Shifting Perspectives: From Packaged IT Products to Customer-centric Solutions The biggest IT challenge for companies today is to find partners that can help clean up the legacy mess
By Sapan Choksi
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What started off as a basic application or a system with simple IT architecture over the years got enhanced and restructured, in order to make it more and more customized and synergistic with operational processes.
Having done this for decades, many organizations are now caught in the midst of what is being commonly referred to as the "legacy mess".
With layers of customization and software overlaid on the core system and the pressure to integrate slow-moving, inflexible systems in the agile digital world of cloud computing, mobile commerce, rapid development etc, CIOs are struggling to streamline and modernize the existing infrastructure without a complete overhaul.
Biggest IT Challenge
The biggest IT challenge for companies today is to find partners that can help clean up the legacy mess, document legacy systems for better understanding, recommend and implement solutions that are the best fit and finally integrate them to streamline, automate, extract and manage valuable customer data.
Packaged IT products, which have been the trend, come with their limitations when it comes to customization. Post implementation support and training is also a steep drain on resources and traditionally, managing costs on that front meant off-shoring or resorting to satellite teams either as a self-owned captive unit or a managed services set-up, which continues even today.
If the arrangement is low on Capex, it lacks transparency whether its cost or manpower and the lack of quick adaptability to change. If there is transparency, control, agility and an effective talent pool then there are legal considerations and the capital investment is high.
Single-window CIO support partnering is what most organizations need right now. Imagine, if there was a partner one could reach out to for integration, automation, customization at the multiple operating layers of the entire IT ecosystem? And, what would that really address?
Customized Development
Offering advisory across enterprise applications, portal, and data in addition to providing the regular support and maintenance.
IT Consulting
Helping with sourcing, IT business management, CIO support, advisory and process optimization.
Legacy Solutions
Deciphering, documenting, automating and integrating of Legacy apps and systems.
Managed Captive
An off-shore team operated by the client but managed by a partner that oversees the entire program management, governance & regulations, team sourcing, HR and the entire facility infrastructure set up.
Mobility & Open Source
Building the strategy, designing, developing, optimizing and tracking of mobile solutions, as mobility becomes an increasingly important part of any business.
Extract, Transform, Load (ETL)
Provide data integration and migration services to enable better readability, and therefore, increase the customer experience.
IT Infrastructure Support
Understanding the IT infrastructure needs of clients, assessment of current infrastructural systems, security scan, and remediation, service and database management.
Every business today is looking at building a customized consumer experience, then it only makes logical sense to build a customized IT environment to power this aspired customer experience. Innovation, in this context, therefore, isn't about just implementing the newest technology, it's more about gauging what fits best and implementing the most feasible solution. i.e., having a solutions-based approach.
We all need to play a large role in delivering a customized end-user experience hence, a shift in perspective is required on both sides of the B2B service delivery experience, else one has to be ready to get left behind.
