tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58993230824108792682024-03-14T05:50:41.399-04:00WiseTechGuyThoughts and commentary about life & technology, with a focus on Information Technology (IT). Seeking to help organizations and their leaders (CIOs, VP of ITs, and key business leaders) select and leverage the right technology to solve real-world problems.Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-7712768331454395492018-05-30T14:33:00.001-04:002018-05-30T14:33:09.602-04:00How to Communicate Your IT Budget, Part IV<h2>
Step Four – Presenting the Budget</h2>
With the work you accomplished in the previous steps, it is time present the budget.<br />
<br />
In all but the smallest organizations, standardize approaches for submitting and presenting budgets are mandated. These approaches may include spreadsheets, online tools, and presentation templates. <br />
<br />
A common goal is to produce submissions that are consistent with respect to organization and content. They also provide a way to ensure critical issues are addressed. For example, how each group will manage / be impacted by growth, potential reductions, or other significant events. <br />
<h2>
Show Time</h2>
Presenting an Information Technology (IT) budget can be challenging. The forces driving IT costs are not always understood, and even more fundamentally, the very essence of IT is often unclear to executives. <br />
<br />
Other factors can complicate the effort. As previously discussed, costs might be held by organizations outside of IT. This can make it difficult to calculate the organization's overall IT spend.<br />
<br />
Therefore, even when working with a standardized approach, it is critical that IT submissions address several core elements:<br />
<ul>
<li>Key components of the budget<br />
</li>
<li>Key drivers – both direct and indirect<br />
</li>
<li>Fixed / committed expenditures (by contracts or regulatory compliance)</li>
</ul>
Context information can also be useful. Some key examples include:<br />
<ul>
<li>IT’s Mission & Vision<br />
</li>
<li>IT’s Objectives / Alignment to Corporate Goals<br />
</li>
<li>Average IT Cost per user (employee) – both initial and ongoing<br />
</li>
<li>Spending Trend Over Past Years<br />
</li>
<li>Benchmarking Data (e.g. Gartner chart of average IT Spend across industries)</li>
</ul>
Finally, it is always a good idea to have some information explaining:<br />
<ul>
<li>What is Information Technology (and why it is critical for the organization)<br />
</li>
<li>What IT does / must do for the organization</li>
</ul>
Deciding on which elements to include is situationally. With rigid standardized approaches, it can be difficult to address some of these elements. So be creative and remember the power of Appendixes.<br />
<h2>
Starting with the Basics: IT’s Budget Building Blocks</h2>
Building on some of the illustrations from earlier entries, the budget's key components and their relative size might appear like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUM4fy_S-QoRM1dj0dVSJsrvNnk9RvSOqSyuLLS-sDd8wBILlKmmYFIpPKYxRDH8d84n6hPgHpNQP1fkdaEGhX1RTMVok0ycjxQv7kyICnyEy2wrfJnvJXn7KdSXYvgJkhthhfDHnhhzY/s1600/P4D1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="890" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUM4fy_S-QoRM1dj0dVSJsrvNnk9RvSOqSyuLLS-sDd8wBILlKmmYFIpPKYxRDH8d84n6hPgHpNQP1fkdaEGhX1RTMVok0ycjxQv7kyICnyEy2wrfJnvJXn7KdSXYvgJkhthhfDHnhhzY/s640/P4D1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Next, combine this component buildup with a high-level view of the budget as shown below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-vrotp9yI9Z0R8119GaIY0atO9kU1lMsY7y5Fz5rlmz7lkYzFaMbby92GBMZQXsWA5eZvKMrzD78c4-uiQPcjm2fu2Ppr1rOg_fVDfAoGyL3KVnR5YAqkVfMMRS0yF3lUkrPfNen5Cg/s1600/P4D2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="780" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-vrotp9yI9Z0R8119GaIY0atO9kU1lMsY7y5Fz5rlmz7lkYzFaMbby92GBMZQXsWA5eZvKMrzD78c4-uiQPcjm2fu2Ppr1rOg_fVDfAoGyL3KVnR5YAqkVfMMRS0yF3lUkrPfNen5Cg/s640/P4D2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The diagram above illustrates the IT budget’s key components, their relative size, and the internal and external drivers (to IT) behind them. <br />
<br />
The left section shows the budget buildup in alignment with the components already outlined. Next, the driver behind each of these components is shown in boxes with arrows to the areas they impact. And finally, on the right, a % breakdown of the budget. <br />
<br />
Sometimes, it is helpful to replace the buildup diagram on the left with the % diagram; this simplifies the overall picture well concurrently allowing the discussion to focus on the forces driving the budget. Examination of the actual numbers can follow.<br />
<h2>
Business Linkage</h2>
Illustrating what IT plans to do with the budget regarding projects and their linkage to business objectives is essential. If there is a corporate program plan leverage it as your audience will already be familiar with it. If not, create a high-level plan/roadmap.<br />
<br />
The key is to show what the business “gets” for the IT spend. Elements could include new business or IT capabilities, operations, and so on. <br />
<h2>
Additional Points</h2>
Depending on your circumstances, other key points to cover might include:<br />
<ul>
<li>IT headcount plans<br />
</li>
<li>Budget reduction scenarios and trade-offs SWOT Analysis<br />
</li>
<li>Open audit / regulatory matters</li>
</ul>
Budgets are dynamic as is the approach you use when discussing it. Even with all the moving parts involved, following the concepts outlined here should help you and your organization arrive and an informed decision.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-87078369368000974352018-03-02T16:52:00.000-05:002018-05-30T14:24:12.834-04:00How to Communicate Your IT Budget, Part III<h2>
Step Three – The Unveiling </h2>
With the work you accomplished in step one and two, it is time to begin focusing on communication. Specifically, how the budget is built, the primary drivers, and validation.<br />
<h2>
Focus on the Core Elements</h2>
I like to begin by going back to the key elements picture from Step 1:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9q_GzbdpBqFB0nSQH0dClI42AO5FE_PCj6wsiSxNIWSv67bdp4BMHbMQ9_HfLXP_60Oy8pj9aYRtM2jyt10kRtW19Q0NxlQOwNbfJiMfztZv8ymLxn9y3qkKHJIcn9N6uXsJiPo51LA/s1600/BE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="931" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9q_GzbdpBqFB0nSQH0dClI42AO5FE_PCj6wsiSxNIWSv67bdp4BMHbMQ9_HfLXP_60Oy8pj9aYRtM2jyt10kRtW19Q0NxlQOwNbfJiMfztZv8ymLxn9y3qkKHJIcn9N6uXsJiPo51LA/s640/BE1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Take time to walk through each circle on the diagram above. Doing so allows you to establish a standard vocabulary with your audience while illustrating your primary budget drivers.<br />
<br />
Be sensitive to local conventions and vernacular; consider adjusting your own when necessary. Avoid unproductive discussion about terminology whenever possible, the goal is to arrive at a common and informed view.<br />
<br />
As a side note, one of the benefits of previewing the budget, as discussed in the Validation section of Step Two, is to identify and resolve many, if not all, these issues early in the process.<br />
<h2>
Assembling the Pieces</h2>
With the essential core elements driving the IT budget defined, it is time to show the relative size of each component. Using a stacked column graph is one effective method of communicating this point.<br />
Consider the following graph:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMvpWjEtUr9vzQito9ghGn9gk57f-GZxWx2ERAm6g562UBhiYuJMhOqWZ4DNRGRn29YwjwywvfpM667b26Ef_G6aTjIJot6wLKHQI2sFkzUf1WVm6pQcIEZQlkeWO9cFq0L8MAiMk7NY/s1600/BudgetStack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="461" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMvpWjEtUr9vzQito9ghGn9gk57f-GZxWx2ERAm6g562UBhiYuJMhOqWZ4DNRGRn29YwjwywvfpM667b26Ef_G6aTjIJot6wLKHQI2sFkzUf1WVm6pQcIEZQlkeWO9cFq0L8MAiMk7NY/s640/BudgetStack.png" width="601" /></a></div>
<br />
For a simple picture, there is a lot of information here. Let’s examine some of the key points:<br />
<ul>
<li>The overall budget buildup is shown in a layered approach (more on the ordering later).<br />
</li>
<li>The relative size of each budget component is displayed.<br />
<br />
Important point: The use of relative percentages is intentional. Too often you can get sidetracked by sticker shock. As we are still working to communicate the budget's construction and primary drivers, avoiding specific dollar figures helps keep the discussion focused.<br />
</li>
<li>The horizontal green line is used to indicate the division of costs directly driven by IT (below the line) and those driven by the business (above the line). The above the line costs include usage costs, headcount costs non-IT), business systems, etc.<br />
<br />
Consider finance your critical partner as you develop the budget. It is imperative they understand and support your categorization process.<br />
</li>
<li>Another important feature is the vertical green bar on the graph’s right side. This line shows the degree to which IT directly controls the number. For this graph, I typically suggest the following breakdown:<br />
</li>
<ul>
<li>Fixed: Two sub-components.<br />
</li>
<ul>
<li>Personnel is the first and often the most significant element. Included in that category are the core IT staff and external partners required to support the business. Activities include everything from operations, application support user support, compliance, IT analysts working with other departments and functions.<br />
</li>
<li>Depending on your expenditure levels, you might want to further segregated personnel costs associated with business systems. Those costs could then be layered to show both the technical and personnel costs.<br />
</li>
