You have an IT department, but you are not big enough to have a Chief Information Officer (CIO) or a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and the company owner isn’t a technology master. Can you outsource this position part time?
There are a lot of companies that bring in people to cook the books on a weekly or monthly basis, but few consider bringing in someone to make the IT decisions. In fact, all too often the important IT decisions are passed off to the IT department ( or IT person) hoping they will make the right decisions.
Leave IT Governance To An Expert
In business today this is a horrible decision. Consider finding an IT professional, who can manage your IT department, not on a day to day basis, but to make the decision on where your company should be going. Someone that can work with you to outline your business goals and budget, and then tell you the technologies that are best suited for your company.
Often people hire a consultant to come in one time to do an audit, and then that person vanishes forever. Or until the company suddenly finds themselves about 5 years out of date. What you are looking for someone with knowledge of your business, a wide understanding of technology, an understanding where both your business and the technologies that are best suited for your business, and someone who knows where IT is going.
If you have such a company and are in France, you can hire me. If you are willing to work with someone remotely, I may still be your man. But, this post is not about getting me a job.
The person you need must have a willingness to collaborate with your business units, and be able to explain in terms that you will understand where the technology is going and how both the technology and your business can grow together.
IT Governance is a complex field and should not be taken lightly.
Technology touches all parts of a company, so it is important that the different business unit leaders are involved in this process, and they have to understand that the person, even though part time, has the decision making responsibility. Too many people think they know enough about technology to make decisions themselves, but a sales person is usually not the best person to make these type decisions. Bringing in a part time person is to improve their performance, to another person to do battle with over fiefdoms of a company.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
First off i would like to thank you for commenting at my blog:
http://tendou86.blogspot.com
Secondly, would you interested to exchange site link with me?
If you interested, add me up with this link
http://tendou86.blogspot.com and with site name: Anything Goes Blog
Sorry for asking like this but i had no other choice, so if you had add me, drop your comment to my blog: http://tendou86.blogspot.com
and i’ll add you to my Blogroll
Anyway nice site, keep it up
Takumi86s last blog post..Heroes [Season Three]
Hi Richard,
You continue to write on timely subjects. Would be interested in reading future posts on the subject of IT Governance and outsourcing CIO/CTO functions.
Alec
Hi Richard,
Im back to Kiev (www.kievnotes.blogspot.com)
How can i help you?
Best Wishes
MG
Mikegolfs last blog post..Im back to Kiev.
There are a lot of IT professionals you can find online but you really need to be choosy. Best if your already know how that person or that company does his/their jobs.
Ryan@Pennyfieds´s last blog ..Luxury North GA Cabin Rental
I agree you should find the best IT online and stick with them.
Jan@SEO´s last blog ..Choosing a Keyword Research Tool
At the end of the day – the CTO is simply the head of the IT dept, so I’d say that really we shouldn’t be treating ‘The IT manager’ as this bumbling bofoon who couldn’t make a decision if his life depended on it. We should focus on empowering your most senior IT staff member and effectively creating a mini CIO out of him.
Si@Leadership´s last blog ..Leadership Development
Outsourcing is the trend today I believe. For small company I guess its ok, specially to companies not completely dependent on IT, I mean that they can wait for 1 or 2 days before their system/computer get fixed (is there something like that?).
But for bigger company with dependency on computer system I think its a must to have somebody looking/in-charge of it.
thanks for sharing your thoughts.
The IT company should only outsource it’s business only if a company sees true business benefits accruing from it.
automatic fire suppression systems´s last blog ..Aerosol Offers Effective Fire Suppression for Your Server Room
Its interesting…outsourcing always seems to be the route companies looking to cut back take. However, its really the one area of the company that should stay in house. Data security, reliability, on top of streamlined communications, are absolutely critical for any business, imo.
This is indeed perfect in this time of crisis. Another reason for me of outsourcing IT services is to cut corners of my costs and your article is very helpful on this matter.Kudos!
leah@ms small businesses´s last blog ..Sep 12, Small Business Registration New Jersey
Outsourcing is GREAT as long as you have decent management skills…of course, you could always outsource the management as well…
Actually you can outsource everything so that you can focus on the most important part of the business. Goodluck!
Jan, that is about what I said.:-)
I outsourced IT but of course to the trusted company. Always see to it to check the portfolio and samples of work. Goodluck!
you need to be careful fully, professionally while u dont know about the performance …………….
You know, this is actually a good perspective on things. The only caveat is that it requires a lot of maturity on the client’s side, and apart from the UK, France and maybe Germany, I just don’t see enough of it in Europe.
Gianni´s last blog ..working together v. working with each other
If anyone is interested in hiring Richard…. I worked for him years ago and he was the one of the best, most competent bosses I ever had. Afterwards, I went on to join the IT consultant world with one of the major firms. He would definitely be an asset to any IT project.
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the internet. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!