The Google platform is a fantastic and basically free option to use as a collaboration and productivity tool within a business. My company uses it. It's been key in enabling the flow of ideas, the sharing and storage of information, and collaboration. But, our mantra of "just throw it in google doc" is now becoming a tangled web of one-off information and difficult to find resources.
The first step to taming the beast is recognizing that this will happen. With so much freedom to spin up and share information it can quickly get out of hand. What good is a doc or spreadsheet if no one can find it? Here are two ways to get and keep your info organized:
Consolidate documents through a Google Site
At an enterprise level use the Google Sites feature to logically organize information and create a portal. Google Sites is an entire topic in and of it's own, but you can very quickly build a site that can simply serve as the launch pad for all of your information. The site ties all the random docs together and can be organized in a way that makes sense for your organization. We use a site as the foundation for our company intranet. The information architecture is organized by department. All the relevant google docs for a department are categorized as links within the portal. This has been a handy reference tool particularly in the on-boarding of new employees. We also leave the site permissions open so that anyone can add more links to docs. We've virtually eliminated the need for sophisticated system administration and content management. Although lightweight governance over the site is recommended so that we don't end up with another problem - a disjointed information architecture
Leverage Personalization Capabilities
At the individual level, you can create folders and labels to logically organize documents in a way that makes sense to you. This feature is called Collections. The google documents view allows each person to create their own filing system structure for finding docs. This personalized approach to managing info is more powerful than it may seem on the surface. Think about it, in traditional environment someone else manages the directory structure and naming convention of a shared drive or LAN. They've already decided how information should be organized in terms that make sense to them. We've got a company shared drive too for docs that are required to be static. And guess what, the biggest complaint is that people cant find what they are looking for. This nuisance actually creates a bigger issue when people take things into their own hands and start storing their own versions of documents locally or wasting time trying to find then emailing documents around to each other. Organizing our google docs in my own terms changed my world. While it's simple enough to just do a search to find the right document, categorizing docs keeps all related items together and let's you quickly locate information related together but kept in separate documents.
How are you using the google platform for your business? If you want to more about how to strategically use the Google platform, contact me.
Showing posts with label $Strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $Strategy. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Confessions of a Micromanager
It's been brought to my attention more than once over the past year that I am a micro manager. I am an incredibly introspective person, constantly self examining and analyzing my every action. Micromanagement is considered a negative trait so being my introspective self I am setting out to better understand this trait and how to turn it around.
Wikipedia defines micromanagement as "management especially with excessive control and attention to detail."
Controlling and attention to detail - yep, that's me.
Early in my career that "controlling" trait was celebrated by my managers as "drive" and a "take the bull by the horns" attitude. My managers liked it because they knew I'd get things done. And with my attention to detail it would be done thoroughly and polished. No matter how many hours I needed to put in, I got the job done. In the sea of entry-level green consultants I was able to differentiate and rise to the top quickly because I took control, thought through the minutiae, and the end result was polished.
So where did this all go wrong? How did my best trait become one of my worst?
In my mind it's easy to be confused with why this once positive trait is now being perceived as "a developmental opportunity" - I know how something needs to be done, I love getting into the details, and I don't want anything with my name associated to it to be less than perfect. Where's the flaw in that?
Well here's what I've come up with:
Expectations have changed - I'm not a green consultant anymore. I am a seasoned professional and executive within my company. Just being eager with great attention to detail isn't going to cut it anymore. Enthusiasm and quality are expected. As a company leader, it's about scaling that quality.
Scalability - to grow in your career means to move beyond the individual contributor status. An individual only has a limited amount of throughput. To grow as a leader means to scale yourself so that no single result is dependent on you. You need to inspire and teach teams of individual contributors to put the same level of thought and quality into a task as you would. Otherwise you'll burn out quickly trying to do everything.
Grow someone else to grow yourself - unless you are content to be a one-man show or pigeon-holed (which I am not), it's your duty to help someone else follow your lead. Constantly thinking of ways you can put yourself out of your current job so that you can keep moving is key. It can be unsettling. It's easy to be concerned about - what will I do if someone else is doing my job? That is rarely an issue for someone that likes to keep moving and is open to the next challenge. There's always something new to sink your teeth into and a new problem to solve. Teaching someone else helps a micro manager learn to let go of some of the control and figure out ways to put just enough structure in place that the job will get done well while allowing the individual to learn the ropes in their own way.
People crave structure - without some framework in place, the work that gets done becomes reactive and tactical without a strategic vision behind it. No one sets out to operate in a purely reactive manner but it happens without some set of guidelines for organizing and prioritizing what needs to get accomplished.
