GartnerGroup Africa`s IT convention and Expo 2000, held at Sun City last week, examined the future of IT and the implementation of e-business.
It was the first time the group held the event in Southern Africa. Similar conferences are also run on the East and West Coasts of the US, Europe and Asia.
The overall theme was "The Future of IT: Implementing e-business and preparing for the Next Wave".
One of the highlights of the conference was when Al Lill, VP and research director of GartnerGroup US, condemned Telkom`s strategy as a disaster and the main inhibitor to development and growth in this country.
In his keynote address, E-business Opportunities and Threats Assessment and Delivery, he noted that the situation wouldn`t necessarily improve with the introduction of a second (regulated) fixed-line operator.
Unless telecoms deregulation is addressed with urgency, he warned, the current regulatory situation would make SA fall significantly behind developments in the "western" world - a very difficult situation from which to recover.
Some of the key messages that emerged from the proceedings were:
E-business is not an IT issue; it is an issue for the total enterprise and needs the involvement and support from the very top executives of the organisation, including the CEO. Consultants should not be employed to define an organisation`s e-business strategy. IT is the business.
There are several alternative approaches to e-business architectural issues, and the organisational goals must be clearly defined upfront before any plans are created or products evaluated.
There is no one single integrated product available to undertake this task. A balance is needed by utilising several best of breed products to support the enterprise`s predefined objectives.
There are too many vendors in some of the markets, eg the customer relationship management space. The current 500+ players are likely to reduce to less than 50.
The Internet is only the e-enabler, and all application development must match the company`s business needs.
Security is a key issue and needs to be treated as such.
The conference was attended by over 1 100 delegates, with some 25 senior GartnerGroup executives involved. According to GartnerGroup Africa, next year`s convention is likely to be even more powerful and will either be back at Sun City or at the new Sandton Convention Centre.
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