12 Reasons Why IWMS Thrills Every CIO
Over the last decade, the life of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) has become increasingly complex. Web technology, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Mobility, and other issues have made it on almost every CIO’s agenda.
Back in the nineties the role of the CIO was totally different compared to what it is today. Information Technology (IT) is the driving force behind most of the businesses today, and its’ role is becoming more important every day.
CIO Challenges
CIO’s face a lot of challenges to keep up with business demands, which is tough. In addition to that, cost reductions and efficiency increase programs have put a lot of pressure on your IT department.
Implementing another system such as an Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) will only increase that pressure according to most CIO’s. This defensive attitude however, can be changed by demonstrating the countless benefits for the CIO.
To help you convince your CIO, I have put together a list with 12 Reasons that will absolutely thrill them.
1. Application reduction
Consolidation of applications into an IWMS is very compelling to a CIO. As the information technology landscape becomes increasingly complex, reduction of the number of applications will earn applause.
2. Platform Standardization
Another benefit of consolidation of applications is platform standardization. As the IWMS complies with most IT-standards of Fortune 500 companies, it will commandeer platform standardization.
3. Web-based Technology
Most Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) are web-based and accessible using an Internet browser. This three-tier approach of IWMS will reduce the number of client-server systems in the IT infrastructure.
4. Increased Efficiency
Consolidation of the number of applications also has a positive impact on the efficiency of the IT department. As IT-staff needs to support less applications and platforms, they can increase efficiency which will inevitably impact the bottom-line of the organization.
5. Data Reduction
In most organizations there is a lot of redundant data, which causes problems for the IT department. As all data needs to be maintained it requires resources. These valuable resources shouldn’t be used for trivial tasks such as maintaining redundant data.
6. Information security
One of the major challenges of your CIO is information security. To get the right information to the right people (and shield information for those not authorized), requires significant IT resources. In most cases, the IWMS can be fully integrated with the organization’s Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) or Active Directory (AD), tightening the information security of the organization.
7. Information distribution
Another challenge of your CIO is information distribution. The more applications, the more complex the distribution will be. As most Integrated Workplace Management Systems facilitate easy distribution of information to stakeholders, IWMS supports your CIO, and reduces information hurdles.
8. Integration Issues
Although some level of integration will be required in every implementation. E.g. integration with HR, Purchasing or ERP systems, the number of platform integrations can be reduced to a minimum. In addition to that, most vendors have implemented their systems quite often, and thus, have in most cases standardized integration methodologies reducing operational risk.
9. Upgrades
Upgrades cause problems for IT-departments. Particularly upgrade processes that consist of multiple applications. Consolidation of applications into the IWMS has a very positive impact on the complexity of the upgrade, the lead time of the upgrade, the compatibility issues, and on IT-resources.
10. Scalability
Scalability of any solution is always causing headaches. Mergers and acquisitions, and other organizational developments require scalable systems. Can you imagine the impact on the IT infrastructure if your CIO needs to integrate multiple networks? Most Integrated Workplace Management Systems are designed to be scalable which will reduce the number of IT-resources required to increase / decrease scale.
11. Specialized Resources
Consolidation of the number of applications enables IT-staff to specialize more in supporting the IWMS from a technical perspective. This will definitively increase system performance, reduce upgrade issues, and the quality of technical support.
12. Cost reduction
Although I could have started with cost reductions, I saved the best for last. All of the above reasons will reduce IT costs. IWMS has an enormous cost savings potential, and your CIO can start saving costs immediately. A lot of IT-consolidation projects are either driven by costs reduction or platform standardization, and is directed by senior management to weather the financial storm.
There you go, 12 reasons that will thrill your CIO. What other reasons can you come up with?
Happy New Year!
In deed, CIO’s are rapidly becoming champions of IWMS systems as successful implementations show quick ROI. We have seen implementation projects achieve ROI in less than one year on the basis of Application Reduction. Many companies have bought numerous point solutions over the years and maintain expensive integrations which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per system annually. CIO’s will stand behind proven results. Thanks for the great article.