People find you annoying - the constant badgering will drive someone insane. The checking if it's done and pounding people with emails on how to do something usually stems from the fact that there wasn't well thought out plan put in place in the first place and there isn't enough transparency in place. A micro manager's gut is to take control by doing the work or badgering people in a very reactive way about what needs to be done. Don't punish your team for your own lack of planning leadership.
So here's my action plan:
1. Communicate desired outcomes, don't dictate how it gets done. Empower and trust others.
2. Put enough structure in place to help people prioritize what needs to be done in the short-term. Plan first, get alignment from the team on what needs to be done and what the definition of done is, then let them execute.
3. Focus my attention to detail on the big picture, analyzing results, and turning results into actions that are followed through
4. Manage through change - our priorities can change on a daily basis and anything worth doing takes time and persistence. A true leader with help the team course correct to adapt to the changing needs of the business, while being the biggest supporter in seeing the work through completion. A bunch of half done projects aren't nearly as good as one "done" project.
5. Listen more, talk less - I may think I know it all but listening to other people's ideas and perspective is a great way to drive innovation and creativity. Putting someone else's idea into action is a great way to build confidence in individual team members. A micro manager thinks only their way will work. And 9 times out of 10 you are probably wrong.
Fellow control freaks, I'd love to hear from you. What's your perspective and what are you doing to beat the urge to "just do it all yourself"?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Shedding Light on the Information Security Landscape: An Interview with Sandra Toms LaPedis, Area Vice President and General Manager, RSA Conference
The Information Security landscape is changing. In the face of dealing with more sophisticated threats, these recessionary times are driving innovation like never before. Sandra Toms LaPedis, Area Vice President and General Manager, RSA Conference , sheds light on information security challenges, technology trends driving the CSO agenda, and how today’s environment is creating opportunities.
1. What are the top organizational challenges facing security professionals today?
The number one challenge is that IT departments are currently working with fewer resources. While Gartner research shows that IT budgets will be up in 2010 by 3.3 percent, the industry will still be playing catch-up with 2009’s 5.2 percent decrease. And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.4 percent of the population is currently without a job – with California being hit particularly hard at a rising 12.4 percent. Unfortunately, many security practitioners are in these ranks.
With these limited resources and the loss of talented security professionals in IT departments across the country, no one is minding the proverbial store. Many organizations are left with stripped-down departments that have fewer people watching for threats. We know more issues can occur during these times of economic hardship, so having more eyes on the security posture of an organization is more important than ever before.
2. What are the top three technology concerns for organizations?
Based on the abstracts that were submitted and the agenda we have set for RSA Conference 2010, we see that three particular areas of concern are cloud security, security in the face of consumerization and mobility and cyber warfare.
3. How is today's business environment impacting how security challenges are addressed?
In July 2009, we surveyed nearly 150 C-level executives and professionals charged with directing, managing and engineering security infrastructures within their respective organizations to find out their pain points for the coming 12 months. Fifty-seven percent of respondents cited budgetary constraints as their biggest concern. This means organizations have to get creative with the way they protect their infrastructure since they have fewer dollars to spend. This may include finding new tools that address multiple issues, learning how to make what they currently have adapt to changes in the landscape or architecting new solutions.
4. How has the current environment created opportunities for security-focused service providers? Is today's environment driving innovation?
Recessionary periods drive the most innovation. Especially today, when entrepreneurs and developers have so much technology to get them started, industrious individuals are required to be more creative and resourceful. You can simply look at events like TechCrunch50 and DEMO to see that technology professionals are capitalizing on missed opportunities by debuting truly innovative products and solutions.
The information security industry is no exception. Codes are becoming more malicious, botnets are getting smarter and attacks on corporations and nation states have become more frequent – such an environment is ripe for information security innovation. At our Innovation Sandbox program we showcase and honor companies and individuals that are at the cutting edge of security innovation and have the most promise for offering a solution to the information security industry’s most pressing issues. On February 8 we will select 10 finalists from a pool of 40+ submissions to compete for the title, “Most Innovative Company at RSA Conference 2010.” With this program we plan to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit of the security industry while also giving early stage companies a venue to be seen by their peers.
5. What have you seen in terms of innovation in security?
In the last year we’ve seen new companies address the security concerns associated with the proliferation of cloud computing and virtualization in IT architectures, as well as significant advances in the way organizations can secure their employees’ mobile devices. The list goes on and on, but there is a need for so much more – which is why Innovation Sandbox is such an important program, and why information security professionals sharing best practices at RSA Conference becomes a business imperative.
This year we’ve had companies submit products that can emulate a phishing attack on an employee to provide education on how to identify risks via email, solutions that address the security risks associated with password resets and products that have turned authentication as we know it on its head by integrating image recognition to the fold.
