Software & IT
Cost of internal software, IT, security, devices, and admin tooling for the period (company-wide SaaS not specific to R&D or GTM). — Finance KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier)
No public third-party standard anchors this KPI yet, so I'mBoard authors and maintains the definition — transparently labeled as editorial tier. See the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system and the back-attribution workstream.
Rogue ID: finance.software_it
Type: Currency
Domain: Finance
Definition
Cost of internal software, IT, security, devices, and admin tooling for the period (company-wide SaaS not specific to R&D or GTM).
Formula
Company-wide software / IT / security cost for the period.Why it matters
A quiet cost-creep area as headcount and tool sprawl grow.
How to interpret
Track per-employee software cost; rationalize overlapping subscriptions.
Calculation policy
How an AI agent should compute this KPI from messy company data. Free-text rules consumed at reasoning time — not a deterministic DSL. The most common ways to get this wrong are listed under Common miscomputations.
Inclusion rules
- Company-wide internal software, IT, security, devices, and admin tooling not specific to R&D, GTM, or CS.
Exclusion rules
- Department-specific tooling (finance.rd_tools_software / finance.sm_tools_software / finance.cs_tools_software).
- Production infrastructure (finance.cloud_hosting).
Required inputs
- The company-wide SaaS/IT subscription list and per-employee software cost.
Validation checks
- Track per-employee software cost and rationalize overlapping subscriptions; rolls into finance.total_ga.
Common miscomputations
- Double-counting department tools here and in their section tooling lines.
- Letting quiet subscription sprawl creep up unmonitored.
Related KPIs
finance.total_ga
Source
I'mBoard editorial — authored and maintained by I'mBoard, first published 2026-04-01. No third-party standard is cited for this KPI; when one emerges, the definition is back-attributed and promoted to the published tier (a minor version bump). Read the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system, attribution rules, and dispute process.
Stage relevance
| Company stage | Priority |
|---|---|
| Series A | Recommended |
| Series B | Recommended |
| Series C+ | Recommended |
| Public | Recommended |
Suggested for stages: Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.
Default owning functions
- Finance
Machine-readable
- This KPI as JSON:
/api/ontology/finance/software_it.json - All Finance KPIs:
/api/ontology/finance.json - Full catalog:
/api/ontology/index.json
S&M Tools / Software
Cost of go-to-market tooling for the period — CRM, enrichment, outbound, attribution, and sales-engagement platforms. — Finance KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
Subscription Revenue
Recognized recurring software revenue for the period — the recurring subscription fees earned under contract, recognized on an accrual basis over the service period. The core revenue line for a SaaS P&L; kept separate from usage and services so the board can read the recurring-vs-non-recurring mix. Distinct from ARR (a forward run-rate) and from cash collected (a financing-timing view). — Finance KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).