Top Tips For Businesses Wanting To Transform Technology
Dave Baldwin, 28/05/2010, posted in "Analysis"
Dave Baldwin is Managing Director of Getronics UK and Ireland. He has worked in the ICT industry for over 15 years, primarily with major private sector companies in the ...more info
Dave Baldwin is Managing Director of Getronics UK and Ireland. He has worked in the ICT industry for over 15 years, primarily with major private sector companies in the retail, telecoms and financial services markets. Dave's career started on the development side, having studied electronic and computer engineering in Birmingham, but after a few years of large systems development it was time for a change and he moved into client management at ICL, where his focus was enhancing IT support and development services. When ICL was bought by Fujitsu, Dave led the transformation of the field support and logistics capabilities to become a world class capability both in terms of service quality and efficiency. After a brief spell as Regional Managing Director of Chubb Fire, Dave re-joined Fujitsu Services to lead their largest customer in the private sector – Royal Mail Group, from which he went on to lead their retail business (2005 – 2008). He joined Getronics in the summer of 2008 for a fresh and renewed challenge, taking the helm of a major provider of ICT solutions to clients across the UK and Ireland. ...less info
A business needs to look at the whole company before considering change. For example, what applications are needed, what’s used regularly, and what’s used sporadically but is very important? What kind of data is consumed in the business and how is it manipulated? IT directors need control over the existing system in order to predict what will be needed and advise on change appropriately.
Green technology is an area where cost savings can be achieved, with relatively little input. A conscious effort to switch off computers, TVs and printers will reduce energy bills. No one would suggest ‘use more energy’, and one could argue that this reduction in energy consumption should be happening anyway. As green has slipped down the agenda during the recession, it’s not a priority for most CIOs, especially if environmental programmes cost more to implement than they save.
It’s important to examine the whole process from start to finish – what do you want to achieve? What does this involve and how do you see the business getting there? Here are five top tips on what a business should aim for when implementing a transformation programme:
1. IT transformation is a business programme not a technology project. Significant change, the sort that can deliver both cost savings and flexibility, needs active business sponsorship not just approval and sign-off
2. Concentrate on the “what” – step away from “how”. Understand what capabilities, what quality of service your business needs; make that the programme goal then work out what technology supports those needs
3. Own the roadmap, don’t mend the roads. Company IT teams can deliver great value to their organisations by concentrating on being the people who understand how to use IT to drive company profitability, they don’t have to be the ones running the machinery
4. Know where you stand – how much does the company really spend on IT? How much is outside the IT budget?
5. Manage the journey – to push the roadmap analogy further – plan and expect to navigate through changes of priority and funding, this is a cruise missile not a shell – don’t just pull the trigger and walk away.
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