Sandra Toms LaPedis, Area Vice President and General Manager of RSA Conferences, joined the company in 1998 and is responsible for the global promotion and successful execution for the Conference. This includes content, strategy, logistics, industry relations, brand extensions and partnerships.
1. What are the top organizational challenges facing security professionals today?
The number one challenge is that IT departments are currently working with fewer resources. While Gartner research shows that IT budgets will be up in 2010 by 3.3 percent, the industry will still be playing catch-up with 2009’s 5.2 percent decrease. And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.4 percent of the population is currently without a job – with California being hit particularly hard at a rising 12.4 percent. Unfortunately, many security practitioners are in these ranks.
With these limited resources and the loss of talented security professionals in IT departments across the country, no one is minding the proverbial store. Many organizations are left with stripped-down departments that have fewer people watching for threats. We know more issues can occur during these times of economic hardship, so having more eyes on the security posture of an organization is more important than ever before.
2. What are the top three technology concerns for organizations?
Based on the abstracts that were submitted and the agenda we have set for RSA Conference 2010, we see that three particular areas of concern are cloud security, security in the face of consumerization and mobility and cyber warfare.
3. How is today's business environment impacting how security challenges are addressed?
In July 2009, we surveyed nearly 150 C-level executives and professionals charged with directing, managing and engineering security infrastructures within their respective organizations to find out their pain points for the coming 12 months. Fifty-seven percent of respondents cited budgetary constraints as their biggest concern. This means organizations have to get creative with the way they protect their infrastructure since they have fewer dollars to spend. This may include finding new tools that address multiple issues, learning how to make what they currently have adapt to changes in the landscape or architecting new solutions.
4. How has the current environment created opportunities for security-focused service providers? Is today's environment driving innovation?
Recessionary periods drive the most innovation. Especially today, when entrepreneurs and developers have so much technology to get them started, industrious individuals are required to be more creative and resourceful. You can simply look at events like TechCrunch50 and DEMO to see that technology professionals are capitalizing on missed opportunities by debuting truly innovative products and solutions.
The information security industry is no exception. Codes are becoming more malicious, botnets are getting smarter and attacks on corporations and nation states have become more frequent – such an environment is ripe for information security innovation. At our Innovation Sandbox program we showcase and honor companies and individuals that are at the cutting edge of security innovation and have the most promise for offering a solution to the information security industry’s most pressing issues. On February 8 we will select 10 finalists from a pool of 40+ submissions to compete for the title, “Most Innovative Company at RSA Conference 2010.” With this program we plan to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit of the security industry while also giving early stage companies a venue to be seen by their peers.
5. What have you seen in terms of innovation in security?
In the last year we’ve seen new companies address the security concerns associated with the proliferation of cloud computing and virtualization in IT architectures, as well as significant advances in the way organizations can secure their employees’ mobile devices. The list goes on and on, but there is a need for so much more – which is why Innovation Sandbox is such an important program, and why information security professionals sharing best practices at RSA Conference becomes a business imperative.
This year we’ve had companies submit products that can emulate a phishing attack on an employee to provide education on how to identify risks via email, solutions that address the security risks associated with password resets and products that have turned authentication as we know it on its head by integrating image recognition to the fold.
Sandra Toms LaPedis, Area Vice President and General Manager of RSA Conferences, joined the company in 1998 and is responsible for the global promotion and successful execution for the Conference. This includes content, strategy, logistics, industry relations, brand extensions and partnerships.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Security sells: leverage your security program to boost sales
In today's competitive environment, with the increasing need to show a unique value proposition, a stellar information security program can offer a company a unique differentiator to discuss with their prospective customers. The information security function (along with IT) is typically viewed as a cost center, not a revenue generating arm of the organization. Security tactics are often viewed as a must-do line item to check off the list, not as a competitive advantage. Well, I'd like to change that mindset.
As an information security professional, it can be frustrating when achievements aren't recognized outside of the immediate team (let alone external to the organization). The problem isn't that security achievements are less important than other project achievements. On the contrary, security projects are often mission critical to helping companies avoid negative press, million dollar fines, and the loss of customers. The problem centers around lack of understanding of the value of security initiatives, and how they tie to servicing customers or generating company revenue.
Here are some thoughts on how information security professionals can shine a light on achievements, and position their work as differentiators a company can use to use to generate more revenue.
Sell Your Strengths: Think about what your company's security strength is and sell it. I'm not talking about giving away the keys to the farm and talking about HOW you are doing things. That would defeat the purpose of having security controls in place. But the basic standard of keeping the bad people out and enabling the authorized users to securely do business has many interesting facets, and there are many ways to achieve this level of security.
