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Stop doing what the vendors tell you, CIOs told

I find it troubling that an entity can come in for a short period of time and think they know what is better for a company than those that are there day to day.

I am getting tired of hearing reports of Gartner admonishing CIOs for similar behavior and then turning around and giving legitimate reasons why the behavior they are reporting is justifiable. This piece from Mr. Heath is a classic example.

The dynamics here are clear: unless and until "the business" embraces the added value IT can bring to their enterprises and that realizing that value requires money, time and risk (just like any other investment) the same pattern will repeat. Chances are better than even that business with "vanilla" IT initiatives who complain they aren't seeing innovation are cutting IT budgets and keeping IT under the thumb of the CFO. Innovation is not likely to emanate from this traditionally risk-averse arrangement.

Take their example of ignoring a project that improves efficiencies and cuts costs in favour of increasing their presence/capabilities in social media, because they've decided that they can improve business by being more 'warm and cuddly' with the customer.

Poppycock! While this might be reasonable in a 'think-tank' scenario, quite a few of us have learned this lesson the hard way. 'Customer Relationships' come secondary to financial concerns. Sales tried this tack years ago, and I could see it's failure right away. "Sure our prices are higher than our competitor, but look at how friendly we are!" Sorry. Perform for me, and you'll get my business. Just because you add a coating of icing doesn't necessarily make it better.

Just remember that the vendor's mission is to sell you as much stuff as possible. Don't believe what they say without independently verifying if their solution is in fact the right one. And don't adapt the latest technology or IT trend just because other companies are doing it. Make sure its what makes sense for your unique situation.

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