Delivering the value proposition of IT

Technology investments that are aimed at driving real business value into the organisation are rapidly becoming more of a reality these days. This is no longer the foreign concept that it was a few years ago, when companies purchased IT fairly indiscriminately, without too much thought about the technology purchased, or if it would indeed allow staff to perform better and achieve happier customers.

So says Appie Pema, managing director of Aptronics, a local customer-focused IT solutions and service provider to the public and private sectors.

"Now, when companies decide to update or change or make a significant addition to their technology or IT infrastructure, this is more often as a result of some serious strategic thought and planning," Pema maintains.

"These days, with so much more pressure on the bottom line, companies are being forced to take a long, hard look at their IT infrastructure; and to plan properly, bearing in mind that any IT spend will have to demonstrate a substantial improvement in the performance of the business, as proof of investment to stakeholders going forward," he explains.

According to Pema, gaining real value out of IT investments will typically assist companies to optimise their IT infrastructures, unlocking benefits such as:

* Flexibility
* Serviceability
* High availability
* Simplified management
* Lower total cost of ownership
* Better return on investment

However, Pema comments that, regrettably, the IT supply chain has historically been a one-sided and competitive environment - typically not one focused on providing customers with optimal value, enhanced customer experience or exceptional service delivery.

"These days, one cannot merely play the role of box-dropper and nothing more. That is why we believe it is crucial to move beyond the scope traditionally envisaged by a reseller," he says.

"However, the IT market is one of technological parity, and so naturally, everyone claims to `add value` - but very few have attained levels of service excellence which have become differentiators in themselves," he remarks.

"The real value proposition of IT is achieved through offering more to one`s customers, not only through the provision of hardware platforms and software applications; but everything the customer might need, from consulting and customer needs analysis, to full installations, ongoing support and maintenance, and even skills transfer."

"We believe that as an organisation, we can only provide customers with the `total customer experience` - and real value - if the company itself represents and promotes a culture of service delivery.

Our staff is therefore empowered to provide the optimal total customer experience. We also advocate providing our customers with the power of choice, as well as skills transfer into the customer`s organisation," Pema explains.

He does, however, caution that an IT landscape where value is a prominent feature is also not necessarily the cheapest scenario.

"Companies need to realise that the cheapest market offering is not usually the one with the most attendant value, in terms of skills, expertise and ongoing support. In other words, the value proposition of IT does come with a cost attached to it.

However, opting for the most economical option is often the most expensive route to take in the long run, with poorly planned and maintained IT environments costing the business far more in the future," Pema warns.

"In essence, IT solutions and service providers with a meaningful contribution to make to the industry assist companies to evolve their IT departments from the role of technology provider to a valued contributor, fully aligned with the business goals of the enterprise.

This can, however, only be successfully achieved through assisting customers to understand and unlock the full potential of their technology, within the context of their particular business requirements - this is the true value proposition of IT," Pema concludes.