I like to call this the art of information security: What your company is doing + How they are doing it = The differentiator
Is it a sophisticated physical security turnstile badging system leveraging the latest technology to reduce manual intervention? Is it enabling your company's regulatory compliance through cutting edge processes and technology? Whether you are in the business of securing bank account information, human resources files, medical records, or customer credit card information, talk about what you are doing that makes your information security program a key to reducing operational waste and gives employees the time to focus on meeting customer expectations.
Case-in-point, one of my clients, a Fortune 500 bank for high net worth individuals and corporations, has a world class access control program in place. Their information security group designed a set of identity management (IdM) processes based on securely enabling business functions. To gain operational efficiencies in system access request and set up, they customized a leading IdM technology and automated much of their IdM workflows.
Why is this important to a bank customer? The SVP of Information Security can tell you why. He can articulate the value that this brings to a bank customer in terms that are meaningful to a customer -- speed of access to critical account reporting applications AND the reassurance that only those authorized are seeing the account information. He's called on by relationship managers to help sell the value of doing business with this bank and communicate the edge this institution has over another. The SVP has the soft skills necessary to navigate a conversation with clients and prospects. And the instinct to know what aspects of the information security program matter most to each client. These soft skills are really the differentiator for his company's information security organization. It's not just about what a security organization is doing but also about how they tie it back to meeting customer expectations.
Develop Soft Skills: Let's face it, information security is technical, and as a result the people that are really passionate about security tend to be very technical. But when that passion comes out in a way that's easy to understand and meaningful to those on the receiving end, you've got a value proposition worth telling would-be customers. The challenge is developing the soft skills necessary to communicate that value proposition. As an information security manager, it's just as important to develop the communication and soft skills in your staff as it is to keep them technically trained and abreast of the emerging threats. These soft skills also come in handy when communicating to executives the funding required to execute your security program goals and why they are important.
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Sara Santerelli, Chief Network Security Officer at Verizon, speak at a conference in October. Sara spoke about the duty that information security managers have to articulate a security program less in terms of tactics and more in terms of long term strategy. This helps executive management understand the drivers, which in turn gains their support and the funding necessary to execute. She also hit on the importance of alignment of your security plan with business goals and defining the trade-off between the cost associated with your security initiatives and the risk of not doing them. All of this articulation requires soft skills and big picture thinking.
Information security is a compelling value proposition if communicated in meaningful terms to prospective customers. In some situations, the CSO can be viewed as an extended arm of the sales team. Whether the title is CSO or VP of Information Security, the people within an information security organization can really help sell the benefits of doing business with the company. In a climate where standing out in the crowd matters, companies should look to their CSO for the extra push needed to turn a prospect into a customer.
How does your information security program help differentiate your company? Comments welcome!
As an information security professional, it can be frustrating when achievements aren't recognized outside of the immediate team (let alone external to the organization). The problem isn't that security achievements are less important than other project achievements. On the contrary, security projects are often mission critical to helping companies avoid negative press, million dollar fines, and the loss of customers. The problem centers around lack of understanding of the value of security initiatives, and how they tie to servicing customers or generating company revenue.
Here are some thoughts on how information security professionals can shine a light on achievements, and position their work as differentiators a company can use to use to generate more revenue.
Sell Your Strengths: Think about what your company's security strength is and sell it. I'm not talking about giving away the keys to the farm and talking about HOW you are doing things. That would defeat the purpose of having security controls in place. But the basic standard of keeping the bad people out and enabling the authorized users to securely do business has many interesting facets, and there are many ways to achieve this level of security.
I like to call this the art of information security: What your company is doing + How they are doing it = The differentiator
Is it a sophisticated physical security turnstile badging system leveraging the latest technology to reduce manual intervention? Is it enabling your company's regulatory compliance through cutting edge processes and technology? Whether you are in the business of securing bank account information, human resources files, medical records, or customer credit card information, talk about what you are doing that makes your information security program a key to reducing operational waste and gives employees the time to focus on meeting customer expectations.
Case-in-point, one of my clients, a Fortune 500 bank for high net worth individuals and corporations, has a world class access control program in place. Their information security group designed a set of identity management (IdM) processes based on securely enabling business functions. To gain operational efficiencies in system access request and set up, they customized a leading IdM technology and automated much of their IdM workflows.
Why is this important to a bank customer? The SVP of Information Security can tell you why. He can articulate the value that this brings to a bank customer in terms that are meaningful to a customer -- speed of access to critical account reporting applications AND the reassurance that only those authorized are seeing the account information. He's called on by relationship managers to help sell the value of doing business with this bank and communicate the edge this institution has over another. The SVP has the soft skills necessary to navigate a conversation with clients and prospects. And the instinct to know what aspects of the information security program matter most to each client. These soft skills are really the differentiator for his company's information security organization. It's not just about what a security organization is doing but also about how they tie it back to meeting customer expectations.
