Is Your IT Making You Money?

Do you view IT as a burden rather than an asset, an expense rather than an investment, a curse rather than a blessing and not something that actually makes you money?

Unfortunately, this feeling is well earned; it does in-fact describe IT in many organizations.

Is this all IT can or ever will be? No.

Two recent developments have changed this:

  1. Technology is better: from iPads to ERP solutions it is easier to use, understand, integrate and adapt to business needs and the non-tech world.
  2. CEOs and technology executives use “Strategic IT”, an approach that takes a higher-level perspective of IT, integrated with corporate strategy, that drives business to higher performance.

For example:

A commercial services company using Strategic IT increased sales 25% and customer retention from 92% to 97% by providing operating cost: value analysis that closed more sales, increased margins and provided pro-active solutions to their customers.

For a financial services company using Strategic IT increased employee performance resulting in a five percentage point increase in profit by connecting company goals and performance with employees personal goals, performance and opportunity.

A high-tech manufacturer using Strategic IT increased innovation resulting in a 20% increase in revenue and profit with systems that increased cross-function communication and creative collaboration.

Strategic IT makes money for your business

Rather than focusing on system features, Strategic IT is focused on the technology that best solves, creates, produces, sells and communicates to reach the highest possible business output targets. It requires an IT leader who understands how to apply IT to business as well as CEOs and fellow executives looking for ways to leverage their business to its highest potential.

If you can honestly say your IT leader understands what has to happen to make your business successful and, how to make your systems optimize the ability of your people to reach that success, then IT will make you money. If not, there may be money left on the table because the most powerful tool in your business could have significant potential for improvement.

Manoj

Manoj Garg is the founder and managing partner of Virtual Information Executives. He brings over 25 years of senior executive leadership skills and technology management experience with domestic and international operations to VIE’s clients. Manoj earned his MBA from the University of Rochester, specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship, a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh, and a B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. Manoj is an active member of the TIE Oregon, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support activities and mentoring to the entrepreneurial community to foster business growth and employment opportunities in Oregon.