The CIO Needs to Become a More Mature Position

March 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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One personality trait we measure our leaders and executives on is maturity. A developed character has become a necessity in any executive as we depend on them to lead through vision in a diverse and competitive market. We need mature leaders to compete in mature markets. Chiefs of business and nations have a heavy responsible for the well-being and happiness of employees and citizens in exchange for our perspiration and loyalty.

Companies likewise have a responsibility to serve their customers’ well-being as stringently as employees. By protecting customer data and asking for opt-in permissions, companies can use technology to improve the customer experience. In order to do so, they have to keep up with evolving technologies as everything is moving to mobile, cloud computing, and social connectivity. We used to call people in charge of the technology and information at a company the Chief Information Officer, but the position has some maturing to do. Technology has undeniably matured, so must the role of the chief.

For more information on how your company’s Chief Information Officer can get a little more mature, check out our webinars, featuring analysts from Forrester Research.

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Your Customers are More Powerful than Your Company

March 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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“The lack of good integration is a barrier to succeed in this world. Integration is now interconnection.” Those were the words of Forrester Vice President and Principal Analyst John Rymer in a recent webinar on strategy for integration of cloud initiatives.

“We’re in the age of the customer. Which means that in order to be successful, whether you’re a for-profit business or a public agency trying to serve your citizens better, whoever it is, those are your customers. They’re very empowered and often have better technology than we do. In order for us to succeed we have to serve them, empower them and understand them, and that need takes integration to the next level.”

Hiding complexity while creating great experiences

Rymer cites several examples of how different companies are linking what were traditional back-office functions to services that directly face their customers through their mobile devices. This goes further than transactions or information and involves creating whole environments to interact with customers in real time in a way that is a great experience.

His use of the word “interconnection” means linking together systems that reach down to the core of application design, extend across business networks, yield awareness and ‘smarts’ while being able to secure and manage the lot. Traditional point-to-point integration won’t manage this level of interconnectedness.

Technologists and business owners need to accept what’s coming as these systems are linked:

  • Your message volumes will explode
  • Your architecture will be different
  • You will need a second lifecycle
  • You will design business services
  • You will learn new application-design patterns

“You still have Web.” When Rymer makes this statement, it becomes clear how far we’ve come and how much is changing. Who thought we’d ‘still have Web’ just a few years ago? What’s coming next?

For more, watch these webinars featuring analysts from Forrester Research and TIBCO on integration.

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Waiting is the Hardest Part: A Customer Perspective on Enterprise Software

March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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angry airport

A well-integrated company is a thoughtful one in a consumer’s daily life. It gives its customers valuable information when it’s actionable and lets us better plan our schedules. A thoughtful brand provides clarity in uncertain times by letting you know what to expect with enough foresight to make changes. Whether by phone call or text message, receiving real-time updates are always appreciated because they give us the gift of time and the luxury of options. It’s stressful and annoying to arrive at the airport hours too early for a delayed plane when a text or call from your airline would have been so simple. When brands reach out to us, we’re clued into what’s going on and given enough time to do something about it.

I moved recently. When I tell people this, I get a look of sympathy because we’ve all suffered through it. It’s not just the hard labor of packing and unpacking that we can commiserate about – it’s the frustrating world of waiting. If you think about it, we’re not all that used to waiting for anything anymore, so when we have to, it’s miserable.

We are creatures of habit and moving replaces our world of instant gratification with giant delivery windows, hold music and telling three people in three different departments how the sheets you just got in the mail are the wrong color. How can businesses address and mitigate these moments of frustration? The answer is integration. [Read more...]

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