Develop Soft Skills: Let's face it, information security is technical, and as a result the people that are really passionate about security tend to be very technical. But when that passion comes out in a way that's easy to understand and meaningful to those on the receiving end, you've got a value proposition worth telling would-be customers. The challenge is developing the soft skills necessary to communicate that value proposition. As an information security manager, it's just as important to develop the communication and soft skills in your staff as it is to keep them technically trained and abreast of the emerging threats. These soft skills also come in handy when communicating to executives the funding required to execute your security program goals and why they are important.
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Sara Santerelli, Chief Network Security Officer at Verizon, speak at a conference in October. Sara spoke about the duty that information security managers have to articulate a security program less in terms of tactics and more in terms of long term strategy. This helps executive management understand the drivers, which in turn gains their support and the funding necessary to execute. She also hit on the importance of alignment of your security plan with business goals and defining the trade-off between the cost associated with your security initiatives and the risk of not doing them. All of this articulation requires soft skills and big picture thinking.
Information security is a compelling value proposition if communicated in meaningful terms to prospective customers. In some situations, the CSO can be viewed as an extended arm of the sales team. Whether the title is CSO or VP of Information Security, the people within an information security organization can really help sell the benefits of doing business with the company. In a climate where standing out in the crowd matters, companies should look to their CSO for the extra push needed to turn a prospect into a customer.
How does your information security program help differentiate your company? Comments welcome!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
How to Deliver Successful Projects: Have a Dialogue
Talk, talk, talk, and then ... talk some more. You cannot talk enough when you're leading any type of change management effort. And that's what a technology project boils down to -- implementing a change to the way things are today. So how do you manage your change efforts? What should you talk about? And to whom should you talk? My company uses John Kotter's Eight Stages of Change as a framework for structuring the conversation with those involved in projects. Here are some guidelines for getting your conversations started.
Do your homework before you start talking ...
Create Urgency: You may have communicated the purpose of your project, but does it have teeth? Paint a picture of what happens if you don't complete the project. What happens if the status quo remains? And what are the benefits that can be realized when the project is done? Often the improvement is crystal clear to technologists, but murky for others. Especially if the project is something ambiguous to a non-technical business counterpart, such as an infrastructure upgrade or an information security tactic.
Create a Vision: Realized benefits are a great way to frame how your project will make the world a better place (at least the world inside the walls of your organization). Give thought to the bigger picture of your project, so that you can paint the "future state" for your stakeholders. Whether your project will result in internal or external customer facing deliverables, painting a picture -- early and often -- is critical for gaining acceptance.
Form a Guiding Coalition: Formally organizing internal support is extremely important, because it helps sow the seeds of change. We've all heard of steering committees. Well, let's put them to work. First, it's important to get the right people on-board -- those who will help you sow the seeds of change. Ask yourself: How can they help spread the message about the project vision? How can they help contribute to defining the vision, so that it speaks to and resonates with the needs of a particular business area or customer segment? A guiding coalition is important, but the team won't work without a sponsor, leader, or visionary enlisted for the long haul. This is the person continuously driving the vision forward and helping the project team stay the course.
Start Talking ...
Communicate the Vision: Talking about your vision isn't a one-time event done via a mass e-mail. You need a plan that identifies who, when, how, and how often they should hear your message. Look for opportunities to get your vision in front of people -- status meetings, town halls, or messages and alerts in an existing system of upcoming milestones. This is not only an opportunity to communicate, but also an opportunity to sell. And like it or not, your vision is for sale. Your buyers are the people impacted by the changes, and also those individuals whose help you need for the project to be a success.
Get others talking (and doing) ...
Empower Others to Act on the Vision: You may be wondering who is the "you" that I keep referring to in this post. It's anyone and everyone who has a role in contributing to the goals of the project. The guiding coalition helps define the vision and pushes it forward. But in order for the vision to be a reality, others need to get on-board. If people feel boxed in, not supported by management or peers, or lacking access to the necessary tools, your project will fail. Make sure the barriers are removed so others can act on your vision.
Plan for and Create Short Term Wins: This is a great way to start showing progress and proving your theories. It also helps everyone realize that their effort is valuable while keeping momentum going. Think about your project plans in terms of, "how quickly can I get something useful out?" "Useful" doesn't have to mean "perfect"; you can always fine tune later. But showing visible progress sooner, even with a few warts, will provide great insights early-on into what is really important to your stakeholders. This allows your team to correct the course sooner, so be sure to create a formal feedback process to capture stakeholder input.
