How to Make a CIO's Life Easier?

By Biswajit Jha-VP & MD - ASEAN Region-Diebold

Biswajit Jha-VP & MD - ASEAN Region-Diebold

In last 25 years the operational model of the CIOs has evolved from a fully in-house one to an outsourced model and today, a mix of both. All three models have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages.

Fully In-house: This has been the traditional approach CIOs have relied on, with its focus beingcontinuous improvement. However as modern businesses look to diversify their operations, the role increases in complexity and itis no longer cost effective.

Fully Outsourced: This model entails outsourcing operations to a third party. Here, the role of the CIO focuses more on vendor management and cost efficiency. This works well for small operations, but falls short on delivering continuous improvement or innovation.

Mix of in-house capability and outsourcing/ partnership: Here we find a sweet spot for CIOs as this model allows the flexibility for continuous improvement, innovation, cost efficiency as well as minimizing operational and technical disruption.

However, a critical factor determining the success of this model is choosing the right vendor.

So what does your partner (vendor) need to deliver on the CIO agenda?

The CIO’s goal is to solve business problems, not to purchase technology. IT spending is considered an operational overhead unless it can be justified with business returns. The CIO is looking for knowledge which comes from the larger intellectual pool to generate new ideas for business growth and efficiency.

This partnership can be built only when a vendor understands the following:

The business strategy (Long term)
The pain point for the business today (Short term)
The investment budget (value and opex vs capex) and what is the right solution that fits the budget

To build an effective partnership, a vendor needs to deliver the following:

Build credibility andtrust, with an understanding of shared risk and reward

Demonstrate the real return on investment

Provide expertise by looking from a broader perspective, analyzing what is happening across the globe and the cross functional industry

Prioritize, to minimize wastage of cost, time and effort

Support the CIO agenda rather than their internal business priority

Find the right balance between standardized process/technology (cost efficiency) and building customized solutions (innovation) to aid growth

Create a governance model to ensure risk are managed and there is a proper escalation and communication channel

Collaborate to provide an appropriate platform for the CIO to network and provide thought leadership

At Diebold we collaborate to drive innovation and efficiencies to make life simpler. We play the role of an effective vendor, providing single-partner solutions so you can reduce complexity, breathe a little easier and focus on your core business objectives.