Researchers for the Aberdeen Group recently released the results of two surveys of high performing IT companies, identifying performance indicators that set the very best organizations apart from the rest. They found that the top-performing companies were superior thanks to the four habits listed here.

Habit No. 1: Providing employee education and training

Best-in-class companies consistently report that employee education is a critical business practice. More than 60 percent of top-performing companies provided training to their staff on new technologies and disaster recovery. This compares to roughly 35 percent of the average industry performers and as little as 12 percent of industry laggards.

Pro tip: Employee training and education has a substantial impact in top-performing companies. It can do the same for your organization's overall performance.

Habit No. 2: Analyzing data and reviewing processes

Researchers also discovered that the highest performing companies were two to three times more likely than laggard companies to analyze data and regularly assess standard procedures. Regularly monitoring application performance and deep analysis of data led to significantly improved performance.

Pro tip: Adding or improving your data analysis practices as well as regularly reviewing processes and procedures can provide a strategic advantage to your organization.

Habit No. 3: Documenting processes

Sixty-eight percent of the top-performing companies have documented data center policies (as opposed to just 41 percent of the laggard companies). The researchers stated, “Throughout our research in the IT infrastructure group, we find that companies that take the time to document policies and procedures continue to outperform organizations that do not.”

Pro tip: Documenting important IT processes may be worth additional investment, even if it requires using outside experts to help.

Habit No. 4: Communicating effectively

The last of the key performance indicators for top-performing companies is effectively communicating with management and customers. The best-in-class organizations are over five times more likely to communicate about progress and challenges to colleagues than laggard companies in the same field. And they are twice as likely to communicate with their customers.

Pro tip: Making an effort to communicate important information to colleagues, management and customers can help your company perform more like a best-in-class organization.

Takeaway

When you add it all up, the difference between best-in-class IT companies and all the others is their ability to perform. These highly successful companies educate their staff on the latest technologies, processes and best practices. They not only share successes, but also problems, leading to greater collaboration and ideas. The top IT companies regularly analyze data and follow documented processes for improvement. Bottom line? Top performing companies don't become best-in-class by accident.

Here's one final recommendation from the Aberdeen report:

"If you would like to become a best-in-class IT organization, start by educating your staff on implementations or planned deployments of new technologies. This will allow your staff to better utilize current technologies and provide expert analysis of effective processes and procedures. Lastly it will enable a true spirit of communication, empowering the entire organization."

Want more information on what your team needs to succeed? Here are three more keys to success that most companies forget.