June 7, 2005 (Computerworld) --
General Motors Corp. CIO Ralph Szygenda is in the midst of negotiating the largest corporate outsourcing deal in history, worth about $15 billion. Electronic Data Systems Corp. now handles two-thirds of GM's outsourcing, and this rebidding of the EDS pact may have implications for other companies, Szygenda believes, because he wants all the vendors to work to common standards. Szygenda, who received this year's top award at the 2005 Computerworld Honors Program last night, was interviewed by Computerworld at the event. He discussed the importance of IT at GM and what IT leaders need, in terms of skills and education, to survive in today's corporate environment. (This interview was conducted before today's announcement by GM that it plans to lay off 25,000 workers.) You're familiar with the arguments raised by Nicholas Carr and his comments about whether IT matters. What's your take? IT matters a lot. Is there going to be some commercialization, standardization or products and services? Yes. There are certain areas of the business, like ERP systems ... that will become commodities. I think that's the point he was trying to make. He overstated it, though. In fact, [IT] will be bigger than ever. Having premium products at lowest price versus premium price -- and it's kind of the Wal-Mart model -- that's one [trend] driving the industry. The other one is globalization. And all companies like GM, even though they had operations throughout the world, they were kind of regional. Now they are running throughout the world, and they globalize them. Given those two things, companies are going to redo all their processes again, reautomate them, and I guarantee you at that point IT is not dead. Do you see IT heading toward any particular architecture faster than some others? Is grid computing, for instance, on your radar? It's always on the radar. Everything is on the radar. But again, I've been around 35 years, so I've seen all kinds of changes in the industry. ... Except for the Internet and probably for distributed computing, the PC, I've seen things that have been evolutionary but I haven't seen things that have been revolutionary. ... Grid computing is not revolutionary. The first environment I worked on was advanced scientific computing. ... Effectively, it was multiple parallel processors. So grid computing is not a new concept. It's just one that is doable and can work. How do you ensure that IT is aligned with the business at GM? IT people have to be business people to start with. There is no chance of just being a technologist anymore. In what I call precision information technology, that means every dollar that
"Cisco and PostPath will finally break Exchange's iron grasp on business e-mail...."
Read more...
"Gartner Inc. has issued a press release with the headline "Gartner Says Enterprises Must Anticipate How Societal Trends Will Impact..."
Read more... Read more Management posts or See all Blogs
Netbooks, ultraportables, mini-notebooks whatever you call them, they've been grabbing headlines. Are they here for the long term or just a flash in the pan?
Google's Universal Search for Business View this exclusive webcast, free, compliments of Google! Go to the webcast
Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up
Download this Computerworld Executive Briefing, a $195 value, for free! Compliments of Akamai. (Source: Computerworld) SaaS is here to stay as an application delivery channel. You will be using it, but will you do so wisely? This Learn-Fast Guide will prepare you for software delivered over the Web. From security issues to contract negotiations, there's a lot to consider ... and a lot to gain. Download this executive briefing
The Importance of Application Management
Get this white paper now! (Source: Dell) Efficient desktop application management is essential in normal day-to-day operations of any company. Whether you are introducing a new application or implementing an OS migration, the goal is the same: minimize disruptions and ensure user productivity throughout the process. Download this white paper
White Papers
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
Intercept Spam & Viruses With MessageLabs MessageLabs is offering a complimentary 30 day trial of its managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all know and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk. Register for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper now!
SQL Anywhere is the industry-leading mobile and embedded database. Designed for database-powered applications that operate in frontline environments without onsite IT support, SQL Anywhere offers enterprise-caliber features in a database that is easily embedded and widely deployed in server, desktop, remote office and mobile applications.