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The elephant that stood trapped with a silk cord

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Pratima Harigunani
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Pratima H

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NEW DELHI, INDIA: If you have heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, you must have been either a victim or a sadistic observer. If you haven't, it will strike you somewhere, some time soon. Whenever you hear (or shall we say at times, forced to swallow) a new word or trend coined that was hitherto unfamiliar; the phenomenon ensures that the word confronts you again and again for the next few days with surprising frequency.

Being in the IT industry, puts many of us in that bowling alley where unprecedented words like ‘business transformation' or ‘CIO reinvention' slide smoothly, knocking heads off everywhere.

Yet, some discreet minds and sharp brains ensure that wheat is separated from intoxicating barley barrels. Distilling a similar prognosis and hip-deep insight, and interpreting two very interesting reports from Forrester's desk, is Manish Bahl, Vice President and Country Manager, Forrester Research India.

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A recent Forrester report pointed that Indian CIOs have started looking beyond IT when engaging systems integrators (SIs) with the objective of driving business results through innovative business solutions. Forrester's survey of CIOs in India identified a large gap between what these execs expect from their SI partners and their actual experiences; it also found a pervasive CIO perception that SIs in India focus too much on technology.

The report also presented Forrester's iterative framework for SIs to refine their sales, delivery, and client service strategies, become more business results-driven, and better engage CIOs in India. He helps give a hands-on spin to how Sis and CIOs are revisiting their equations, or how forces like Cloud or DIY are playing Dominoes. But the most attention-grabbing deer-in-the-headlights-moment he flashes out is how it's about time that CIOs abandon Budget as a mindset. We will just see why:

If you were to pick a few highlights from the reports, what would you spot first?

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The role of a CIO is becoming less technical with every day and it is turning more and more about business. CEO expectations from CIOs are changing as we can see already. This translates into tremendous pressure on CIOs so there are different expectations from System Integrators (SIs) and partners, in turn. Sis, hence, are changing their roles too. We spoke to many CIOs and they agreed to the change. SIs have to be experts and more and more proactive today. Vendors need to become more effective in the eyes of CIOs, as you can gather from what one of our frameworks suggests.

Does this change of role also entail some hidden opportunities for SIs, with so much being heard about third-party maintenance etc? Or how would Cloud phenomenon impact their territories if for instance, Cloud Brokerages are to be reckoned with?

Why not? It could be one of the many things that SIs would be doing next though. The next five years would bear a lot of changes. It would be not just about running infrastructures. CIOs would be more focused on co-creating solutions. If Cloud is the way to make an organization more competitive then why not?

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But yes, the role of SIs would continue to be prominent. Some SIs understand that they need to change themselves with all the changes waves touching their shores fast. Vendors who can support this transformation from a business outcome perspective will succeed. CIOs have stated clear differences between strategic partners and non-strategic ones.

Are CIOs also juggling with consequential issues related to new and old skill sets with technology trends?

CIOs can not build this transformation all by themselves. So unless proactive skills within their own teams are stressed on, it is a different scenario again. Some 40 per cent respondents as per a survey told us how they are inclined to build new tech-skillsets around Cloud etc. But apart from that, what is really desired is an upgrade in business communication skills. This gap is widening, specially with so much emphasis on business outcomes.

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Does it also hint that the DIY IT days have to be written off?

Based on the discussions I have been having, there are a few apprehensions around as well, due to impacts of Cloud, Mobility, increasing CMO influence and strengths etc. They know that the marketing chief is getting more influential and as users become savvier, CIOs are looking for more proactive hand-holding now. SIs can come up with disruptive solutions for exploring new revenue streams. But that's not happening, now at least.

CMOs can wean away a lot of IT budget right?

That's the very problem. CIOs have to come out and break free from this very mindset of ‘Budget'. Funding a good technology initiative is always possible as long there is a well defined business outcome. All they need to focus on is a good business case. Funds will come without any struggle. No matter what, CIOs need to have a proper strategy, instead of ad-hoc requirements. It is true for anything, for example - mobility. Develop a good strategy around it. Titles like ‘Chief Mobility Officer, are missing at the moment.

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