Don't Declare Victory Too Soon, Sustain the Momentum for Change: We've all experienced it – the anticipation of the much celebrated release party. Celebrating milestones is important, but equally as crucial is being cautious to not signify "it's over". The real work begins when the initial visible change is released outside the project team. That's when things really get started and when it's important to keep up the momentum. Change isn't easy and it's not a static, one-time event.
Institutionalize The New Approaches: We call this "business as usual". If you are implementing something new (technology, process or both), you want it to become the new method of operation. Repetition and reinforcement makes something new feel natural, as if it was the way it had always been. So, you haven't talked enough until you feel like a broken record, and others are repeating your messages and finishing your sentences.
As always, looking forward to any comments and knowledge sharing on the topic!
Do your homework before you start talking ...
Create Urgency: You may have communicated the purpose of your project, but does it have teeth? Paint a picture of what happens if you don't complete the project. What happens if the status quo remains? And what are the benefits that can be realized when the project is done? Often the improvement is crystal clear to technologists, but murky for others. Especially if the project is something ambiguous to a non-technical business counterpart, such as an infrastructure upgrade or an information security tactic.
Create a Vision: Realized benefits are a great way to frame how your project will make the world a better place (at least the world inside the walls of your organization). Give thought to the bigger picture of your project, so that you can paint the "future state" for your stakeholders. Whether your project will result in internal or external customer facing deliverables, painting a picture -- early and often -- is critical for gaining acceptance.
Form a Guiding Coalition: Formally organizing internal support is extremely important, because it helps sow the seeds of change. We've all heard of steering committees. Well, let's put them to work. First, it's important to get the right people on-board -- those who will help you sow the seeds of change. Ask yourself: How can they help spread the message about the project vision? How can they help contribute to defining the vision, so that it speaks to and resonates with the needs of a particular business area or customer segment? A guiding coalition is important, but the team won't work without a sponsor, leader, or visionary enlisted for the long haul. This is the person continuously driving the vision forward and helping the project team stay the course.
Start Talking ...
Communicate the Vision: Talking about your vision isn't a one-time event done via a mass e-mail. You need a plan that identifies who, when, how, and how often they should hear your message. Look for opportunities to get your vision in front of people -- status meetings, town halls, or messages and alerts in an existing system of upcoming milestones. This is not only an opportunity to communicate, but also an opportunity to sell. And like it or not, your vision is for sale. Your buyers are the people impacted by the changes, and also those individuals whose help you need for the project to be a success.
Get others talking (and doing) ...
Empower Others to Act on the Vision: You may be wondering who is the "you" that I keep referring to in this post. It's anyone and everyone who has a role in contributing to the goals of the project. The guiding coalition helps define the vision and pushes it forward. But in order for the vision to be a reality, others need to get on-board. If people feel boxed in, not supported by management or peers, or lacking access to the necessary tools, your project will fail. Make sure the barriers are removed so others can act on your vision.
Plan for and Create Short Term Wins: This is a great way to start showing progress and proving your theories. It also helps everyone realize that their effort is valuable while keeping momentum going. Think about your project plans in terms of, "how quickly can I get something useful out?" "Useful" doesn't have to mean "perfect"; you can always fine tune later. But showing visible progress sooner, even with a few warts, will provide great insights early-on into what is really important to your stakeholders. This allows your team to correct the course sooner, so be sure to create a formal feedback process to capture stakeholder input.
Don't Declare Victory Too Soon, Sustain the Momentum for Change: We've all experienced it – the anticipation of the much celebrated release party. Celebrating milestones is important, but equally as crucial is being cautious to not signify "it's over". The real work begins when the initial visible change is released outside the project team. That's when things really get started and when it's important to keep up the momentum. Change isn't easy and it's not a static, one-time event.
Institutionalize The New Approaches: We call this "business as usual". If you are implementing something new (technology, process or both), you want it to become the new method of operation. Repetition and reinforcement makes something new feel natural, as if it was the way it had always been. So, you haven't talked enough until you feel like a broken record, and others are repeating your messages and finishing your sentences.
As always, looking forward to any comments and knowledge sharing on the topic!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
SaaS - Making the Right Choice for Your Company
Software as a Service (SaaS) is gaining more ground as a viable option for addressing IT needs in all sizes of companies. No longer looked at by only SMBs as the low cost alternative to expensive custom software solutions. Before you jump into a SaaS solution, it's important to do your homework, both on the SaaS provider and within your own company. Here are a few things to consider:
Know what SaaS is (and is not)
In basic terms, SaaS is subscription based software accessible over a network (i.e. the Internet). The SaaS vendor assumes maintenance responsible for all hardware and software components. The obvious benefit is that a company or subscriber gets the functionality they need without the IT overhead associated with an in-house application - hardware costs and maintenance, software support. The downside is that the customer does loose some control. As a customer you may be limited to the customization options available within the base software solution. You also need to be aware about how your data is stored and how accessible it is to you.
