March 2012

Keeping a cool head!

Keep a cool head - implement a clear IT strategy and don't make knee-jerk moves for quick savings.

Grange recommends that all IT departments develop a three year IT strategy. This document then provides a framework against which all decisions can be based. Although it ensures that decisions are properly evaluated, it shouldn't be a 'straight jacket' that prevents sound opportunities being taken.

What will happen in 2012?

Gartner is forecasting a 0.5% increase in IT spend across Europe in 2012. So the first challenge for the IT Director is to deliver maximum value on a fixed budget, which in real terms is declining due to inflation.

Here is a list of other areas to consider in 2012:

• Cloud Computing 

• Employee Productivity 

• Security 

• Windows 8

• Business Intelligence and Analytics

Cloud Computing: with new commercial models such as subscriptions and 'on-demand' hardware, now is the time to review current commercial outsourcing arrangements. It offers the opportunity for outsourcing consolidation previously unobtainable due to capital requirements. Central to any cloud strategy will be virtualisation. 

Employee Productivity: with the increase in employees wanting to 'bring their own' devices to work, IT departments need to facilitate an enterprise wide mobile strategy. This also requires security policies to deal with this development. 

Security: Security policies must be reviewed particularly with threats from consumer cloud applications used on mobiles. 

Windows 8: This promises to offer better application integration with the cloud. However, as always, Grange does not recommend early adoption of new releases. 

Business Information and Analytics: As collection and analysis of larger transactional data becomes cheaper, your business will expect more options for data analysis and quicker turnaround of business queries.  

How do I assess my options and prioritise?

The key to ensuring a consistent and long-term approach to trends and decision making is the IT Strategy. Once this strategy is in place, new opportunities can be assessed against the principles and either rejected, adopted or used to revise the strategy if appropriate. The strategy needs to be technology neutral and based upon business outcomes.

How Grange can help?

Grange has a practical and pragmatic process for delivery of your IT Strategy document. We have helped a number of our customers produce their own IT strategy to be used as a practical framework against which decisions are assessed. Our approach is a practical one resulting in a working document rather than a theoretical academic document. If you require help with your IT strategy then please contact us.

IT Industry Update

Confirming the importance of the cloud Atos has announced that it is forming a new company called Canopy with EMC and VMware. The inclusion of VMware reinforces the importance of virtualistation in any cloud strategy. 

Dell has reported a decline in profit and commentators have reflected on corporate sales being impacted by the trend of employees using their own tablets to access company systems. 

Grange Update 

Below are some of the assignments that Grange has recently been working on:

• IT Strategy: Grange is helping a customer develop a three year IT strategy.

• Procurement: Grange is leading the procurement of outsourced services for an insurance company.

• Programme Management: Grange has programme managed a business recovery process for a large retailer. 

• Procurement: Grange is leading the procurement of EDI services.