end utility is outdated. Today, technology is woven into every aspect of business, from customer experience to product development, from decision-making to revenue generation. Achieving 99.99% uptime (the "four nines") is an outstanding technical achievement. Still, if the application is “up but unusable” due to latency, clunky workflows, or security concerns, the business bleeds money and credibility.
This is where experience-focused SLAs come into play. Beyond the binary “up or down” status, they measure the quality of user experience, page load times, successful transaction completion rates, and employee satisfaction with internal tools. These metrics directly link IT performance to productivity, revenue, and customer loyalty.
An IT team that demonstrates how its efforts have reduced a customer’s checkout time or improved internal tool adoption is no longer talking in technical jargon; it is speaking the language of business value.
The New Value Chain: Linking IT to Revenue, Cost, and Risk
To secure its place as a strategic partner, IT must connect its work to the three core priorities of any enterprise: revenue growth, cost optimization, and risk mitigation.
1. Revenue Generation: From Support to Catalyst
IT is no longer a cost center; it is a revenue enabler. Metrics such as:
2. Cost Optimization: Efficiency as a Strategic Lever
Beyond managing IT budgets, modern teams optimize enterprise spend.
3. Risk Mitigation: Security as a Success Metric
In an era of ransomware, phishing attacks, and regulatory fines, IT’s ability to defend, detect, and recover is a core business differentiator.
The Trends Redefining “IT Success” in 2025
Three global technological trends are raising the bar for what good IT looks like:
1. AI-Driven Observability and AIOps
Modern IT operations are moving from reactive firefighting to predictive resilience. Observability, enriched by AI, is no longer about logs and dashboards; it predicts outages, identifies root causes in seconds, and triggers automated remediation. According to the CNCF 2025 report, organizations adopting AI-enhanced observability see up to 40% faster detection and resolution of incidents.
2. Generative AI for IT Operations
From creating runbooks to explaining incidents in business language, generative AI is transforming how IT teams work. Forrester predicts a tripling of AI adoption in IT operations in 2025, while Gartner warns that “agentic” AI projects will face scrutiny unless they demonstrate measurable business impact.
“AI and automation are force multipliers, but they are not magic bullets. We measure their success by outcomes: faster resolution, better customer experience, and reduced business risk.”
— Venkatesh Sri Krishna Perumal, Dexian India
3. Zero Trust as an Operational KPI
Security is no longer a compliance checkbox, it is an operational metric. NIST’s updated Zero Trust guidelines are pushing enterprises to track mean time to detect (MTTD) and containment rates as primary IT performance indicators.
From Service Provider to Strategic Partner
This shift is not just about tools and dashboards; it’s a cultural and communication evolution. IT leaders must move beyond reporting “uptime achieved” to telling business stories:
Such narratives prove that IT is not just keeping the lights on; it is keeping the business thriving.
Practical Steps for Measuring What Really Matters
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Map technical KPIs to business outcomes (conversion rates, revenue impact, productivity gains).
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Implement outcome-based SLAs that measure experience, not just availability.
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Adopt observability + AI for proactive detection and automated remediation.
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Include security posture as a core IT metric (Zero Trust maturity, MTTD/MTTR).
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Tell compelling business-impact stories to stakeholders, ensuring IT is seen as a growth enabler.
The Future Scorecard for IT
The future scoreboard for IT will blend technical reliability, business alignment, security posture, and innovation velocity. IT teams that adopt this model will not only be measured by uptime; they will also be celebrated for their role in driving growth.
“The question we ask ourselves at Dexian is simple: did our work this month make the business more resilient, faster, and more valuable? If the answer is yes, that’s IT that truly matters,”
— Venkatesh Sri Krishna Perumal, Dexian India
By redefining success, IT steps into its rightful role, not as a silent background function, but as the engine of innovation, growth, and competitive advantage.
About the Author
Venkatesh Sri Krishna Perumal is a transformative IT strategist and visionary leader with over 25 years of experience steering technology innovation across top-tier global enterprises including Hexaware, Covansys, Wipro, Birlasoft, GE, Daimler, and Virtusa. With a sharp eye for operational excellence and a passion for digital transformation, Venkatesh has architected and executed IT strategies that drive measurable impact. His expertise spans project and program management across Waterfall and Agile frameworks, with a proven ability to lead complex service delivery transformations. From optimizing IT operating models to deploying cutting-edge digital solutions, his work has left a mark in regions including the US, UK, Germany, and Singapore.
Venkatesh’s leadership style is both dynamic and collaborative—he builds trust, inspires teams, and forges strong stakeholder partnerships that fuel success. Whether he's navigating enterprise-wide change or mentoring future tech leaders, his commitment to innovation and results is unwavering. Beyond the boardroom, Venkatesh enjoys a vibrant personal life with his wife Sujatha, a PhD researcher in Psychology, and their two children. A badminton enthusiast and music lover, he believes in balancing high-impact leadership with personal well-being.