<li>Core Infrastructure: Cost to support essential IT infrastructure supporting the business. Examples include network backbone – routers, switches, firewalls, local computing resources, telephone, and other systems under IT’s umbrella.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<li>Mixed: This category can be difficult to align on, especially within IT. It is intended to show the portion of IT spend that is discretionary. This could include line items such as training, existing or new development environments, IT testing of new technology and the like.<br />
</li>
<li>Variable: These costs are driven by usage and headcount and vary accordingly. Estimates are a function of the quality of headcount projections (over time) and usage which includes utilities, communications, and even SaaS solutions.<br />
</li>
<li>Committed: Ongoing costs for currently deployed systems. Key drivers include licensing and support. Many contracts for services/licenses have fixed terms, so these costs are in effect committed for some period. Systems and solutions that are ad hoc in nature go under the Variable category.<br />
</li>
<li>Elective: Cost of implementation of new capabilities/systems for both IT and the business.<br />
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
The ordering of the budget layers is intentional and designed to align with the vertical green bar described above. <br />
<h2>
The Value of Percentages</h2>
The budget elements outlined above are valuable and together help you put budget discussions in context. Recall my opening comment about the relative size of the IT budgets. With great size can come great cuts. <br />
<br />
So, consider this example. IT has a budget of $50MM. You are asked to reduce the budget by 10%, giving back $5MM. The problem with this question is assumes you control the whole IT budget - its size and where how the money is spent.<br />
<br />
As we have shown above, that is far from the case. The part IT “controls” is likely substantially less than $50MM. Consider the case where 60% of the cost is driven by the business. In that scenario, the net effect is the $50MM budget is only $20MM directly controlled by IT. Therefore, a reduction of 10%, should only be considered on the $20MM for a net amount of $2MM, not $5MM. <br />
<br />
The more significant "ask" does not just vanish; addressing it requires the involvement of many departments.<br />
<h2>
What's Next</h2>
In my next, and last entry on this subject, I will illustrate how to show the actual budget figures and final points for consideration.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-56070159104229227102018-02-09T13:10:00.003-05:002018-05-30T14:23:47.927-04:00How to Communicate Your IT Budget, Part II<h2>
Building the Budget</h2>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="StdPar-1">
The precise mechanics you use to develop the budget is beyond the scope of this article, but I will address some key practices I think are worth incorporating in your approach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
Clearly Define Ownership</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Begin with a core issue: how does the organization handle IT expenses? Are IT expenses centralized within one budget or decentralized? Seldom is this a black-and-white answer, but a detailed understanding is critical. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Consider for example service subscriptions. Imagine your finance organization uses a service to help with state income tax rates or expense reporting. Do they budget for that service? Does that service index for headcount, does it include support, and how are IT costs impacted by that service?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Almost every area of the organization can have embedded IT expenditures, often without the budget owner's recognition. Even IT can suffer the same issue, consider all the small "tools" developers and system administrators leverage. Another example is online training systems which often reside in multiple organizations. These are the type of issues that need to be explored and understood. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Having a clear and aligned understanding is essential. First and most importantly you what to avoid duplicating line items or even worse, missing something. A related factor is how such services can indirectly impact other elements in the IT budget. For example, training systems can use a lot of network bandwidth hence influence those line items in the core IT budget.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
On a larger scale, it can be difficult to estimate the organization’s overall IT budget when the budget is decentralized. And of course, decentralization can complicate the purchasing (category management) and enterprise architecture efforts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Decentralized budgets can and do work. However, they must go together with clear governance process to avoid creating technological anarchy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
Taking Your First Step</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJumaxvBek4XvIcrUn511t6w7yCX9k9IYgVVVjGRf37JRRfs6DFcQM2wUVlIgWMi4mqcAOmBVsYSLZ-tb2HTe41LfVQp38io0Tl6MBmFziRAYm4Q_EV8xvDCuaITz4-IYEhmyX4QeCkg/s1600/Peaces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJumaxvBek4XvIcrUn511t6w7yCX9k9IYgVVVjGRf37JRRfs6DFcQM2wUVlIgWMi4mqcAOmBVsYSLZ-tb2HTe41LfVQp38io0Tl6MBmFziRAYm4Q_EV8xvDCuaITz4-IYEhmyX4QeCkg/s320/Peaces.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
I like to begin with a “back-of-the-envelope” estimates.; a process that is often surprisingly accurate and provides an indication if you missed something. Look at historical numbers and note any variances.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Bottom-up budgets and supporting basis of estimates (BOE), can be helpful in assuring your foundation. Although you may elect not to do this every year, I recommend you at least do it during your first cycle and then again from time-to-time to ensure you are not carrying phantom expenses or missing other points.</div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Make sure you understand some of your critical reoccurring expenses. For example, what is the cost IT incurs for each new employee? Of course, it will vary depending on their role and associated equipment and applications, but calculating this number is critical. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
In addition to the new employee cost driver, these employees will generate legacy employee costs in the future for such thing as hardware refreshes, licensing, support, and usage costs are some of the central items. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
In almost all organizations, personnel (headcount) cost are the most significant expense. Having the ability to speak authoritatively about the impacts of headcount changes on IT can be very impactful. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
When you can explain how the addition of X number of people will impact your budget you can illustrate your point very clearly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
Budget Attributes – Think About the Questions You Need to Answer</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Consider designing your IT budget as you would a database. Understand what questions/insights you will need and ensure you have sufficient information (fields) to support those queries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
In addition to the standard budget line item attributes (fields) such as description, budget category, amount, WBS, you will likely find additional attributes helpful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
As an example, some key ones might include:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2-Bullets">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Business Area: What group(s) are driving this expense? (e.g. Manufacturing, HR, sales, marketing, quality, IT). <br />
</li>
<li>Activity: What activity is driving this line item (Business System Operation/Support, New Business System, Utility-driven costs, IT Operations).<br />
</li>
<li>Cost Driver: What “force” drives this line item. Is it a business system, IT expense, new system development, headcount growth, or usage.<br />
</li>
<li>Cost Type: The idea behind this attribute is to understand how much practical control you have over it. For example, is this expense already committed via a contract? Is it driven by usage? Is it core IT required to "keep the lights on"? Over time, you can impact every line item, but in practical terms, these are not costs that can be quickly changed and/or are under IT's direct control.<br />
</li>
<li>Owner: Consider a “line owner” attribute. Typically, this is the person on your team accountable for developing the line and associated basis of estimate(s). As your team size increases, establishing a line owner becomes increasingly valuable.</li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="StdPar-2-Bullets">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2-Bullets">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2-Bullets">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2-Bullets">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
Validation – Pressure Testing</h2>
<h2 style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Validating your budget can be a tough goal, but it worth considering in advance. How can you confirm the accuracy of your estimates and spot missed or duplicate entries?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Historical estimates can provide some guidance along with socializing with stakeholders. Next, go back to the envelope calculations previously discussed. If you know there are X new systems, headcount change of Y, and utility rate change of Z; you should be able to have a very rough estimate at least relative to last year’s budget.</div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Validation can allow you to preview your budget and avoid nasty surprises. The problem is that everyone is busy with budgets at the same time. So, engaging with your peers with focused questions is essential.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="StdPar-2" style="margin-left: 0in;">
