Integration not innovation is the challenge

Integration, not innovation is the challenge

Smoothly integrating IT with business processes remains a perennial test for a CIO, says Toyota CIO

Idhries Ahmad

Friday, February 15, 2008

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MUMBAI, INDIA: While vendors continually advocate innovations as a panacea to cure all the IT business alignment issues, Shaun J Coyne, vice president and CIO, Toyota Financial Services, feels integration and monetization of existing IT innovations with business processes remained the priority challenge for the CIOs.

"There are already enough innovative technologies in the market. CIO's challenge remains how to integrate the already-implemented innovations with the existing business processes of the enterprise," says Coyne.

Majority of CIO's schedule is spent on fixing integration problems rather than designing new frameworks, he adds.

"This is because solving inconsistencies in integration of diverse platforms and technologies in the network is tough and needs continuous monitoring."

At the end of the day, says Coyne, CIOs have to provide customers quality service at low cost, and seamless integration of key business processes takes precedence over investing in new innovations.

"My customer is least bothered as to whether I am using the SOA or other latest technologies, my customer wants quality service to be offered to them."

Drawing an outline for CIOs to put in place a design for an agile enterprise, Coyne calls for an articulate approach from CIOs to design a network that can manage change effortlessly.

"Managing changes remain a complex challenge. The companies are growing fast and it becomes very difficult to keep pace."

"CIOs need to have a broader vision and plan for future. Don't get too involved in technologies and don't lose end focus on consumers," says Coyne.

"The expectations from CIOs have increased and are expected to deliver high value, with limited budgets. The CIOs should focus on innovative delivery, improve business processes, cut costs, utilize IT investments to maximum, consolidate vendors and cut down on suppliers."

On the perennial tension between the CIOs and the business heads, Coyne doesn't agree that there exist a tension between the two.

"If business head understands the value of IT and CIOs continually justify investments, there is no cause for tension," says Coyne. This can be achieved by building trust between the parties.

"Involve the business heads, create sense of ownership, understand measurement of results and relevance of these IT investments," he says.

Toyota Financial Services has 3,000 associates nationwide and manages assets worth $50 billion across different countries. It provides finance and insurance products and services to Toyota, Lexus, Scion, and Toyota Material Handling dealers and their customers through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and Toyota Motor Insurance Services.

(idhriesa@cybermedia.co.in)

©CIOL Bureau

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