IT departments are all too often being asked do more with less in order to clear the budget decks for what many CEOs view as a more important business investment.

But, says Clive Longbottom, it is important to realise that IT expenditure is an important aspect for business, for the simple reason it is a core expenditure.

 

Clive Longbottom, service director of IT analysis and research company Quocirca, who is a keynote speaker at 360°IT Infrastructure Event, says that any IT department that has allowed its expenditure to be classed as nice to have (rather than essential) should hang its head in shame.

 

The reason, he observes, is that it has effectively managed to divorce itself from the business and is therefore essentially viewed as an external provider.

 

"And, as we all know, when times are bad it's external providers that get squeezed," he said, adding that many IT departments are suffering as a result of this.

 

The problem, says Clive, is that messages about technology are less than compelling to the business - particularly if the main benefit is that life will be easier for the IT function because of better management systems, modelling or whatever.

 

"These areas can still have a positive impact on the wider business - but benefits need to be teased out and communicated in the best possible manner," he said in his 360°IT event blog.

 

Any change, he says, should only go ahead if it has an overall positive impact on the business - not just on a particular individual or group.

 

Against this backdrop, Clive says that businesses need to look at the Total Value Proposition (TVP), which centres on the fact that any change in an organisation will be aimed at lowering cost, lowering risk and/or increasing value to the business.

 

Cost and risk are the easy ones to understand, he says, but value is more ephemeral.

 

"If a proposed change in the business can be shown to move these value/risk/cost variables in the right direction, it becomes far easier to get the go-ahead for any investment," he said.

 

"Through the use of such an approach, IT can not only gain the ability to run more projects but can also be seen by the business as being central to core decision-making and business change," he added.

 

"All it needs is the capability to talk more of the business's language - and to present any change in the terms that the business understands."

 

Clive Longbottom, Service Director, Business Process Analysis, Quocirca Ltd is chairing a keynote on the topic of “Is IT a Strategic Weapon or Survival Tool?” at the 360°IT event.  360°IT - The IT Infrastructure Event, takes place on 22-23 September 2010 in Earls Court, London.  For more on 360°IT the event that demonstrates how IT infrastructure solutions can help to achieve key business objectives such as improving service, reducing cost, managing risk and gaining competitive advantage and growth visit http://www.360itevent.com

 

 

If you want to read more from Clive Longbottom or comment on his 360°IT blog post visit: http://www.360itevent.com/page.cfm/action=Archive/ArchiveID=1/EntryID=98

 

 

ENDS

About 360°IT - The IT Infrastructure Event

 

360°IT is the event dedicated to the IT community addressing the needs of IT professionals responsible for the management and development of a flexible, secure and dynamic IT infrastructure.

 

With high level strategic content, product demonstrations and technical workshops, 360°IT will provide an essential road map of current and emerging technologies to deliver end to end solutions.

 

360°IT will facilitate vendor and end user collaboration to create the IT infrastructure necessary to achieve key business objectives - improving service, reducing cost and managing risk whilst gaining competitive advantage and growth.