Gartner outlines six pillars of Cost Transparency* that, when implemented properly, will enable CIOs to run IT as a business and provide the financial transparency needed to optimise cost and value. Globally, the modern economy is shifting from an intense focus on providing conventional products to being services-based. Once enterprises have made that shift, however, it is increasingly difficult for them to accurately understand their costs, and the drivers of these costs. In a services focused world, establishing the actual costs of services remains difficult; greater levels of granularity are often needed.