The SaaS Vendor's Maturity
In a recent Forrester research report, SaaS vendor maturity can be defined as:
How flexible are they? Do you know what your must-haves are? The benefits of many SaaS options can also be a drawback if you haven't taken the time figure out what you are really looking for. There are often limited customization abilities and some of your business processes may require specialized features/functionality. Make sure your business process is well defined and understoond before looking at vendors. Regardless of how flexible your business process is there are always a few requirements that must be met.
Vendor Evaluation Criteria:
Give careful thought to the specifics you will rate a SaaS vendor against. Categories that should be part of any SaaS vendor evaluation include (but are not limited to):
I'd love to add to this list of SaaS vendor considerations. What was helpful in your SaaS vendor evaluation?
Know what SaaS is (and is not)
In basic terms, SaaS is subscription based software accessible over a network (i.e. the Internet). The SaaS vendor assumes maintenance responsible for all hardware and software components. The obvious benefit is that a company or subscriber gets the functionality they need without the IT overhead associated with an in-house application - hardware costs and maintenance, software support. The downside is that the customer does loose some control. As a customer you may be limited to the customization options available within the base software solution. You also need to be aware about how your data is stored and how accessible it is to you.
The SaaS Vendor's Maturity
In a recent Forrester research report, SaaS vendor maturity can be defined as:
- Level 0: Outsourcing is not SaaS. In outsourcing, a service provider operates a major application or a unique application landscape for a large enterprise customer. As the outsourcing company can't leverage this application for a second customer, outsourcing does not qualify as SaaS.
- Level 1: Manual ASP business models target midsize companies. At level 1, a hosting provider runs packaged applications like SAP's ERP 6.0, which require significant IT skills, for multiple midsize enterprises. Usually, each client has a dedicated server running its instance of the application and is able to customize the installation in the same way as self-hosted applications.
- Level 2: Industrial ASPs cut the operating costs of packaged applications to a minimum. At level 2, an ASP uses sophisticated IT management software to provide identical software packages with customer-specific configurations to many SMB customers. However, the software package is still the same software that was originally created for self-hosted deployment.
- Level 3: Single-app SaaS is an alternative to traditional packaged applications. At level 3, software vendors create new generations of business applications that have SaaS capabilities built in. Web-based user interface (UI) concepts and the ability to serve a huge number of tenants with one, scaleable infrastructure are typical characteristics. Customization is restricted to configuration. Single-app SaaS adoption thus focuses on SMBs. Salesforce.com's CRM application initially entered the market at this level.
- Level 4: Business-domain SaaS provides all the applications for an entire business domain. At level 4, an advanced SaaS vendor provides not only a well-defined business application but also a platform for additional business logic. This complements the original single application of the previous level with third-party packaged SaaS solutions and even custom extensions. The model even satisfies the requirements of large enterprises, which can migrate a complete business domain like "customer care" toward SaaS.
- Level 5: Dynamic Business Apps-as-a-service is the visionary target. Forrester's Dynamic Business Application imperative embraces a new paradigm of application development: "design for people, build for change." At level 5, advanced SaaS vendors coming from level 4 will provide a comprehensive application and integration platform on demand, which they will prepopulate with business applications or business services. They can compose tenant-specific and even user-specific business applications on various levels. The resulting process agility will attract everyone, including large enterprise customers.
How flexible are they? Do you know what your must-haves are? The benefits of many SaaS options can also be a drawback if you haven't taken the time figure out what you are really looking for. There are often limited customization abilities and some of your business processes may require specialized features/functionality. Make sure your business process is well defined and understoond before looking at vendors. Regardless of how flexible your business process is there are always a few requirements that must be met.
Vendor Evaluation Criteria:
Give careful thought to the specifics you will rate a SaaS vendor against. Categories that should be part of any SaaS vendor evaluation include (but are not limited to):
- Price
- Alignment with functional requirements and business process requirements
- Useability
- Technical Requirements such as
–Security
–Data Storage and Accessibility
–Disaster Recovery
–Custom Reporting
–Integration
–Customization - Support SLAs
- Professional Services
- Vendor Viability
- Regulatory Compliance
I'd love to add to this list of SaaS vendor considerations. What was helpful in your SaaS vendor evaluation?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Doing More with Less
WITH COST CUTTING EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS, PRIORITIZING IT SPEND HAS BECOME MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER.
