IBF has for almost 10 years operated on a set of key principles that have been proven over time and make IBF unique:
Confidentiality
On joining, members agree to strict confidentiality terms to protect themselves and other member organisations. IBF ensures that these terms are adhered to so that any information you choose to share is restricted to member organisations only.
Our benchmarking is confidential to each member. However in practice members reveal as much or as little of their experience as they choose. Due to the extremely high trust levels (even among sector competitors, members are happy to exchange information because they know discussions are kept confidential within IBF and because the benefits of mutual sharing are there for all to see.
Exclusivity
To join IBF, your organisation must meet strict entry criteria. You must be a Fortune 500 or equivalent-sized company or a major public body. This ensures that the organisations you are benchmarked against and with whom you share knowledge are of comparable stature and are frequently dealing with the same kinds of challenges as you.
Independent benchmarking
IBF is a membership community not a consultancy. IBF does not (and will not) provide consultancy services to members or other organisations. This means that our benchmarking findings and recommendations for improvement are impartial and not coloured by any vested interest. While some of the world’s major technology providers have selected IBF to benchmark their own intranets and digital workplaces, we are independent of any technology vendor or solution.
Active participation
IBF thrives on the active participation of member organisations. The more you contribute to IBF’s knowledge base – by being benchmarked, by contributing to our research into best practice, and by sharing knowledge at meetings, on our secure extranet and informally via ongoing dialogue with fellow members – the more value you get from your membership. All members must commit to being benchmarked at least once every two years.
