Fujitsu Consulting

CIOs Take Note: Fujitsu Consulting's 2003 ITSM Survey Identifies Seven Steps Needed for Greater IT Effectiveness

Edison, NJ, February 11, 2003 — Chief Information Officers (CIOs) will have to work harder to prove that IT is adding significant value to their business, according to the 2002 Information Technology Services Management Survey released today by Fujitsu Consulting, the global consulting and services arm of the Fujitsu group. Fujitsu Consulting proposes seven steps for the CIO to enhance IT's contribution to their business.

In the 2002 ITSM Survey of 160 business executives from North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Fujitsu Consulting found that two out of three executives surveyed said that business is constrained by IT's inability to quickly adapt to the changing needs of the business.  Although this figure is balanced by the 30% who view IT as a strategic partner, 19% still perceive IT as expensive overhead and 15% said IT made no contribution at all.

Nevertheless, a large percentage of companies surveyed (41%) agreed that IT is seen as a necessary contributor to cost effectiveness.  This focus on cost effectiveness reinforces Fujitsu Consulting's finding that IT spending has continued to decline, while the overall results of the 2002 study do not vary significantly from the 2001 survey.

After analysis of the research findings, Fujitsu Consulting has identified 7 steps to position IT as a strategic partner and business enabler to help the IT department increase its effectiveness and achieve acceptance across the rest of the organization. These steps are:

1. Conduct monthly update and planning sessions with the business and review business focused metrics
2. Make sure that the business knows what services IT provides and that the cost of services is known and understood
3. Ensure changes are well coordinated between the business and IT
4. Proactively plan for capacity (include application development projections)
5. Ensure all areas of IT infrastructure, Applications and Telecommunications work together as a team – not separate entities
6. Ensure that the scope and mandate of the Helpdesk is well defined
7. Mandate the definition and use of best practice processes within IT

"These seven steps are necessary to ensure that IT is given the credit and respect it deserves from the rest of the organization," said Dave Bingham, Global Service Management Practice Director, Fujitsu Consulting.  "The successful and respected CIOs are those who ensure good communication with the organization, understand their cost base, operate proactively and have a constructive attitude. If IT departments want to achieve buy-in and commitment at board-level, they will need to market themselves as a valuable asset to the business and it will be in the interest of the CIOs to endorse this."

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About Fujitsu Consulting

Fujitsu Consulting is a trusted global provider of management and technology consulting services with more than 8,000 employees in 70 offices worldwide. Fujitsu Consulting works with companies to improve their business performance through the delivery of technology-enabled solutions, including Portfolio Management, Application Outsourcing, IT Business Management, Content Management and Business Analytics. Fujitsu Consulting is a subsidiary of the $38-billion Fujitsu group.

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