To survive, IT managers need to find creative ways to meet customer expectations while keeping an eye on the bottom line. Many companies look at Open Source, SaaS and the Cloud for alternative software/hardware/development solutions to achieve strategic goals.
Yes, there are still some negative perceptions associated with implementing these options within the enterprise. Security, support, and customization capabilities are a few of the concerns that top the list. However, if a thoughtful decision making process is followed when working with these solutions, the perceived risks pale in comparison to the cost-benefit realization.
In a recent blog post my colleague has offered up some great guidelines for choosing the right low-cost or free technology alternative for your enterprise. We are also publishing some guidelines for ensuring that you a thoughtful decision making process is followed. Stay tuned or send me an email (kmanthey@solstice-consulting.com) if you’d like an advance copy.
So while Open Source, SaaS, and Cloud based solutions gain momentum as viable options for the enterprise, no matter the technical solution, the question of business impact and the costs associated with transitioning the enterprise from old to new needs to be considered. What can you do to minimize end-user impact when implementing these technical alternatives? Read on….
First, change the things the end users never see. Dip your toes in the water by transitioning lowest level infrastructure pieces first. Transitioning to an open source database solution or building a testing environment in the cloud are not likely changes that end-users will notice.
Take a lesson from Google…use the beta labeling to your advantage. When introducing a new technology look to your end-users are co-creators. Acknowledge that it’s not perfect yet but with some help from those that use it most it can be. The effect of end-users seeing their suggestions become functionality will be infectious. The positive internal PR generated by these people will help promote the tool, ease it’s adoption by others, and help bring a more intuitive application to the enterprise that in-turn requires less hand-holding and end-user training.
Enlist champions and give them responsibility. You can use beta labeling to organically create product champions or you can identify and enlist people upfront. Whatever your trying to implement –an OSS application server, SaaS CRM tool, or whatever – identify people from the stakeholder community that can help sow the seeds of change within their area of influence. Give the champions the responsibility of helping their functional area/business unit embrace and understand the new technology. You’ve now gained subject matter experts in each area that can lend the personal touch to helping with adoption issues.
Thoughtfully embracing low/no-cost technology alternatives coupled with strategies for leveraging your own resources to minimize end-user impact creates an unbeatable value proposition.
How are you being creative about your IT solutions so that you can achieve your goals while going easy on the budget?
To survive, IT managers need to find creative ways to meet customer expectations while keeping an eye on the bottom line. Many companies look at Open Source, SaaS and the Cloud for alternative software/hardware/development solutions to achieve strategic goals.
Yes, there are still some negative perceptions associated with implementing these options within the enterprise. Security, support, and customization capabilities are a few of the concerns that top the list. However, if a thoughtful decision making process is followed when working with these solutions, the perceived risks pale in comparison to the cost-benefit realization.
In a recent blog post my colleague has offered up some great guidelines for choosing the right low-cost or free technology alternative for your enterprise. We are also publishing some guidelines for ensuring that you a thoughtful decision making process is followed. Stay tuned or send me an email (kmanthey@solstice-consulting.com) if you’d like an advance copy.
So while Open Source, SaaS, and Cloud based solutions gain momentum as viable options for the enterprise, no matter the technical solution, the question of business impact and the costs associated with transitioning the enterprise from old to new needs to be considered. What can you do to minimize end-user impact when implementing these technical alternatives? Read on….
First, change the things the end users never see. Dip your toes in the water by transitioning lowest level infrastructure pieces first. Transitioning to an open source database solution or building a testing environment in the cloud are not likely changes that end-users will notice.
Take a lesson from Google…use the beta labeling to your advantage. When introducing a new technology look to your end-users are co-creators. Acknowledge that it’s not perfect yet but with some help from those that use it most it can be. The effect of end-users seeing their suggestions become functionality will be infectious. The positive internal PR generated by these people will help promote the tool, ease it’s adoption by others, and help bring a more intuitive application to the enterprise that in-turn requires less hand-holding and end-user training.
Enlist champions and give them responsibility. You can use beta labeling to organically create product champions or you can identify and enlist people upfront. Whatever your trying to implement –an OSS application server, SaaS CRM tool, or whatever – identify people from the stakeholder community that can help sow the seeds of change within their area of influence. Give the champions the responsibility of helping their functional area/business unit embrace and understand the new technology. You’ve now gained subject matter experts in each area that can lend the personal touch to helping with adoption issues.
Thoughtfully embracing low/no-cost technology alternatives coupled with strategies for leveraging your own resources to minimize end-user impact creates an unbeatable value proposition.
How are you being creative about your IT solutions so that you can achieve your goals while going easy on the budget?
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