Does IT Deserve a Place at the Table?

Given the current global environment and the competitive advantages technology can provide, it is interesting to see that the role of CIO is typically not present in the boardroom of most medium to large organizations. Other corporate functions are usually present such as HR, legal and finance, with IT typically reporting into the COO or…

Does IT Deserve a Place at the Table?

Organizational structure is key and there are typically many to choose from but ultimately there are three dominant types: Customer/Service – Ensuring alignment of business application functions to each customer organization while managing infrastructure and support discretely across the whole service. This model is typically used when there are multiple business units within the organization…

Taking Out the Guess Work

Modeling is not a new concept. In fact, everyone does it without thinking. Do you recall the invention of the spreadsheet? Before the PC revolution, Wall Street analysts performed complex spreadsheet calculations by hand using only a simple calculator. This process was completely inflexible, prone to mistakes, and thoroughly mind-numbing. To make changes to a…

Taking Out the Guess Work

Impediments A few obstacles need resolution before any company can get started with modeling and impact analysis: The most obvious is the common perception that the time it takes to develop a model during the design stage is better spent on implementation. This is due, in part, to previous experiences with models that were frighteningly…

The Benefits of Outsourcing the Company

I have always been an advocate of IT outsourcing but over the last several years it has become apparent that services available from many sources has made outsourcing of other business processes a viable option, as well. I was talking with a friend recently and had an epiphany regarding this subject: Just like IT, there…

How to Increase IT’s Value to the Business

Last week I was the keynote speaker at an event for a services organization in an energy company. I spoke on the topic of adding more value to the business. This is an important topic for IT, because it’s very easy for your organization to see itself as a cost center (or to not think…

What is IT’s Role in the Enterprise?

Like many complex problems there is no one right answer, however there are key principles that can be applied across the board: There is a necessity in IT to be up on IT of all types; from cloud to social media, not simply enterprise solutions. If IT is knowledgeable, then it is able to help…

What is IT’s Role in the Enterprise?

The critical role of IT in any business has long been understood, and over the last few decades IT systems have evolved from back-office tools (finance, accounting) to the face of the customer. At one time this evolution in IT role was led solely by Web-based businesses, but in today’s organizations almost every facet of…

Cloud Isn’t Just for Geeks Anymore

I recently spent two days talking to Fortune 1000 CIOs at one of those swanky Sonoran desert summits that is probably best described as speed dating for geeks. Fifteen hours of focused conversations with a cross section of CIOs reveals a lot about the state of an industry and the state of mind for IT…

The 5 Ways a CMS Provides Value

Risk/impact information for changes – One of the biggest concerns for any organization is evaluating the risk and impact of changes. Too often, risk/impact decisions are based more on tribal knowledge rather than documented information. Additionally, when decisions are based on a single CMDB, relationships are not considered. A CMS provides relationship information that can…