In Part III, examples of how to present this information will be outlined.</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-58576936855024713072018-01-25T16:12:00.002-05:002018-05-30T14:23:34.817-04:00How to Communicate Your IT Budget, Part I<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9Y-kRApwj7sw_o_LxTPEi5KLbkgpayqRyHZ7mAETU9xM69wOwhf_yFZ93LNwSE-B3lgM3jmNtSLGejBw7P9kfqg__klcXGFNFzkgSaK2bpHrEvt1iSFagXAOwE-iucyXwj3YCFBg8hw/s1600/BCP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="430" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9Y-kRApwj7sw_o_LxTPEi5KLbkgpayqRyHZ7mAETU9xM69wOwhf_yFZ93LNwSE-B3lgM3jmNtSLGejBw7P9kfqg__klcXGFNFzkgSaK2bpHrEvt1iSFagXAOwE-iucyXwj3YCFBg8hw/s200/BCP.jpg" width="185" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In many organizations, Information Technology (IT) represents a significant portion of the overall budget. In fact, IT is typically among the top expenditures. Consequently, this budgetary prominence drives a corresponding level of scrutiny by management; an exercise that is often found to be time-consuming and frustrating for all concerned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much is written about capturing the value of IT and leveraging processes to ensure value-delivery. Organizational cultures typically dictate the overall budget process. During my career, I have labored under many of these systems; each has their advantages and disadvantages. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am going to leave the overarching budget process for others to debate; the focus here is on how to communicate and sell your budget. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your budget proposal needs to be communicate in a manner that will resonate with executive charged with approving the budget. In my experience, this is where the process fails. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with many issues, ineffective communication is frequently the core issue. IT budgets can often be opaque and hard for management to understand. The key is presenting the budget using language your audience is familiar; avoid technical jargon and avoid the trap of providing too much detail. When someone asks the time, they do not want to know how to build a clock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe a good starting point is to understand what drives the budget, what IT controls, then link the budget with the organization's objectives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What follows is an outline of a process for forming and communicating an IT budget.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Step One - Develop a Common Language</u></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ideally, before start developing your budget, it is a good idea to understand what has done before and how was received. What worked? What did not? Where were the pain points? Learning from the past can give some good indicators of problem areas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next, I advise developing a straw model for your budget, including the major categories. Consider the model a tool for testing your pitch and tuning the message to better resonate with your target audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sharing this model permits you to focus on explaining your core drivers and budget categories while avoiding being sidetrack by discussing the associated amounts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Quite often, non-IT professionals do not understand what drives the IT budget. For this audience, the objective is to communicate how external drivers impact much of the budget. Examples of these drivers can include headcount growth, application portfolios, office locations, and utility expenses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leveraging graphics can be a simply why to illustrate these points. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBR-UEpho4g0wD-1SXZId4iWoNBN66bo75BoxzNlGuNVkPf8vpeR9mvIMbxS3vDmYnUWYI3lghwQClrQ6Rcoerz94G31OROWv5N_EXeCMMf2_xlCvxp0X44TWp1weOxkvZKGif7KOeHw/s1600/BE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="931" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBR-UEpho4g0wD-1SXZId4iWoNBN66bo75BoxzNlGuNVkPf8vpeR9mvIMbxS3vDmYnUWYI3lghwQClrQ6Rcoerz94G31OROWv5N_EXeCMMf2_xlCvxp0X44TWp1weOxkvZKGif7KOeHw/s640/BE1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this example the budget is composed of five major categories:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">IT Staffing (Personnel) costs - salaries, travel, training etc.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Core IT costs - Support, infrastructure, compliance requirements</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Organization Headcount Drive Costs - End-user hardware, software and service licensing, communication, utility costs</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Support of Existing Business Systems - Lifecycle costs for support, licenses, and eventual retirement</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cost for New Systems - Cost to develop and deploy new systems. This element can also demonstrate how tightly integrated IT is with the business (and why IT needs to be at the table).</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you achieve this objective, you can see the light come on above their heads; most find it a revelation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a common language and understanding of what drives the IT budget, you can now build your budget in to fill in the details which will be covered in Part II which will follow soon.<br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-89780479840707765822017-10-25T18:11:00.001-04:002018-03-02T16:36:55.375-05:00 Defining the IT Roadmap in Life Science - Part III Welcome to part three of this blog series, click here for a link to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5899323082410879268#editor/target=post;postID=6846496299181953117;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=3;src=postname" target="_blank">Part One</a> or here for <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5899323082410879268#editor/target=post;postID=775341028845381710;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">Part Two</a>.<br />
<br />
Before beginning a prioritization process, it is essential to align the organization on how decisions will be made. Specifically, on the criteria used to evaluate and rank projects across the organization. The criteria is often derived from both internal and external drivers.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftJE6sbjpFPH9raGn_Ruxm1FPJ9OmdKC3rnSkQ-GmVxxTorbObG9-dzc7KiCu4vuYniFl2kgwkmE6_VDWkqX5iT_GSofexMUF2p3z6L0WH3sgjWl-4Et5WQCIx43OdqG_moS9X25sjjg/s1600/P3-P1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="275" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftJE6sbjpFPH9raGn_Ruxm1FPJ9OmdKC3rnSkQ-GmVxxTorbObG9-dzc7KiCu4vuYniFl2kgwkmE6_VDWkqX5iT_GSofexMUF2p3z6L0WH3sgjWl-4Et5WQCIx43OdqG_moS9X25sjjg/s200/P3-P1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Internal drives typically include factors such as financial resources, staff availability, pending transformations (e.g. M&As). I also advise looking carefully at the organization's ability to adsorb additional change.<br />
External drivers typical involve customer commitments, market conditions, evolving threats and opportunities, and possibly regulatory requirements.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Step 4: Managing the Portfolio - Managing the Project List</b><br />
<br />
With your criteria in hand, a weighted project list can now be developed. A sample is show below. It lists each project (which is in support of a capability). In this example, five dimensions are used for evaluation: Strategy Alignment, Revenue Growth Potential (top-line growth), Cost Savings (Bottom line savings), Compliance (regulatory) Criticality, and finally Workforce Development/Retention. Again, these are just examples, any criteria could be used.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGaUzGlEZrmDblW3pexcrdMuVr7MqYXs1AOujc1yrNeIkyH614N2LfzES_QnC1zuCm9iMzB888DphBeK0KDLkvSs5UsgDt9eS2giklAVqmz0JDHCnFBWpn2bhc0LUjVH9PKD-ZdDvEnI/s1600/P3-P2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGaUzGlEZrmDblW3pexcrdMuVr7MqYXs1AOujc1yrNeIkyH614N2LfzES_QnC1zuCm9iMzB888DphBeK0KDLkvSs5UsgDt9eS2giklAVqmz0JDHCnFBWpn2bhc0LUjVH9PKD-ZdDvEnI/s400/P3-P2b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyAbQ89dEIayw64_HBRwtegZStbCwyaqLMlhnSf2Led4guh0V9xxA5mwxL2Otp7vjqS5BfvXVFVk1UuML1Iz2zyo_4MWTivMOfS0lvtHiGbW-RgEY8hVfAlH2-5sdhhJ3PvnLzVSQ2Tk/s1600/P3-p2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyAbQ89dEIayw64_HBRwtegZStbCwyaqLMlhnSf2Led4guh0V9xxA5mwxL2Otp7vjqS5BfvXVFVk1UuML1Iz2zyo_4MWTivMOfS0lvtHiGbW-RgEY8hVfAlH2-5sdhhJ3PvnLzVSQ2Tk/s400/P3-p2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>They key is gain alignment on the methodology within the organization. When the list has all the projects and criteria identified, you can compute a relative score for each project and rank accordingly. Inevitably there will be intangibles which will require careful consideration.<br />
In commercial organization, it is easy to invest solely in revenue biased projects over the SG&A programs, e.g. some Human Resources initiatives. Rankings produced by this process should inform the overall project selection process, not define. As in most case, human judgment is required.<br />
