Recently, OSSCube – A Division of Happiest Minds, attended the CIOSynergy conference in Atlanta, Georgia as a Gold sponsor. CIOSynergy is an event that takes place all over the US and brings together CIOs and CTOs in a forum where they can listen, learn and discuss issues that they are facing today.
In Atlanta, one of the most popular topics involved the social era and how it has led to the growth of mobile, and an inability for many companies to keep up with the pace of business. Built on the fast-changing platform of open source, OSSCube has become a seasoned vet at “keeping up” with new trends, and we want to address some of the biggest concerns voiced at the conference. So let’s talk about this new world of mobile business.
For businesses, being on top of constantly evolving user behaviors is a critical success factor. As James Perry, CIO of The University of Tennessee reminded us: “There’s a whole science about how buying behavior has changed in the last 3-4 years because of social.” The question is no longer about whether or not to go mobile/social, but how to do it, and how fast can it get done. In fact, according to a 2012 survey conducted by Symantec, 71% of enterprises are building mobile apps. In 2014 it’s undoubtedly higher.
The million dollar question is “How to you go mobile?” Speed, and social integration are the most important pieces of the mobile puzzle. App design and user interface can bring in consumers or turn them away. Users want to connect to their social media accounts and they want everything to be easy to use. Now your team just needs to design something current, and buildable…in a very short amount of time.
Frequently overloaded IT departments are the reason it’s not always practical or rational to use an in-house IT staff, and time sensitivity is a deterrent to hiring new staff members. Simply stated, departments are too busy and the hiring process is too long. So how can a business stay relevant, build quickly and still be in control of the process?
Sheryl Fikse Bunton, CIO of AGCO corp. put her feelings on mobile strategy simply: “I have no interest in building a huge mobile department…I want my guys to be coming up with ideas and doing the support afterwards.”
This is where vendors and service providers are integral to growth; they are experienced with all types of technology and have large-scale operations dedicated to customizing apps, websites, and other business tools to your specific needs. In-house operations can be purely managerial, and your focus can remain on business operations.
It could be argued that with vended solutions are integral to the success of an IT department in a rapidly changing market. At CIOAtlanta especially, almost every panelist had experience working with vendor partners, and cite them as a reason for the success of their department.
So, what do you think? Are vendors necessary to move at the pace of business, or can an in-house IT department keep up with the social and mobile atmosphere. Is it practical to use an outside partner, or is it easier to manage physical bodies?
Balaji has spent over 18 years in the IT Services Industry. With an experience encompassing Services and Product Marketing, he has successfully managed globally distributed Marketing and Product teams. He’s an analytical marketer with strong understanding and experience across marketing strategy, demand generation, field marketing, technology partner marketing, account based marketing, digital marketing, event management, analysis and third party relationship, PR/Media, people management, etc.
