CIO Enterprise Newsletter
 
NEWSLETTERS
 

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

 CIO BlackBerry News and Tips
 CIO Research and Analysis
 CIO Microsoft
 CIO Insider
 
 
 
LEADERSHIP
 
CIO Executive Programs
The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

 
CIO Executive Council
A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Public Council Teleconference: Application Rationalization — Hidden Costs and Smart Decisions

November 17 at 11:00 am US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Honorio Padrón, of The Hackett Group, who will share the drivers for companies to tackle application rationalization and the results of research that define the hidden cost of complexity. Additionally, we will discuss key decision milestones—to start or not, holding the course steady and fulfilling expectations.

Virtual Desktop Cost-Benefit Analysis — Michael Jacobs, Catlin Group

The analysis contained in this presentation measures the cost of everything from the machines and licenses to the infrastructure for virtual vs. traditional desktop environments.

Honor your best senior team members - Apply for the CIO Ones to Watch Award

Get well-earned public recognition for your top up-and-coming team members, your IT organization and your enterprise. Award winners will be announced, publicized and feted in May 2010, great timing to help attract new IT recruits to your company.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »



 
 
RESOURCE CENTER
 
 
 

Planning Your Business Strategy in the Corporate Ecosystem

These days, what happens to your business partners can affect your success. A business strategy consultant explains how to take external risks into account when you plan for the future.

 

December 19, 2007CIO

What happens when you discover that your biggest client is cannibalizing your product? This happened to one international technology company. It threw the leadership into an intense conversation about strategy. They emerged from the discussion with new resolve: to plan for the future based not just on the company, but on the ecosystem in which it operates.

The concept of the corporate ecosystem has appeared in technology journals for years. Simply put, it's the idea that today's companies are embedded in multiple, complex relationships that make them interdependent on each other for success. But it's only recently that corporate leaders are realizing that an ecosystem is more than a concept. The ecosystem has intense implications for how companies plan for the future, and they ignore those implications at their own risk.

The Complex New World of the Ecosystem

Traditionally, executives worried about competition from rival firms. It was a straightforward world: the firm controlled its resources, advantage derived from a company's assets and organizations made money based on their ability to deliver value within their supply chains.

Today's organizations look very different. Rather than stand-alone players battling for market share, companies form networks and alliances and collectively deliver value to their customers. Consider these recent aggregations:

  1. Novell joined forces with IBM on an ambitious open-source project while collaborating with IBM rival Microsoft to boost Windows-Linux interoperability.
  2. Salesforce opened its Force.com developer site, building interdependencies with organizations as varied as CRMfusion, with six employees, and Electronic Arts, which earned $3.1 billion in 2007.
  3. Keane provides application outsourcing services to Miller Brewing Company, creating a dual-sourced IT workforce with staff from both Keane and Miller.

By creating deep alliances, each of these organizations realizes value beyond that which it could deliver independently. In fact, Siebel Systems' founder, Tom Siebel, attributed his company's explosive growth between 1997 and 2000 to its web of relationships. A web of consultants, technologists, system implementers and suppliers collaborate with Siebel to bring their products to market. Not only does Siebel incur lower staff costs, it also gains the innovation and loyalty that come from engaging people along the value chain.

The flip side, of course, is that organizations engaging in deep collaboration tie their fates to the success of the ecosystem, not just their own success. For example, if Microsoft were to go under, there would be a lot of companies in trouble: systems integrators, value-added resellers, software trainers and so on.

 
 
Loading...
 
WHITE PAPERS

Project Management Office Best Practices

Once best practice basics are in place, the PMO has demonstrated improvement in project delivery and the office has gained credibility.
 

Automate and Accelerate with Project Management

This white paper asserts that the common thread that must run through all phases of project manufacturing is a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system.
 

Managing Project and Portfolio Risk

Project portfolio management solutions, such as those from Primavera from Oracle, enable project leaders to successfully manage risk, even in this volatile climate.
 

