Methodological principles of evaluating of economic efficiency of investments in information technology: the example of Russian banking sector

Modern methods for assessing the cost-effectiveness of investments in various business areas often do not take into account the peculiarities of this or that kind of investment, particularly investment in information technology. In this regard, representatives of the business have difficulties in the implementation of information technologies related to lack of understanding of how effective the current information technology environment in the company is and what effect will bring investments in new technology. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of information technology in the company and the effects of investments in this area for a specific industry. Currently, such methods do not exist, and the decision on the need to implement a particular information technology innovations adopted in each company for each project using the standard methods of assessment of the investment project, or on the basis of personal experience of the staff. This article provides a brief historical overview of research related to the evaluation of economic efficiency of investments in information technology. The authors analyzed the features of information technology as an investment object. The authors formulated the aspects related to the characteristics of this type of investments that need to be considered when analyzing the cost-effectiveness of information technology. As an example of the effectiveness of the use of information technology, the authors took credit institutions operating in the territory of the Russian Federation. The authors obtained results, which allow to carry out a comparative analysis of the efficiency of the use of information technologies among credit institutions of the Russian Federation, as well as to analyze the dynamics of the effective use of information technology within the credit institution. These results may be useful for understanding the need to improve the efficiency of the use of current technology and investment in the implementation of new information technologies.