IT needs the right team to meet the needs of the business, but today’s complex technology infrastructure makes it impractical to try to staff internally for every needed skillset.
NTT DATA Business Solutions
How IT Can Be More Strategic with Managed Cloud Services
It’s no secret that we’re in a constantly accelerating business environment, and no one knows it better than the information technology team. Rapid advances in technology are starting to strain the ability of IT departments everywhere to not only keep up, but to stay relevant for the business.
No IT team can ‘do it all on their own’ in today’s complex, fast-changing environment. High-performing IT organizations know this, and are building an effective mixture of both internal and external IT skills and technology to ensure they can adapt to evolving challenges.
This is one reason why CIOs are looking at managed cloud services in a different light. Rather than just focusing on tactical efficiency gains, managed cloud services are now being viewed as a way to enhance the existing IT team and provide strategic capabilities for business transformation and innovation.
Being Strategic … Versus Just Keeping the Lights On
The ability of your IT team to catapult past simply keeping the lights on to becoming more strategic for the business depends on three foundational pillars:
- Top-performing IT talent
- Knowledge of the product innovation roadmap to align with business priorities
- A structure that can deliver on today’s demands and adapt to future needs
Let’s take a closer look at how managed cloud services can contribute in each of these areas.
Top-Performing Talent
IT needs the right team to meet the needs of the business, but today’s complex technology infrastructure makes it impractical to try to staff internally for every needed skillset. A managed cloud services partner provides access to an experienced team of dedicated professionals who can help you stay up to date with the latest and most cost-effective technologies for your SAP environment.
Leveraging managed cloud services can help you to better align staffing to meet the ever-changing needs of the business.
| Current State | Future State with Managed Cloud Services |
| IT lacks the necessary tools, skillsets and capacity to move the business forward. | IT has access to leading-edge resources and expertise and can scale quickly and cost effectively. |
| IT is focused on supporting mainly tactical day-to-day operations. | Internal IT resources are freed up to focus on more strategic tasks and collaborate more closely with the business. |
Alignment with Business Priorities
To keep the business innovative and competitive, there must be alignment between IT and the lines of business. Strategic use of a managed cloud services partner can free up your internal IT staff to work more closely with the business to solve business problems and build a roadmap for future growth.
| Current State | Future State with Managed Cloud Services |
| IT is not aligned with the business and the lines of business are making their own technology decisions without IT input (Shadow IT). | IT is closely aligned with the strategic goals of the business. Shadow IT projects are greatly reduced or completely eliminated. |
| Business stakeholders have little or no visibility into the value and quality of IT services. | IT is viewed as a valued part of the organization, aligned with current business goals and providing insight for future innovation and efficient utilization of funding dollars. |
| Lack of a defined business functionality and technology roadmap shows lack of long-term thinking and planning. | IT has insight into the needs of the business and is out front, taking full advantage of fast-changing technology to benefit the business. |
Structure and Process Maturity
To make the transition from tactical to strategic, CIOs must take a hard look at the overall effectiveness of the IT organization in meeting the needs of the business. A thorough assessment of IT organizational structure and process maturity against industry benchmarks can be very instructive.
In addition, strategic outsourcing with a top managed cloud services partner can help CIOs to design, build and optimize a complex, hybrid IT infrastructure that frees up the internal team to focus on strategic activities that drive innovation.
| Current State | Future State with Managed Cloud Services |
| Internal IT staff is tied up with day-to-day run operations and lack the time to keep up with rapidly changing technologies. | Internal IT team is freed up to focus on innovation and transformation activities. |
| IT is unable to maximize the quality and value of the services it provides. | The business can stay focused on core offerings without getting sidetracked on IT projects. |
| IT cannot adequately manage the portfolio to support business objectives. | IT has the bandwidth to shape the portfolio of applications and services to better meet the needs of the business. |
Managed Cloud Services Drive Business Success
There are many good reasons to work with a strategic partner to help run, enhance and optimize a complex solution and keep your SAP systems at top performance. Working with a managed cloud services partner frees up your internal team to focus on strategic activities and collaborate more closely with the business to provide the right conditions for innovation.
Top benefits of strategic managed cloud services outsourcing include:
- Scale quickly and cost effectively as business needs change
- Business can stay focused on core offerings without getting sidetracked on IT projects
- Access to leading-edge IT resources and expertise, with insights into the product innovation roadmap
- Reduced cost to stay ahead of the technology curve
- Streamlined processes enhance efficiency using consistent, standardized methodologies to manage your customized cloud landscape and ensure the integration, data exchange and function of the combined solutions.
The NTT DATA Business Solutions Approach to Managed Cloud Services
NTT DATA Business Solutions brings a unique approach to global SAP managed cloud services. We work as an extension of your staff, providing resource continuity so your internal team can be more strategic. Our model combines the power of global delivery with the ability to provide local support, and our highly qualified consultants utilize their SAP expertise and business knowledge to deliver maximum value for our customers.
If you would like to learn more about our managed cloud services, please contact us.