Why are enterprises preparing themselves for more investments in social, mobile, analytic, and cloud (SMAC) this year? SMAC gives the opportunity to further cultivate customer relationships and to capture more market shares. Excellent news for all, right? Yes, but with a catch.
Is your current SMAC budget meeting all your needs or is it falling short? Are your current results having an adverse effect on future SMAC investments. If so, do not feel alone. The power is in your hand to make the improvements necessary to get the most out of your SMAC initiative.
Here are 3 guidelines to help you get back and stay on track:
Analyze your current IT system and the costs it accrues to maintain it. You may be overspending. CEO of NPI, Jon Winsett wrote in April "NPI estimates there will be $760 billion in unnecessary overspending in non-value creation areas such as maintenance and support, over-subscription, license program misalignment, and sub-optimal contract negotiation and management."
Advances made through this market of stronger business/consumer relationships, has created vendors that pursue business opportunities with more vigor. If you do not have sourcing processes and procedures in place and that are strictly followed, your CMO may fall victim, and start the processes and not get IT and procurement involved till the end. Knowing this bit of information, strict policies need to be in place to make sure that all necessary personnel is in from start to finish.
Adjust your expectation of the impact that mobile devises will have on software licensing. Software vendors are working on ways to best profit from the IT enterprise shift of a more mobile market. Those tablets and smart phones are starting to need licenses to access certain software applications. A "power user" license may cost significantly more than a "light user."
Is your current SMAC budget meeting all your needs or is it falling short? Are your current results having an adverse effect on future SMAC investments. If so, do not feel alone. The power is in your hand to make the improvements necessary to get the most out of your SMAC initiative.
Here are 3 guidelines to help you get back and stay on track:
Analyze your current IT system and the costs it accrues to maintain it. You may be overspending. CEO of NPI, Jon Winsett wrote in April "NPI estimates there will be $760 billion in unnecessary overspending in non-value creation areas such as maintenance and support, over-subscription, license program misalignment, and sub-optimal contract negotiation and management."
Advances made through this market of stronger business/consumer relationships, has created vendors that pursue business opportunities with more vigor. If you do not have sourcing processes and procedures in place and that are strictly followed, your CMO may fall victim, and start the processes and not get IT and procurement involved till the end. Knowing this bit of information, strict policies need to be in place to make sure that all necessary personnel is in from start to finish.
Adjust your expectation of the impact that mobile devises will have on software licensing. Software vendors are working on ways to best profit from the IT enterprise shift of a more mobile market. Those tablets and smart phones are starting to need licenses to access certain software applications. A "power user" license may cost significantly more than a "light user."
About the Author:
Joseph B. Kappernick specializes in helping Fortune 500 companies save money. He recommends that you visit NPI to learn more about IT expense management service consulting