IT departments are being urged to implement a series of changes in the way they work to add value to the business.
Gartner research VP Mark Raskino told delegates attending the Gartner conference in Cape Town this week that IT departments needed to shift the focus away from themselves and onto the business`s bottom line.
He called for companies to develop a business communications strategy by 2007 as a way of dealing with the plethora of communication methods available. Raskino said firms need to look at integrating these communication methods - such as voice, e-mail and conferencing - in such a way that they add value to the business and are manageable.
By 2008, companies should have a business intelligence competency in place, he said. This requires IT departments to take responsibility to store data in such a way that it can be accessed, and used, to add value to the company.
He said companies need to reach what Gartner terms "corrective phase" security status by 2008. This includes aspects such as design architecture, instituting processes and concluding "catch-up projects".
During this phase, security and risk-governance processes and structures are revamped, and other organisational actions are implemented. However, this stage requires the organisation to have already developed a consistent vision and strategy.
A multisourcing approach should be in place by 2009, he said. While this does not mean outsourcing everything, it does require deciding which aspects should be procured from which companies, in which locations.
By 2008, companies should be operating all revenue-generating channels in a Web 2.0 architecture, and should already be looking at moving beyond this - to the "Real World Web". By the same year, companies should have retired 10% of their applications, and be setting datelines for how long new applications will be kept on board.
Also with a 2008 deadline is the imperative to reinsert people into customer-facing business processes. Raskino said without such a move, customers will be unreachable as a sales market, as they will be hidden behind an e-wall.
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