Business Tree

E-business

Business and technology are now inextricably linked. Today, e-business is just business, a real business.

There are no technology decisions that are not business decisions, and there are no business decisions today that don't involve technology, according to Jim Cassidy, IBM's Director Asia-Pacific.

Business processes must not only incorporate timely company information – for improved customer relationship management, supply chain management, and beyond, they must also be kept up-to-date with fast-changing business needs. E-business facilitating these processes is the way most business soon will be transacted. Whether or not you ever plan to sell products or services over the Web, your most important customer or supplier may one day insist upon using Web for all transaction.

The fastest growing companies are moving aggressively to bring e-business into all their operations. They align their systems with their fast-changing business priorities and use these systems strategically, for growth. In addition, successful businesses are employing information technology to gather and interpret data about their ultimate customers, including demographics, trends, and buying behavior.

Dell Business Business Secrets

When Michael Dell went out to hire his current CIO, he wanted the best in the US. He found Jerry Gregoire at Pepsi, and convinced him to come to Austin, Texas to run Dell's huge Information Technology organization. Jerry accepted the offer, and he has been impacting Dell's business practices ever since. Last year, Jerry was named Information Technology executive of the Year by Austin AITP. He was honored at a citywide event keynoted by CIO Magazine publisher, Joe Levy.

Recently, Jerry made an insightful speech to about one hundred IT executives at the regular monthly Austin AITP chapter meeting. He began his presentation, "Keeping up with Fast Company", by observing that "working for a High Tech company like Dell is a little weird. Many of Dell's key vendors are also some of our key customers, and these relationships can be little challenging". He also noted that at a technology literate company like Dell that "everyone thinks that they are a CIO". Jerry said that he has given up trying to achieve "hero status" within the business, and he then admitted that "deep within a IT profession's heart he or she knows that his or her customers are generally dissatisfied and unsure of the competence of the IT department". He stated that this situation is probably true for most IT departments in general.

Jerry also pointed out that the IT Department is under constant attack by outside vendors. No other department in the company faces the "high powered marketing effort which is aimed directly at information technology". End-users and executives hear a constant drum beat of marketing messages that something better exists other than the approach now taken by the current IT department. IT strategy is put into a light of constant doubt by vendors and consultants all aiming to capture a part of the lucrative IT budget. Jerry referred to these industry "seers" as "guys with big hats and no cattle".