The chart in and of itself, can be difficult to interpret. For this reason, bubble charts can be developed to help with overall visualization. On the chart below, each project is placed based on its Revenue potential (Y axis) and Cost Savings Potential (X Axis). Project sizes are depicted by the size of each bubble.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDRhitnGt_gjsMzt4GhNSXhdKrxZAXwQVOaNlrZuJlGqxOp8Sm-bl5WTcO6GEPc0mnuPfE0HRaiuwXfG4kgCacw1RLl0Hgvi4WbbEi6P8C_5DG8nJszstpdt8xFHt_tTGW3yZLkCW1SY/s1600/Project+Rankings+and+Bubble+Chart+-+v2.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1049" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDRhitnGt_gjsMzt4GhNSXhdKrxZAXwQVOaNlrZuJlGqxOp8Sm-bl5WTcO6GEPc0mnuPfE0HRaiuwXfG4kgCacw1RLl0Hgvi4WbbEi6P8C_5DG8nJszstpdt8xFHt_tTGW3yZLkCW1SY/s400/Project+Rankings+and+Bubble+Chart+-+v2.2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b>Step 5: Developing the Delivery Plans</b><br />
The final steps is to initiate the process to develop an overall program plan following by project plans. Illustrating an overall delivery plan can help begin establishing and confirming expectations.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSQrXPKeQa4hK8F2f0_LJOfH6TnD2L71kRdrfdK6A-ZWhGr2iMkfp7V2hes6FmG_1LRKEZmzmNKe66lX_J_Ebt-nJLSf8ugy6KuV6AR2ffqEkkJFMsViO8ZM7e1fUFfOfEpsallekYJY/s1600/P3-P2C.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1600" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSQrXPKeQa4hK8F2f0_LJOfH6TnD2L71kRdrfdK6A-ZWhGr2iMkfp7V2hes6FmG_1LRKEZmzmNKe66lX_J_Ebt-nJLSf8ugy6KuV6AR2ffqEkkJFMsViO8ZM7e1fUFfOfEpsallekYJY/s320/P3-P2C.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
Regardless of well planned, chance a project will complete on time, on budget, and with requirements satisfied is very small. The old saying "Life is 10% of what happens, 90% hour you react" applies here. Nothing is static so the process of evaluating projects must be an ongoing process.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"></div><br />
<br />
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-7753410288453817102017-10-11T19:06:00.000-04:002018-02-09T13:14:18.121-05:00 Defining the IT Roadmap in Life Science - Part II<div style="text-align: center;">
Welcome to part two of this blog series, click here for a link to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5899323082410879268#editor/target=post;postID=6846496299181953117;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=3;src=postname" target="_blank">Part One</a>.</div>
<b></b><br />
<b>Step 1: Defining the Core Capabilities</b><br />
<br />
As noted in the last entry, an organization’s core capability can be viewed as those things an organization does particularly well to drive meaningful business results. Examples can range from talent management, lean manufacturing, customer care, research or product design. For pharmaceuticals, some specific examples could be pipeline management, study design, regulatory management including submissions, responses, and related matters, as well as drug discovery.<br />
If you do not already have an organizational capability map, you need to begin by meeting with each business area. From those discussions, you can collaboratively develop a capabilities list for that area.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD6NsW-TFQXRxJoVB96RmG8Fc5i3GieA7jCdqBY14UyR3Xm6o9wXlASkE8-qeJ3NDit5-0TjAvNQj8D_nJ_7MZAYus4yg8DanqSvvoU557B1B6ive3aUp93A1xDvyIO5e6kBIwBal2uk/s1600/P2-SWF.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD6NsW-TFQXRxJoVB96RmG8Fc5i3GieA7jCdqBY14UyR3Xm6o9wXlASkE8-qeJ3NDit5-0TjAvNQj8D_nJ_7MZAYus4yg8DanqSvvoU557B1B6ive3aUp93A1xDvyIO5e6kBIwBal2uk/s400/P2-SWF.png" width="400" /></a></div>
That list will need to be filtered and sorted into priority order. The output from this, as well as discussions with other areas, will then need to be consolidated into a single list. <br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Step 2: Enumerating the Core Capabilities / Assessing the Gap</b><br />
<br />
The process of enumerating your core capabilities may take on may forms. Below is an example for a fictional manufacturer which might look as follows:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lt7iI_NntVylUjHllSyZ06Ief8qbauOSm_zwqiwiOBuqqXJ8wl4NfCESOytDOIn9MHHeStTF_3nt5cmaho9PnFVDAnsuDpG6bW_UJgrIo5Ed1Hi3hE2eIAVzEaYZjybgRkB3_hzXysI/s1600/P2-ECM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lt7iI_NntVylUjHllSyZ06Ief8qbauOSm_zwqiwiOBuqqXJ8wl4NfCESOytDOIn9MHHeStTF_3nt5cmaho9PnFVDAnsuDpG6bW_UJgrIo5Ed1Hi3hE2eIAVzEaYZjybgRkB3_hzXysI/s400/P2-ECM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
For the strategic capabilities, additional detail is required. For the example above, a detail for Manufacturing might appear as follows:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8J-x4YQrfVMqafxNrA5IPdZPQQ1i2UkGABU9X6mnYJ21C4aGcP152c9QWrRYeZaWQHyUmc8Geec7j_Cy2jMO7MKrVTlr0MBG2y4R-F3ugQnVp9Obn2IzjGg3pXnJptJylSELJz5CXTc/s1600/P2-ECMWC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8J-x4YQrfVMqafxNrA5IPdZPQQ1i2UkGABU9X6mnYJ21C4aGcP152c9QWrRYeZaWQHyUmc8Geec7j_Cy2jMO7MKrVTlr0MBG2y4R-F3ugQnVp9Obn2IzjGg3pXnJptJylSELJz5CXTc/s400/P2-ECMWC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-I3N38M4KGgDeMZXz5Z5gm6l76EBT3_GCakdWvwgggmFUoQHhXpIoocFHmGBwScUvooLpXcBuj0kOe0AKpYNW8pNto0QZajkD7hyobANZEf5UYs3sgauIPGoqvuRuXXFasW8iFON4Z8/s1600/P2-ECM-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1206" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-I3N38M4KGgDeMZXz5Z5gm6l76EBT3_GCakdWvwgggmFUoQHhXpIoocFHmGBwScUvooLpXcBuj0kOe0AKpYNW8pNto0QZajkD7hyobANZEf5UYs3sgauIPGoqvuRuXXFasW8iFON4Z8/s400/P2-ECM-3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Step 3: Mapping Capabilities to IT Systems</b><br />
<br />
At this point, we need to map the capabilities, in this case for Manufacturing to the IT systems which provide enablement. Gaps are also identified. A simplified view of this mapping looks as follows:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17rB2ZBI38KPGuwKlBz5mDrA4K7eicDBclGZvOIDAKM9hngt3G91ToRU4epq7a7jqRkrjZolglDNr9YDWYEHvjXyVhnFLsiOvH1HdMVdXK-2FXEKlITIcIIf4X4CHX67c9bVOBA0N4S4/s1600/P2-Matrix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1466" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17rB2ZBI38KPGuwKlBz5mDrA4K7eicDBclGZvOIDAKM9hngt3G91ToRU4epq7a7jqRkrjZolglDNr9YDWYEHvjXyVhnFLsiOvH1HdMVdXK-2FXEKlITIcIIf4X4CHX67c9bVOBA0N4S4/s400/P2-Matrix.png" width="400" /></a></div>
At the conclusion of this step, you should have a list of the capabilities for each (key) business area and any associated gaps. This information will be critical as we move into the next steps of the process.<br />
Although it is important to prioritize at each phase, the most important prioritization occurs during the consolidation roll-out for the whole organization. Many factors may drive that process and will be discussed in the next entry.<br />
In the next entry, we will discuss the final steps in this process.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-68464962991819531172017-09-25T16:18:00.001-04:002017-09-25T16:39:45.467-04:00 Defining the IT Roadmap in Life Science - Part IThere are many things I associate with fall: cooler temperatures, vivid colors, and of course, falling leafs (and raking!) As an IT executive, there is something else I can count on: lots of e-mails focusing on CIO/IT Priorities for the new year. <br />
Many of these articles are insightful and can provoke some interesting and thoughtful discussions. Nevertheless, the one-size-fits-all approach can limit their usefulness. Companies, like snowflakes, are unique. In this case, that uniqueness is result of many factors including:<br />
<ul><ul><ul><li>Industry</li>
<li>Sub-Industry Focus</li>
<li>Development state (startup, growth, downsizing)</li>
<li>Operating status (pending sale, M&A, legal complications, etc.)</li>
<li>Access to capital</li>
<li>Talent base</li>
</ul></ul></ul>Each of these factors can shift priorities, and collectively their impacts can be substantial.<br />
Consequently, I view these yearly priority articles as generalized recommendations that may or may not be relevant in my circumstance. To be sure, the often contained points have great value, but as the old adage goes, your “mileage may vary.”<br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In recognition of these facts, I am going to take a different approach. Here, the focus will be on the Pharmaceuticals (Life Sciences) industry.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nHKOC4WKq4S9O-4zhixFWiYJXjGoneGGOWvCZgIwI4ZoyusIWNe3lEnztcdK-KHL4rQwqCT_zZU_19zwnb5RekkeDtSNFXlqZl32GL4JFLs0oHg9tLSwtS5oMN_81vh35PNbbuZ-to0/s1600/10+-+Factors+-+Part+1+-+Circle+-+Small.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="347" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nHKOC4WKq4S9O-4zhixFWiYJXjGoneGGOWvCZgIwI4ZoyusIWNe3lEnztcdK-KHL4rQwqCT_zZU_19zwnb5RekkeDtSNFXlqZl32GL4JFLs0oHg9tLSwtS5oMN_81vh35PNbbuZ-to0/s200/10+-+Factors+-+Part+1+-+Circle+-+Small.png" width="186" /></a>Within this broad area, there can still be hundreds of variations. Examples include “Big Pharma” versus “Specialty Pharma,” Brand-Name versus Generic, start-up versus established, vertically integrated versus virtual (partner) structured. You get the idea; there are lots of snowflakes.<br><br />
So how does one develop a list of priorities given the blizzard of snowflakes filling the environment? The answer is to focus on the basics and frame the discussion around the classic paradigm of People-Process-Technology-Strategy. The goal will be to illuminate some fundamental drivers that have high applicability for Life Science companies.<br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2Sc92njh-4opBP2nJfQm_MeB7-PklIWoNXzrmou_sCDUVJdiF7-oPypGHntNFGjr1CwkWhQ22nIKgZWNy2x50S_ro2PO2TgZbHO-w9xAKsFBlkDE5yKQAwsfzp9sdrrvDCe5aslKWg8/s1600/P1-SP.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="768" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2Sc92njh-4opBP2nJfQm_MeB7-PklIWoNXzrmou_sCDUVJdiF7-oPypGHntNFGjr1CwkWhQ22nIKgZWNy2x50S_ro2PO2TgZbHO-w9xAKsFBlkDE5yKQAwsfzp9sdrrvDCe5aslKWg8/s400/P1-SP.png" width="400" /></a></div><br><br />
