Krista Knab, Marketing Coordinator

I came across a very interesting and thought-provoking article in the March 10th edition of the Wall Street Journal and felt compelled to share it with our abuzz community. The title and byline immediately caught my attention: How to Tap IT's Hidden Potential: Too often, there's a wall between a company's information-technology department and everything else; That wall has to go. The authors of this article, Amit Basu and Chip Jarnagin, do a great job of exploring a topic that resonates with business people regardless of their industry or title.

Basu and Jarnagin set the stage by explaining their reasons for the existence of this hypothetical glass wall separating IT from the rest of the functional groups. The five culprits are as follows: mind-set differences between management staff and IT staff, "language" differences (IT jargon verses board-room terms), social influences (the stigma of the technology "nerd"), flaws in IT governance, and the difficulty of managing rapidly changing technology.

Allowing the glass wall to remain standing can have serious repercussions on an organization. Unfortunately, only a handful of companies have cracked the code for transforming the perception of IT from a cost center to a strategic asset. As Basu and Jarnagin state, "success in the digital economy of the 21st century demands a strategic role for IT." To get there, they offer seven steps which I've listed below and supplemented with questions to provide food for thought.

1. "Begin with IT literacy - and commitment - at the top." Do your CEO and other top executives understand the value of IT in the same way that they understand accounting, finance, and marketing?

2. "Hire an IT leader who sees the big picture." Does your CIO understand and clearly communicate the strategic importance of IT as it pertains to the overall strategy of the business?

3. "Rotate management and executive candidates through IT." Does your company require IT training for those on the path to managerial and executive positions?

4. "Create demand for IT solutions." Do managers across your company believe that IT innovations are vital to the success of the organization?

5. "Make sure nothing gets lost in translation." Are there people at all levels in your organization who can speak the language of IT as well as the language of management?

6. "Rationalize IT spending." Do the executives in your company take the time to understand the business value of IT expenses? Are the IT spending plans reviewed by every part of the organization that's touched by these decisions?

7. "Create an IT portfolio by evaluating risks and returns." Does your company balance the benefits and risks of IT expenditures?

As the authors conclude in this article, "once IT becomes an integral part of the company's executive dialogue, the glass wall will be shattered, and IT's full value to the organization can be reached."

If you have any questions, please email Krista at kknab@ambassadorsolutions.com.

Ronda Woldmoe, Senior Account Executve

At Ambassador Solutions, we have the ultimate goal of becoming a strategic impact partner with every client we touch. This remains true for each of our three lines of business: Strategic Impact Services, Microsoft Solutions, and Expert Services. In this article, I want to take a closer look at what this means in regards to our Expert Services offering.

Our Expert Services include Contract, Contract-to-Hire, and Recruitment IT Services. There are a number of reasons our clients choose to utilize contract services, including:

• Adding capacity to a new project or existing team to meet critical deadlines
• Adding expertise that isn't part of the company's core knowledge set
• Enlisting long-term assistance while maintaining headcount allocation
• Filling interim positions before a full-time employee is found
• Evaluating on-the-job performance before committing to a full-time hire

At Ambassador Solutions we are client-driven and committed to providing the right people when you need them. Our goal is to work with our clients to ensure they get the maximum return on their investment. It is important to us that our clients value our expertise and services and partner with us throughout the entire process.

Communication is vital….An in-depth discussion with the hiring team is critical to ensuring our efforts are concentrated in the right areas. Open and direct communication provides us the insight necessary to fully understand the specific skill set needed. These discussions also examine other important details of the project including company culture, business goals, team dynamics, budget, and timing.

Identify a position profile…Based on the job description and discussions with the hiring manager, we will develop a position profile to use as the primary screening tool to identify the best consultant/candidate for the role. Since this is a collaborative effort, 80% of the time we hit the target with the first interview. This greatly reduces the amount of valuable time wasted sifting through resumes and interviewing the wrong candidates.

Make consultant/candidate selection a priority…Top talent is in demand. It is critically important that the selection process maintains momentum. To do so, the hiring team must make reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates and providing us with immediate feedback a top priority.

Simply put, it's our job to deliver outstanding, productive, cost-effective and committed IT professionals who will get the job done. At Ambassador Solutions, we do this best by building meaningful partnerships with our clients. For our clients, a true partnership can ensure they get the biggest return on their IT consulting dollars.

If you have any questions, please email Ronda at rwoldmoe@ambassadorsolutions.com.

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