TO remain relevant in today’s business environment, IT sourcing leaders must take on new roles and acquire new competencies to enable and support innovation and digital transformation, according to a leading technology, sourcing and transformation specialist.
Bill Huber, who is the global leader for Information Services Group’s (ISG’s) Software Advisory practice in the USA, will share his insights with South African IT and procurement professionals at the upcoming IT Sourcing Summit 2021.
Now in its second year, the summit, which is hosted by Smart Procurement World, aims to address the unique challenges facing today’s IT and procurement professionals as they strive to meet their organisations’ digital needs.
Huber contends that today, an enterprise’s speed and agility in acquiring digital capabilities will determine its success. “However, IT sourcing leaders are still using cost savings and cost avoidance, along with compliance and risk allocation, as their primary goals.”
Though critical, these operational measures fail to address how effective IT sourcing contributes to organisational transformation, he said.
“In effect, there is a massive disconnect between traditional IT sourcing processes and the elements that will contribute to a company’s success in the 2020s. Where sourcing used to drive disruptive change, it is increasingly becoming the bureaucracy that most needs to change.”
In his presentation at the IT Sourcing Summit 2021, which takes place on 3 June 2021, Huber will outline the priority objectives for IT sourcing strategy.
Commenting on the importance of this summit amid the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis, Debbie Tagg, Smart Procurement Chief Operations Officer, said: “There is no denying that the global pandemic has catapulted us into the 4th Industrial Revolution. Globally, the way that we do business has changed and the drive for digitalisation within organisations has left many procurement and IT professionals scrambling to access the best hardware and software solutions to enable efficiency across their organisations. The scramble continues as it is clear that this new normal is here to stay.”
The event’s keynote speaker, Pooven Naidoo, said IT sourcing must involve inclusion and purpose, to understand how to provision ICT capabilities to support businesses.
“In the face of unprecedented market volatility and supply chain disruption, many CFOs are pushing IT category buyers to cut costs and manage risk. In this long game, empowering sourcing teams with the right tools and best practices to maximise their horsepower and deliver the most value is key to real savings,” said Naidoo, a specialist in IT strategy, operational efficiency and people purpose-centered leadership.