Depending on your organization’s particular state, you might need to begin by identifying your organization’s key capabilities. Here capabilities are defined as the things an organization does particularly well driving meaningful business results. Examples can range from talent management, lean manufacturing, customer care, research, or product design. For pharmaceutical companies, some specific examples could be pipeline management, study design, regulatory management including submissions, responses, and related matters, and drug discovery.<br><br />
The ability to understand and enumerate an organization’s core capabilities is essential both in general and for IT. It provides a clear and aligned roadmap for the organization, helping it understand what are critical investments and where they have gaps.<br><br />
Ideally, the end result can be a roadmap which allows for well-timed and scoped investments throughout the organization. IT can leverage this map to support the business with agile IT solutions aligned to the business needs. Additional benefits include minimizing re-work and a clearer picture for future investment needs.<br><br />
A five-step approach is outlined here for advancing this process. The key steps are:<br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rOEuNDUKRZtxP6YeB5GH2TYRSzhgry31AmFhUs5oIbSfeHiTplXSTbCuc4FSci4egIwZhaFpKOtiWBF98pDb_9IyV8xw8_0XRIbeIY-Pa0pm9vlBpOSL4kvtp7_97YtTVEp9AZTaLWY/s1600/P2-FLOWRESULT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="479" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rOEuNDUKRZtxP6YeB5GH2TYRSzhgry31AmFhUs5oIbSfeHiTplXSTbCuc4FSci4egIwZhaFpKOtiWBF98pDb_9IyV8xw8_0XRIbeIY-Pa0pm9vlBpOSL4kvtp7_97YtTVEp9AZTaLWY/s400/P2-FLOWRESULT1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br><br />
The next blog entry will focus on the first three steps of this process.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"></div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-22062622365620490712017-09-18T23:52:00.001-04:002017-09-19T15:47:03.074-04:00Factors Overlooked When Changing Your Cloud<p>The topic of Cloud Computing currently ranks in the top-five of IT articles published for IT professionals. Daily we hear about the benefits of this new world, the range of exciting new services now available, and of course how to make the transition.</p><p>Even with the valuable insights provided by these articles, there is one critical aspect given too little attention or even overlooked entirely. Specifically, how to plan for a breakup.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKMbagtIgHw9i6ZwYAsBNKlGR_7kSteZmX9mRJR5sODu9GHWWSEmCXTKPj-HmWG58NnpD1udrRcejzXKolVrhmN28SWEUM15F6KX0jSR0WsydeDmiNfxbQd9sS6HE3kF3s2XBNcAwu-A/s1600/Blindfolded+and+heading+Towards+Hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKMbagtIgHw9i6ZwYAsBNKlGR_7kSteZmX9mRJR5sODu9GHWWSEmCXTKPj-HmWG58NnpD1udrRcejzXKolVrhmN28SWEUM15F6KX0jSR0WsydeDmiNfxbQd9sS6HE3kF3s2XBNcAwu-A/s320/Blindfolded+and+heading+Towards+Hole.jpg" width="320" height="224" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="350" /></a></div><p>If one accepts the old dictum that change is the only universal constant, then ask yourself why most people do not plan as carefully for unwinding a cloud / SaaS arrangement as we do in setting one up. The details of ending an arrangement can be tricky and not immediately self-evident.</p><p>These issues are beyond standard legal provisions for exit clauses, terms/conditions, and related matters. It deals with practicality and preparedness.</p><p>Take this as an example, imagine you use a SaaS system to implement secure e-mail for corresponding with people outside your organization. Even in the world of TLS, many still have a need for such services which provide mailbox-to-mailbox encryption for both e-mails and attachments.</p><p>Should you decide to terminate this service, you might be in for some unexpected challenges. If your service provider does not provide bulk decrypt and export tools, you could be in for a painful process.</p><p>In a previous role, I ran into this exact situation. We had to write custom scripts to go through each mailbox e-mail-by-email to unencrypt and export; it was slow and costly.</p><p>Even without terminating the service, data exporting tools can be useful as a course of normal business. Consider the situation when your organization is involved in litigation. As part of the legal Discovery process, you might have to produce e-mails for individuals covering specific subjects and dates. Should the list be significant or the filters complex, you can again run into unexpected workloads.</p><p>Another example is data offloading. Many services, AWS included, offer excellent tools for migration / uploading large volumes into their cloud services. In some cases, particularly with large datasets, such approaches are the only feasible or timely solution.</p><p>But what happens when you elect to move those datasets to another Cloud Provider? Don’t assume the comprehensive set of options you have for bringing data into your provider’s cloud is symmetric. You might just find a long slow process to make a change.</p><p>In both examples, specific industry or regulatory requirements such as security, data location, and privacy can compound the challenge.</p><p>IT professionals have a lot of experience with managing proprietary solutions and data. The key is leveraging that knowledge when considering Cloud-Based solutions. Personally, I have found two methods for reducing these risks.</p><p>The first is to run some tabletop simulations on what happens in various scenarios, to develop and expand your punch list over time. Scenarios to consider might include migration, legal requests, disaster recovery or other matters specific to your industry.</p><p>My second approach is to network: it is a knowledge and experience multiplier that’s second to none. Check with colleagues; get their advice and listen to their own experiences.</p><p>Of course, you don’t know what you don’t know, but thinking of the end, as well as the beginning, should put you in a better spot.</p><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"></div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-72807571757694900682012-12-13T15:53:00.000-05:002012-12-13T16:13:09.882-05:00Being hijacked via the Metro – An Unwanted Windows 8 Journey<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Recently, misfortune struck when a key system failed at a rather inopportune moment. Fortunately, a replacement was quickly obtained, and I thought it would be up and running quickly. My hope the matter would be resolved quickly faded when I turned on the machine. To my disappointment, Windows 8 was pre-installed, and that is when the fun began.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">My first reaction was one of minor annoyance, but I comforted myself thinking I would learn a few new things during the restoration process. I certainly learned a lot, far more than I wanted or expected. The key lesson for me: avoid Windows 8 unless you have a lot of time to invest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The degree of change, particularly with the new interface, Metro (now called "modern UI style") is substantial. Personally, I did not find the interface intuitive, and it seemed poorly structured. This caused me to spend a lot of time searching online for guidance to accomplish even the most basic tasks. Moreover, in an effort to unclutter the interface, Microsoft has removed features they deemed were infrequently used. I wish I could have reached through the internet and magically dope-slap the design team back in Redmond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The simple task of configuring both wired and wireless network connections turned into a royal pain. Generally this task takes me less than 10 minutes with Windows XP, Vista, or 7. Adding multiple locations is only a minor additional effort. Using Windows 8, it took at least 3 times longer, and I am still having some issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Even with the experience gained during restoration, basic processes seen much more complex and less straightforward than before. More than once during this experience I wondered how much harder it would be to “throw in the towel” and buy a Mac. I still might; time will tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">All this before I mention the new Start screen – the metro interface. Where or where did the Start menu go (you can get it back with add-ons)? The new Start screen seems is missing in action. One of objectives for Windows 8 is to provide a unified, touch enabled, interface across platforms. A noble goal to be sure, but I suspect it might end up being substandard on all devices. I am not ready to turn in my Apple iPad as of yet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">With experience, I became “functional” using Windows 8. However, I still find it stressful. There are some positive aspects of the interface, and I am sure more will follow. The system is young and with Microsoft’s substantial backing it will mature quickly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">For Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and other key IT Leaders, adopting Windows 8 will be a major undertaking. Beyond all the typical tasks associated with moving to another operating system (client or server), Windows 8 will present additional challenges for both users and IT staff alike. Much of the accumulated knowledge, directions, procedures, and training material are obsolete. Help desk personnel will require additional training and resources to support the system. The change is far more significant that the Windows XP -> Vista -> Windows 7 migration path or combination thereof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In today’s world of BYOD, Windows 8 is a reality organizations are being forced to deal with on an increasing basis. Irrespective of BYOD policies, organizations will need to support and accommodate Windows 8.