Avoid IT delivery challenges by enforcing due diligence upfront

David Martin, General Manager, Consulting Services, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

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Successful information communication technology (ICT) partnerships are underpinned by three key concepts: trust, value creation and a win-win mindset. Both parties need to establish a level of comfort in the other's commitment to the partnership. Visibility and transparency are fundamental to laying a foundation of trust, and can be realised through a series of fact-finding consulting engagements at the start of the relationship. These will establish the 'as-is' situation, and help to avoid disagreements cropping up during the life cycle of the contract.

When it comes to due diligence - or lack thereof - companies need to work with their service providers upfront to identify which areas of their IT estate are business-critical. Only once they have undertaken the correct level of analysis can they assign price and value. When it comes to value creation, service providers need to be mindful that every client is different and has its own specific needs. These may range from basic maintenance services (that is, the provision of spares and the capability to fix a problem when it occurs), to support services (which includes access to technology expertise and operational capabilities) or fully managed services and IT outsourcing, where the client hands over the end-to-end management and operation of parts, or even the whole of its IT estate, to the provider.

Many businesses are not getting the level of utility and functionality they want from their IT environments. This is usually because they are still utilising the old procurement model of buying their architecture in individual pieces, and the sum of these purchases is failing to help them achieve their overall business goals, says David Martin, General Manager, Consulting Services, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

The first focus should be on understanding what the business imperatives will be for the next 36 months. After this, an investigation into the co-dependent technologies and processes within the business should be undertaken.

Once these are fully understood, companies can then proceed accordingly based on the technologies that can best be used. Based on the client's existing architecture and technology preferences, it is then possible to design target architectures and help them develop a roadmap that enables them to get to where they want to be.

Many companies still source and manage IT services poorly, basing decisions on unfounded assumptions that pay no heed to changes in the market. Smart executives need to use IT services, and the providers thereof, not merely to manage technology 'plumbing', but also to profoundly affect business performance.

The good news is that some companies are starting to thoroughly scrutinise certain areas ahead of contract signing, including IT service management (ITSM) benchmarks and technology life cycle management (TLM) of the installed base. For example, some typical questions asked include: How many devices are nearing end-of-life or end-of-support? What is the current volume of calls to the service desk? What are the existing and predicted change management requirements?

Technology consulting services such as TLM assessments, security assessments and ITSM optimisation services are excellent places to start when implementing any major change or new investment. They can uncover a wealth of information about hidden risks and vulnerabilities and equip companies to make informed decisions with all the relevant information at their fingertips.

Technology-driven efficiency improvements are vital to achieve true business success; IT service delivery is a core organisational capability.

The changing nature of IT, combined with the challenges and pressures experienced by companies, are forcing an integrated solution approach. IT leaders recognise they can no longer afford to address drivers and point-solutions in an isolated fashion. Success requires that one considers the challenges and opportunities from every angle.

Today, IT drives business and is the key element that makes or breaks an organisation's success and ability to differentiate itself in the marketplace. ICT consulting enables companies to develop an actionable and extendable technology roadmap that comprehensively addresses the business requirements.

Making an investment in the right technology is only one of the critical components of a successful project. It has also become essential to consider the bigger picture when implementing new technology and capabilities. Companies are starting to appreciate upfront due diligence. Often, the level of due diligence undertaken at the start of the relationship is insufficient - this can have major implications months and years down the road.

The correct upfront planning of this technology and operational journey will save a lot of heartache for organisations in the long run. It is a journey that will affect all the various technologies. Companies should perform the essential due diligence upfront, so that they can budget accurately from the start, avoid costly oversights, and effectively enable their fundamental business requirements.