Connecting Capital Planning, Construction, and Everything in Between

Finding and developing delivery efficiencies and increasing project productivity through the use of technology facilitate: proactive project management, risk management, the automation of key AEC business processes.
 

Mapping Out a Successful IT Consolidation Plan

Read this white paper to learn how to reduce IT management overhead, ease revision control, guarantee data security and scale systems more quickly.
 

Boiling the Ocean to Catch a Few Fish

Read this white paper to learn how to mitigate risk and reduce the overhead of e-discovery.
 

WEBCASTS

IT Consolidation Made Easy

The Primary IT Initiative for Reducing Costs
 

Taking a Seat at the Executive Table: The Reality of Virtualization

This year, for the first time, the number of virtual machines is on track to exceed the number of physical machines...
 

Who Are the Data Center Leaders?

Today's data center is still very much a heterogeneous environment. Gabriel Consulting recently surveyed over 250 d...
 

SharePoint - Unchecked growth of content is unsustainable - now what?

Recent research has confirmed that it has become critical for IT leaders to reclaim authority over the SharePoint c...
 

Unleashing the Power of Customer Data

To hear how companies use feedback from their clients to develop business strategy, watch our video.
 

Does Your Network Let Customers Drive Your Business?

It's no secret that customers exert greater influence over business decisions than at any time in history. But for ...
 

Resource Alerts

Get instant email notifications by topic when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library.

 
FEATURED SPONSORS
 
 
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

Webcast: Unleashing the Power of Customer Data

Disciplined Autonomy: Resolving the Tension Between Flexibility and Control

Enterprise Capture: Your Onramp to Business Process Automation

Cloud Computing--What is its Potential Value for Your Company?

Seven Design Requirements for Web 2.0 Threat Protection

How Consumerization of IT Will Make Your Business More Productive

How does a software company save big with Green IT?

Translate business strategy into IT strategy and obtain maximum benefits.

eBook: How Can You Make Your People Productive Anywhere?

Mind the Talent Gap: Global Survey on IT and HR trends and challenges

"Enterprise-Proven" is the Prerequisite for Enterprise SaaS Portal Solutions

Join us at the US-Brazil IT-BPO Summit, on November 10th in New York.

Unified Communications: Thoughts, Strategies and Predictions. Join the discussion

Read the RSA report: Security for Business Innovation

Webcast: Looking to the Cloud for Email and Collaboration Services

64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.

Keep your IT expertise up to date. Join the Intel Premier IT Professionals.

A new fleet of PCs with a total ROI in 10 months. Find your ROI.

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

Reduce risk, gain agility. See how Progress can help your business.

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

World-class trading technology solutions from NYSE Technologies.

If You're Paying for Telecom, You're Paying Too Much. Contact Asentinel Today.

Trade-In your old printer and save up to $1,000 plus free recycling!

Learn How Web Site Performance Impacts Shopper Behavior

Build a Foundation for Unified Communications

Removing the Barriers to IT Governance: How On-Demand Software Changes the Game

Should Your Email Live In The Cloud? A Comparative Cost Analysis

Learn about the growing threat of insider data theft.

Adobe® LiveCycle® solutions for business process automation

10 Ways Excel Drives More Value from Your SAP Investment

The Key to Proving and Improving the Value of IT to the Company

Unleash the Power of Java with Oracle JRockit Real Time

Taking the Service Desk to the Next Level

See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Top Five CIO Challenges

Streamline IT Costs. Boost Performance with WAN Optimization.

Want to know how you can maximize employee productivity?

Build your 1st app FREE with Force.com

TDWI checklist helps define data readiness for analytics. Download report.

Increase UPS efficiency without sacrificing protection.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

The rules of infrastructure management just changed.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Interactive Q&A helps you discover key ways to maximize IT assets.

Ready to virtualize tier one applications? Check your virtualization maturity.

Think you can't afford a Cisco Switch? Cisco Catalyst Switches are now more affordable.

Five minute business analytics assessment. Immediate results.