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Windows 8 does have some intrinsic features IT organizations will appreciate. The concept of a “common” operating system across platforms has the potential to provide many benefits: simplified administration, better security reduced training, and more. Even noting these benefits, the cost of change will be significant. It is going to be a difficult business case for most IT organizations to make, especially in the near term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is a CIO to do? My recommendation is to take steps to ensure their organizations are building Windows 8 skills and start thinking about migration planning. The only given here is that change is inevitable. Take some aspirin and hold-on, it will be an exciting ride via the Metro! With planning, you should be able to direct the ride and arrive as planned.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-22293374316444308872012-04-11T12:50:00.001-04:002012-04-11T13:12:15.903-04:00More Thoughts on e-books<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The WSJ published an <a href="http://on.wsj.com/Hx1Fl8" target="_blank">article</a> today regarding a DOJ antitrust lawsuit over e-book pricing. The case alleges five of the largest publishers in the US conspired to limit competition for the pricing of e-books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple appears to be at the center of this mess with an agreement they made with publishers. Apparently this was done prior to the launch of the first iPad. Some key points of the lawsuit surround allegations the publishers sought to limit competition in the retail arena while concurrently driving up the price of e-books. A win-win for Apple and the publishers; not a good outcome for everyone else. So much for the Internet securing better deals for shoppers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This lawsuit is another example of why both individuals and organizations (e.g. their CIOs) need to follow and understand developments in this space. Beyond the basic economic considerations, the shifting sands around the terms and conditions associated with the sale of e-books may have important implications.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As noted in my previous blog <a href="http://bit.ly/HXWcIs" target="_blank">entry</a> on this subject, there is a big difference between physically taking possession of a published piece and using an e-book. Hold on tight, this is far from over; there is still a lot of change still to come in this evolving marketplace.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><br />Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-73358098639866113122012-04-10T23:09:00.002-04:002012-04-12T16:49:53.026-04:00Using IT to Accelerate the Benefits of Outsourcing & OffshoringI<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n an effort to improve overall efficiency, it is not uncommon for organizations to consider embracing some form of outsourcing. When properly conceived and executed, outsourcing models can provide significant value. Sadly, these efforts often fall short or take far longer than expected to deliver sought after benefits. Many drivers contribute to this shortfall, but I suspect the most consistent is the implementation strategy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An organization's outsourcing transformation typically evolves through a series of engagement models. The initial phase often looks like a simple subcontracting engagement with a transaction company to supplier relationship model. From this model, a more general outsourcing arrangement develops. More expansive outsourcing is next and often an offshoring component might be added. Also at this point, the relationship matures to the point that the service provider becomes a partner. In this role, the outsourcing partner can offer value based on their own expertise and resources. Eventually if they are persistent, true business process outsourcing is achieved. It is only in the final steps that significant efficiencies can be unlocked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The delay in recognizing benefits can be attributed to many factors, but a significant one deals with when the issues of duplicative human and capital resources are addressed. During these evolving phases of outsourcing, organizations tend to be conservative and focused on the next phase; larger issues are often not recognized.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When an outsourcing arrangement is initiated, there is a testing phases where the model and vendor are proven. More often than not, this phase continues far longer than necessary. At the time duplicative resources are eventually addressed, conservative approaches are the norm. From this inaction stems negative results due to perpetuated inefficiencies. Stranded capital costs continue to burden the ledger and potential value is not delivered.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More significantly, the remaining people strain to demonstrate their value and necessity to the organization. Inevitably, this effort reduces the outsourced partner's effectiveness. The larger an organization, particularly global entities, the more significant this factor becomes. Cumulatively, all these factors drive lower and slower value generation for both organizations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outsourcing is a complex undertaking, with many people, process, technology, and strategy issues requiring careful consideration. Fundamentally, it is an effort involving people and therefore organizational change. To bring these pieces together, a strong change management plan should be an essential component of the overall effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps the most important issue for the change program to address is the common perception that outsourcing equates to the loss of jobs. Although, I suspect there is a significant correlation, it is not the only outcome. Outsourcing programs are advised to establish a governing consensus with respect to impacted staff. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smartly executed outsourcing programs can leverage displaced personnel into other areas of the organization. Another approach is to make provisions for "re-badging" employees to the outsourced partners. Creative thinking can lead to a range of alternatives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To drive outsourcing initiatives, organizations need a variety of leaders with key functional, technical, and transformation skills. In searching for these leaders, a proven source of experienced professionals can often be found within IT organizations. Outsourcing has been a major driver in the IT field for close to 25 years. IT leaders are often proven veterans of multiple engagements. Leveraging their experience and organizations can improve the effectiveness and accelerate the value delivery of outsourcing efforts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>
</div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-18244528707525718882012-04-04T22:23:00.000-04:002012-04-11T12:55:55.760-04:00Thoughts on e-books & e-readersI have been spending a lot of time recently reading material in the
e-book format. I must admit, I am a
paper diehard in many ways. For books,
particularly technical books, I really prefer the printed hardbound
editions. Not only do I seem to “bond”
with the book, but I also highlight sections, write notes on pages and on some occasions
even flag a page. For long e-mails, I
tend to print them as well. I seem to
absorb the material I am dealing with more effectively that way.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final editing is another occasion when paper is also a preferred medium
for me. Errors that seemed invisible on
the printed screen just seem to jump out on a printed page. I better cover myself here and say I did not
print this posting before doing a final edit ;-)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
J.H. Newman once said, “Growth is the only Evidence of Life,” an
observation that I have found remarkable insightful on many levels over the
years. It is part of my motivation and
passion for continuing to be a lifelong learner across a broad array of
subjects. In this case, it has motivated
me to take another look at e-books and in turn, e-readers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A variety of drivers are fueling the rise of e-books including price, ease
of access, and low cost e-book reader and the “green factor. Sure paper is saved, storage space (which is
a critical issue in my home – between all of us, there are way TOO MANY books),
and possible energy savings. However, I
am always a bit suspicious that “green” numbers may not be correctly calculated
on a true net-net basis. Nevertheless,
there are significant motivators beyond environmental considerations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have also used enough e-readers to understand their advantages,
particularly with all the material we have to process through daily. These e-readers generally let you perform
text searches, place electronic bookmarks, and, in some cases, create your own notes. These features can be powerful tools, thought
it may take time to find what works well for your particular needs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a document basis, PDF is the most common form of electronic
publication I suspect most people encounter in their life (I am considering web
content in its own category). PDFs are
great for sharing documents and making large libraries of reference material
available in a simple and consistent manner.
