Leading firms move beyond IT, biz alignment

According to a research from Unisys Corp, IT firms that were innovative in
adopting best practices for IT services delivery were more effective than others
in achieving desired business results. Such organizations focused on multiple
value-based outcomes affecting service, reputation and growth besides
traditional operational considerations such as efficiency and cost reduction.

The research was based on interviews with 550 IT executives worldwide.

Of the survey respondents-39 companies, 25 percent of those surveyed emerged
as leaders based on their effectiveness at managing IT resources to achieve key
business objectives. The study showed that leading organizations focused their
priorities beyond cost cutting.

They created service delivery models that employed a balanced mix of
practices involving people, process and automation to execute, adjust and
innovate in achieving multiple important business objectives.

Leaders were also more likely to look outside the organization and draw from
outsourcing partners to improve their best practices.

"These survey results indicate IT executives' growing realization that the
greatest benefits come when they focus on innovation in IT service management to
achieve business results," said Bart De Maertelaere, VP-IT Outsourcing Strategy,
Global Outsourcing and Infrastructure Services, Unisys.

While all companies ranked cost reduction as an important outcome, the
leaders chose value-based outcomes such as customer satisfaction/up sell,
customer loyalty/retention and increased business agility as more important.