As the techno-babble drones on, you steal a look at the other senior managers in attendance. She speaks this language, this is her world. In another part of the room, the company's vice president of operations has lapsed into a stage of inner tranquillity. That, or he's asleep. Two seats over, your CEO is taking copious notes.
Further inspection shows that they are, in fact, doodles of a race car.
All you really know is that you need to understand this stuff. Somehow, you must figure out how to ignore the vendor hype, bypass the buzzwords and get right to the heart of the matter. Easier said than done. Getting a true fix on the benefits of complex technologies ranks among the toughest challenges facing CFOs in Asia. The often contentious relationship between finance and IT departments doesn't help matters.