A number of e-book libraries are PDF based for this reason. Depending on how the PDF was created, it may
share most, if not all, of the features of an e-book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Commercial e-readers and associated devices are designed to enable the
purchase, storage, and viewing of material from a specific source(s). These readers tend to use propriety formats
and licensing terms. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The market leader and strong innovator in this space is Amazon. Their Kindle devices and tablets are the most
significant force behind the proliferation of e-readers and the associated publishing
market. Amazon’s devices continue to
flood the market with a stream of innovative enhancements. On the backend, the library of material grows
daily.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amazon has also created a software-only version of the Kindle reader for
other devices. This software enables
cross platform capabilities for the Kindle and is a shrewd move on their part. In essence, Apple is making another reading platform
for Amazon. Amazon’s software enables
users to access their “Kindle” on their PC, iOS device, or Android device with a
good experience. These devices use the
cloud to sync so the experience and appear nearly seamless.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Sony’s reader are other popular examples. I recall reading an article last year that
listed 10 software e-readers of notable quality available for the iPhone
alone. There is a lot of activity in
this area.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lack of standards has created a nagging problem for end users. In many cases, these readers are sourcing
from propriety libraries which are not interchangeable. For example, as of today, books bought on
Amazon’s Kindle store cannot be read by Apple’s iBook reader and vice versa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It gets worse. While the Kindle
reader makes provisions for a user to read their purchased content on more than
one device, including saved “notes” and “bookmarks,” the iReader does not. In fact, you cannot even buy a book from
Apple except via that application. There
is not a provision, at this time, to read your books from a Mac or PC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Content “ownership” is also an area of great confusion. When I buy a book, I can take it home knowing
it is mine. Other than outright theft,
it cannot disappear due to the actions of a third party. I would like to understand, in simple terms,
what is happening legally when I “purchase” an e-book. Is it non-revocable? What happens if the provider were to go out
of business; does part of my library disappear overnight? What about bookmarks and notes? Are these protected and, if so, what are the
service levels? How will new editions of
the books be handled? The legal issues
surrounding e-books is constantly evolving and the terms of each transaction
seem unique to the provider involved; what applies to one case is unlikely to
apply to others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There have been cases, well covered in the news, where some publications
have been pulled back from Kindle users.
In other cases, “corrected” versions of books were pushed onto devices,
replacing existing versions. I find it
troubling these actions can occur without the user’s permission. Clearly, in these cases, it is a far cry from
having a book safely stored one's own shelves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the personal side, I confine my e-books purchases to a few sources. I am hoping market forces and a standards
push will enable interchangeability in the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CIOs and their IT organizations need to work with their stakeholders and
help their organizations map out clear strategies. Legal needs to be closely involved as there
could be important IP issues. As an
example, consider the possibility an employee’s electronic notes in a book
might contain proprietary information.
Other important considerations include the "lending" of books
between users and what happens when someone leaves the organization.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is going to be an exciting ride for everyone. I will post future updates based upon my
personal and professional experiences in this space. But in the meantime, it would be a good idea
for organization to make sure they have plans in place to manage this important
capability.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-18665160892144142842012-03-28T10:23:00.001-04:002017-09-19T12:38:46.754-04:00BYOD: CIOs Need to Fully Embrace Personal Devices<p>There has been a lot written about Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) along with both the challenges and opportunities they present for organizations. Throughout all these discussions, one element is consistent: organizations need comprehensive and pragmatic strategies for embracing and managing these devices.</p><p>Based on recent conversations with people from organizations spanning multiple industries, it is clear to me that tablets (slates), as wells as other personal devices, are already well embedded into the organizations. In some cases, this has been done in partnership with the IT organization. However, in most it has been done under the radar by one or more groups. These devices, personal or otherwise, may already provide critical capabilities to the organization.</p><p>A wise CIO, Rob Cohen, who I had the good fortune to work for, once told me “that in organizations, as in life, innovation generally occurs on the edges. Over the years, I have seen this observation validated time and time again, particularly in the case of the innovative application of new technology to a organization's challenges.</p><p>When the Apple Newton appeared in 1993, the pharmaceutical company I was working for became an earlier adopter. The Newton became an important element in an effort to improve the effectiveness of the field sales force. With the addition of custom applications, the Newton had the capability to capture signatures “electronically” in a manner consistent with the tight regulations governing the industry.</p><p>Physicians would sign for drug samples and the Newton would "capture" their signature. Unexpectedly, this act of signing via the Newton turned into a fantastic “access” tool. Physicians who previously had been too busy to speak with a representative would linger and talk about the Newton. This allowed for some spillover conversations regarding the pharmaceutical products. Needless to say, it turned out to be a great investment</p><p>The Newton became the first in a new generation of technologies which improved customer access based on an “enthrallment” factor. The Newton, in many cases, precipitated and enhanced the quality of customer interaction. With the rapid pace of technology development on the consumer side, factors tend to be short lived. Hence, ongoing investment is required to continue the flow of interesting and new offerings.</p><p>Over the years, I have seen this phenomena repeated many times, with different technology across multiple industries. Other Newton like device, laptops with touchscreens, sophisticated presentation software, wireless capabilities, Smartphones, Video Conferencing, to name only a few. In fact, it is happening right now with the iPad. For example, Medtronic was on the leading edge with their announcement, in late 2010, of plans to purchase 4,500 iPads. Initial plans focused their sales force using the iPads with <a href="http://bit.ly/dESRlE">product promotion</a>. Other uses included access to training material, corporate dashboards, and limited use laptop replacement for some users. Since then, other organizations have followed including Boston Scientific.</p><p>Within organizations, employees and partners are using personal devices to enhance their own, and in turn, the organization’s effectives. These tools include innovative applications to address a vast range of needs.</p><p>To my surprise, I still find CIOs holding off on incorporating tablets and related portable device into their portfolios. Others have rejected the concept of BYOD and only support devices provided by the organization. Reasons range form a desire for Apple and others to release “better” enterprise support tools to the question of security. With respect to enterprise tools,concerns tend to be focused around provisioning of applications, particularly to external partners. I find this all or nothing approach too inflexible in today’s world.</p><p>The security issues have been dealt with in many other places, so I will not expand further on that important point. I will just say there are numerous and effective strategies for dealing with BYOD.With respect to provisioning, I think that is manageable issue.</p><p>Apple does have some enterprise management tools and is striving to improve in this area. Apple recently added to its growing collection of <a href="http://bit.ly/GS5xko" target="_blank">tools</a> in this space. You can check out all their tools <a href="http://bit.ly/GS2XFZ" target="_blank">here</a>. More importantly, there are alternatives to the iPad such as Samsung’s Flash enabled tablets. Applications are plentiful via the Android Market (recently renamed “The Google Play Store”) which is growing rapidly. Granted the store has some challenges, but it works. For tablet users, take a look at the “Tableside Market HD” application. This app greatly increases the ease of shopping for tablet related applications.</p><p>Getting applications into the Google store is less complicated and restrictive than Apple’s store. This is a strong point in favor of working with external partners. And the support of Flash is something that should be carefully considered.</p><p>As for the distribution of applications in-house, there are tools to support IT departments. I recommend taking a close look at <a href="http://bit.ly/f2Tzqg" target="_blank">this</a> in addition to the Apple Tools noted above.</p><p>Tablets, as well other portable devices, are here to stay. In fact, a lot more of these devices are on the way. CIOs need to make sure their IT departments are ahead of the power curve with respect to tablets and other smart devices. Selection needs to be carefully considered as the market has clearly demonstrate how quickly some devices can fail and wipe-out an organization's investment.</p><p>Remember HP's TouchPad which was canceled last year (2011)? Joining HP with their own massive failure is RIM; their PlayBook tablet went down in flames.</p><p>Important issues including business continuity, disaster recovery, security, privacy, and regulatory compliance (e.g. SOX, FDA) may be at risk when ad-hoc devices are not fully considered. It is critically important that CIOs proactively reach out to partners, internally as well as externally, to align plans.</p><p>Time is running short and CIOs need to make sure they are ready to support the oncoming wave of new devices.</p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div><br />
