Ron Thieme, Ph.D.
CIO, AIT Labs

The Society for Information Management (SIM) held its annual conference in Memphis this month. SIM is the professional organization for senior IT executives and other IT thought leaders. I have been a member of SIM for 12 years, and the conference was an awesome opportunity for me to reconnect with long-time colleagues, meet new friends, and to see what trends are the at the forefront of management, leadership, and technology.

Three important themes emerged from the conference that I believe form the basis of success for most any organization that relies on technology today: Leadership, Connectedness, and Execution.

Leadership. This is where it all starts, and SIM has long recognized the intrinsic value of leadership applied at the highest levels of IT organizations. Through its collection of Regional Leadership Forums, SIM develops the leadership capabilities of up-and-coming IT executives.

David Breashears, the famous filmmaker, adventurer, and mountaineer, told the story of his 1996 climb to the summit of Mount Everest. In an environment where climbers cut their toothbrushes in half to save weight, Breashears and his team carried a 46-pound IMAX camera and hundreds of pounds of film to the summit and back. Even surpassing this were his heroic efforts to save people's lives in perhaps the worst disaster in Everest history, where eight climbers perished in one day.

Implications for IT execs: Leadership counts. You must be a leader not only among your IT colleagues but amongst your business executive team. If you don't have the skills, get them.

Connectedness. Rob Carter, CIO of FedEx, noted that in 1979 founder and CEO Fred Smith said the information about a package is as important as the package itself. This prophetic idea—which almost nobody else in 1979 was thinking—has not only formed the basis of FedEx's phenomenal success, but has set the expectations for an entire generation of business people. FedEx creates connections between its customers not only through the movement of physical items from place to place, but also through sharing critical logistics information.

Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, pointed out the economic revolution that is being created by peering or mass collaboration, being open as organizations and individuals, sharing data and information to create greater value, and acting global by participating in the worldwide market for ideas and talent. Collaborating on a mass scale allows companies to tap untold resources and create value that could never be created by going it alone.

Implications for IT execs: You are at the center of your company's ability to connect with partners, customers, and other collaborators. You have the opportunity and the responsibility to work strategically in making these connections happen.

Execution. Author and consultant Sam Geist credited Hewlett Packard CEO Mark Hurd with the phrase "execution trumps strategy." The notion is that vision and strategy are key, but without the ability to bring those ideas to reality, they simply don't matter. Tim Stanly, CIO of Harrah's Entertainment, emphasized his organization's role in making strategy real by noting that you can buy a lot of technology, but it is all about how you stitch that technology together to provide information for decision makers, customers, and suppliers. Peter Drucker famously said that strategy is a commodity, but implementation is an art.

Implications for IT execs: Having great ideas can get you to the executive "table"; being able to execute those ideas will keep you there.

For more information about the Society for Information Management and their recent conference, see www.simnet.org.

If you have any questions, please email Ron at rthieme@aitlabs.com.

Kory Geyer
Solutions Strategist

Over the next three issues of Abuzz, we will take a deeper look into Ambassador's Portal Optimization Model. This model helps our clients take a holistic approach when strategizing on how to attain maximum value from their portals. It is no secret that Ambassador focuses on delivering portal solutions based on the SharePoint platform, but this series will not focus on technology. Rather, we will examine portal optimization from a non-technical perspective.

Let me first introduce the model. Ambassador has used a version of this model over the last 18 months as we work with our customers to develop their portal strategy. Today, the Portal Optimization Model is a business driven continuum comprised of the following three areas: Cultivating Culture and Community, Information Dissemination, and Operations & Decision Support. Various components (e.g., Connecting People, Creating Community) within each area create value along the continuum. The following diagram is Ambassador's

Portal Optimization Model (APOM)

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This model has been tested by Ambassador as we deliver portal solutions for our clients.. Additionally, Ambassador uses APOM internally to achieve greater levels of value with our portals. The beauty of this model is that it can be used for intranets, extranets, and business application portals (it is important to note that we often find that business application portals are built within an organization's intranet and/or extranet portal platform). We will discuss each of the three areas in detail over the next three issues. As we do so, I would ask you to think about how your organization can apply this model and receive value from it. And as always, I welcome your comments and questions.

If you have any questions, please email Kory at kgeyer@ambassadorsolutions.com.

Nancy Cuppy
Sr. Account Manager

Most successful businesses eventually reach a point where they can no longer keep up with their information needs. Even those that have a strong Information Technology team come to a juncture where they require additional expertise, strategic guidance, or additional resources in order to meet their company's needs and demands.

Perhaps your fast-growing company is expanding through acquisitions. Maybe your company has outgrown its current applications. Whatever the challenge, seeking outside partners can be a very strategic move for a company nowadays. Here are three signs that might indicate your business is approaching a point where you should consider bringing on an outside Staffing Partner:

Sign # 1: You want to upgrade your systems/applications. As your business becomes more mature and complex, former applications and systems are outgrown or outdated. A Staffing Partner will provide an outside perspective on the strategic issues you face and make recommendations on systems/applications that would best suit your current needs. In addition, a Staffing Partner can provide experienced technical expertise to supplement your internal IT team to rapidly implement these new systems while mentoring your staff in a new technology/environment.

Sign # 2: You need to recruit top-level, experienced IT staff. Fast growing businesses find themselves overnight in a position where they do not have enough technical staff to achieve the company's project demands. Here is where a Staffing Partner can provide talent to meet your needs. (For example, Ambassador's Expert Services provides consultants on a contract, contract-to-hire and permanent basis; whatever might suit your internal needs.) A Staffing Partner that focuses only on Information Technology consulting will have a large database of resources to tap into and will bring the needed talent to your business faster than if you try to find these individuals on your own.

Sign # 3: You have the opportunity to make a strategic acquisition. Most companies start by growing internally, eventually reaching critical mass where they can consider acquiring complementary businesses or lines of business. When this occurs, a surge of resources will be needed to assist in the conversion and/or absorption of this new acquisition. A Staffing Partner will provide the supplemental assistance to your internal team for this surge of work and allow you to return to your ideal Information Technology team size thereafter.

All of these signs are valid reasons to seek a Staffing Partner. They are critical indications that companies can benefit from an infusion of resources and strategic advice. Most importantly, taking on a Staffing Partner can help increase the value and productivity of your business. Now picking that partner should be obvious . . . choose Ambassador Solutions, a sure bet as your "Expert Services" Staffing Partner that will stand out from the rest!

If you have any questions, please email Nancy at ncuppy@ambassadorsolutions.com.