<br />
Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-52428286465671912742011-09-23T15:26:00.000-04:002017-09-19T11:50:01.756-04:00Time Travel to the Past - Today's Airline CabinsDuring a recent flight, while I was suffering the indignities that befall travelers these days, I was struck again by how primitive the experience remains inside the cabin, particularly flying domestically on US carriers. This is not not the mindset of an Information Technology / CIO speaking, rather the thoughts of an experienced traveler.<br><br />
Quite literally, it is as if time has stood still in those airline cabins. Thinking back to some of my earlies tmemories on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Constellation">Lockheed Constellation</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-7">Douglas DC-7</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_707">Boeing 707</a> not much has changed, and what has, is for the worse<br />
Domestic airline cabins today are the equivalent of technical “<a href="http://www.nps.gov/deva/faqs.htm">Death Valley</a>” devoid of and hostile to technology life. It seems inconceivable that Wi-Fi broadband access is not available. Moreover, the lack of personal video screens for everyone strikes me as an opportunity lost for the carriers.<br><br />
To begin, the screen’s absence, certainly impacts customer satisfaction in my view. I think this is especially true when there are delays. More importantly, there are a number of lost revenue opportunities for the airlines (maybe they could reduce bag fees!). Pay-to-view movies or even for basic access is just two examples. The ability to order food from the galley, take advantage of special from the in-flight magazine, book another flight or other possibilities.<br><br />
The only airline flying in the US that seems to have figured this out, for the most part, is Virgin America. My few flights with them have been on new aircraft that were well equipped. I was impressed with how well they technology worked and its level of integration (cabin Wi-Fi, personal video screen, video-on-demand, food orders, and more).<br><br />
On one trip, a coast-to-coast flight, I worked for a number of hours maintaining a VPN connection with the network of my employer at the time. The only downside, was that midway through the flight, I got a call on the soft IP phone which I had forgotten to turn off.<br><br />
The situation is a bit better on international flights, even with US carries. I have flown a lot internationally over the years. I find the experience inconsistent and with significant room for improvement. Virgin Atlantic has been one of the leaders in providing the most consistently advanced technology environments to their passengers from my experience and the input I have received from colleagues.<br><br />
Although I do not wish to be in the position of being expected to “work” throughout a flight, it is nice to have the option. Regardless of what is driving your travel need, business or pleasure, traveling back in time to a place technology has missed is not my idea of a good time.<br><br />
I can only hope that Virgin America is inspiring other airlines to follow their example.<br><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-13444586750913761422011-03-09T12:18:00.000-05:002012-03-28T12:51:13.024-04:00Spring Thaw: Good Time for CIOs to Check Their Offsite Data Centers<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a long winter for many of us in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Many horror stories were common, spanning from the humorous to the downright tragic. I am not sure if homeowners or business were harder hit this year, I just know that everywhere I went it seemed that I saw damaged property, especially roofs and people with assorted winter related injuries --- many from too much snow removal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Focusing on the business side, my impression was that most commercial buildings suffered leaks at one point or another. Flat roofs tend to precipitate that outcome, particularly in a year with more than 2x the average snowfall as we have had here in the greater <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city> area. More troubling, as Murphy would have it, the leaks make their way into conduits and/or data centers in some cases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a recent conversation with an associate who thought they had made it through the winter unscathed until some of the ice recently started thawing. At that point, water started flowing into a wiring room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those with data centers off site in commercial facilities now would be an appropriate time for Chief Information Officers (CIO) and their leadership teams to conduct a site inspection. Hopefully such inspections are part of an ongoing process. Nevertheless, taking a tour at this point would provide a perspective about the status of the data center: is that tier 2 / 3 site is performing like a tier zero site? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SIDE NOTES: <a href="http://bit.ly/eH85NA">Tier levels</a> provides a link to a bit more on how data centers are classified. An excellent resource relating to data centers can be found at: <o:p></o:p><a href="http://bit.ly/e9cROx">Uptime Institute</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would be surprised if there were waterproof tarps in place, but I have seen that before. Look inside for stained roofing tiles, recently moved equipment, unused space (particularly around roofing tiles that look new) and so on. Bad signs are roofing crews or commercial dumpsters filled with roofing material. In most cases, provider relationships are transparent enough that such information would have been already communicated, but I am a firm believer in the “trust but verify” model. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now is the time to figure out what, if any, corrective actions are required. Hopefully, the work can be completed before next winter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div>
</div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899323082410879268.post-20776953600991745092010-11-19T17:13:00.000-05:002012-03-28T13:06:08.085-04:00Musings on Value Creation and Communication for the CIO & other IT Professionals<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently had the occasion to hear George Westerman speak on this issue and his book (see below) recently at a Boston SIM meeting. I must admit that the subject matter, something familiar to Chief Information Officers (CIOs) or other seasoned IT professionals, did not exactly get my pulse racing. <br /> <br />However, as I am always open to get a fresh perspective, I was rewarded with a warm and polished speaker who clearly related this information. George’s unique contribution in my view, both in his presentation and even more so in the book, is to focus on the communication aspect of value. <br /> <br />Specifically on identifying how IT is affecting the overall business; both in positive and negative ways. One of the key points is to lead such conversations away from technical talk and towards business objectives; thereby having something that is clearly related to the organization. The book is filled with practical examples to help drive this point home. From budget requests to project updates, this philosophy should permeate everything done by IT. Most importantly, as a continuous process, not just as points in time.<br /> <br />When George first discussed the communication of value, I concurred and felt I had already become a master of that art. As we moved deeper into the subject, George presented more examples of what does and does not work. From that, I developed a new appreciation of how to become more effective in this area.<br /> <br />After the presentation, I took a copy of his book home and read it that evening. At about 200 pages, it a quick read. I intend to keep the book as an excellent reference aid and a development tool for others.<br /> <br />A good read for all, if nothing else, a refresher for even the most experienced, offering fresh ideas on how to approach this critical issue.<br /> <br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value by<br />Richard Hunter & George Westerman<br />Harvard Business Press (October 20, 2009)<br />ISBN: 1422147614</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://wisetechguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogger - WiseTechGuy</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.clintongilliam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Executive Profile - ClintonGilliam.com</span></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/clintongilliam" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">LinkedIn: Clinton C. Gilliam</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.puffinadvisors.com/">Puffin Advisors - PuffinAdvisors.com </a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/WiseTechGuy" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Twitter - WiseTechGuy</span></a></div>Clinton C. Gilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128632106630126873noreply@blogger.com