<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss xmlns:a10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>ISG RSS feed</title><link>https://isg-one.com/</link><description /><category>Automation</category><category>Podcast</category><category>Bots and Beyond Podcasts</category><category>Insurance</category><category>Cyber Security</category><category>Digital Transformation Mastering the Change</category><category>Digital Solutions</category><category>Consulting</category><category>How to Manage Your Managed Service</category><category>Third-Party Risk Management</category><category>Third Party Management</category><category>ISG Governx</category><category>Does Your IT Spend Support Your Business?</category><category>Software Advisory Services</category><category>Technology Adoption</category><category>Program and Project Management</category><category>Boosting Productivity</category><category>Organizational Change Management</category><category>Crisis</category><category>COVID-19</category><category>Network Advisory &amp; Select</category><category>Travel, Transportation and Hospitality</category><category>Workplace of the Future</category><category>Manufacturing</category><category>Industries</category><category>Chemicals</category><category>Cloud ERP</category><category>Strategy</category><category>Retooling the Workplace for Tomorrow</category><category>Sourcing Solutions</category><category>Operating Model &amp; Agile Innovation</category><category>Technology Modernization</category><category>Enterprise Agility</category><category>Creating an Agile Enterprise</category><category>Benchmarking</category><category>ISG ProBenchmark</category><category>HR Technology</category><category>HR Technology and Delivery Services</category><category>Energy and Utilities</category><a10:link rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://isg-one.com/feeds/isg-rss-feed" /><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:5581b795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0200f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/bots-and-beyond-episode-27-citizen-developer-from-hype-to-reality</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Automation</category><category>Podcast</category><category>Bots and Beyond Podcasts</category><title>Bots and Beyond Episode 27: Citizen Developer: From Hype to Reality</title><description>Building a culture of citizen developers to drive enterprise growth and innovation.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2021 19:31:27 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:category:podcast/bots-and-beyond-podcasts}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;style&gt; .sub-btn {border: 1px solid #CCCCCC; float: left; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; width: 200px; text-align: center;} .sub-btn:hover {background-color: #CCCCCC; color: #FFFFFF;} &lt;/style&gt; &lt;p&gt;We have all heard the hype surrounding the citizen developer concept. But is it really just hype? Or can citizen developers make a difference to business transformation?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In this episode of the ISG Bots and Beyond podcast, host &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynebutterfield/%22%20/h%20%20HYPERLINK%20%22https:/www.linkedin.com/in/waynebutterfield/" target="_blank"&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/a&gt; explores the reality and challenges of integrating this approach into efforts organizations are making to scale their automation programs. He is joined by &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-grunwald-8326696/"&gt;Jackie Grunwald&lt;/a&gt;, VP and CIO at AdvanSix, who shares experiences from her own automation journey. Their discussion explores how companies can build a successful culture of citizen developers to drive enterprise growth and innovation. &lt;/p&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;p&gt; &lt;iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none;" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/21209288/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" height="90" width="100%" scrolling="no"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; &lt;/p&gt; {{cta:bots-and-beyond-podcasts-subscribe}} &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transcript&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hello and welcome back to Bots and Beyond. As always, another fantastic episode lined up for you today and another one of our American clients. So it's my pleasure to welcome the VP and CIO over our client AdvanSix. I've got Jackie Grunwald with me. And it's a real pleasure to have Jackie and I'm really looking forward to today's topic and I'll divulge a little bit more about what that is very shortly but Jackie, great to have you on the show.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Thank you, Wayne. I really appreciate the invitation. I'm looking forward to this discussion.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We're going to talk today; and it's not a new topic to bots and beyond, certainly episode one actually really kind of focused in on this, but we're going to look at it from a client side on citizen developer. So again, it's not something that's necessarily going away, this very much is a way of working for a lot of a lot of people within that kind of RPA space. So, really great to chat to you about this topic today. Obviously, we know a little bit about each other following some of our earlier discussions, but I&amp;rsquo;d really like the audience know a little bit more about you. And as is customary for our Bots and Beyond guests now, I'd love to get your intro on who you are, what you do, and then more importantly, Jackie, why you do it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You bet! So as you mentioned, I'm the CIO at AdvanSix. I have about 25 years of experience in IT. I started my career at a at a tech company and then I spent about 17 years working at Honeywell at various businesses and corporate at Honeywell, and then I joined advanced AdvanSix just before we IPO&amp;rsquo;d in in 2016. And I made a, you know, I made a shift there I earned a an MBA and, you know, after having the experience of working at a at a tech company, I realized I was really more passionate, I'm passionate about technology. Certainly, I love the evolution that we've had with technology in the past, you know, 20 plus years and the way that it continues to evolve. The opportunities that it creates for us is awesome. But I'm really a lot more passionate about seeing that application, you know, being close, understanding what a business does, and using technology to help a business transform the way they do things, become, you know, much more efficient and effective. So, I love working here at AdvanSix, and I love my role because I'm able to create a strategic vision for the organization of how we can leverage technology to really build and grow our capability here at AdvanSix.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I'm love your why! It resonates with me a great deal as somebody who also shares many of those kind of passions; using technology to create operational efficiencies and just improve the way that a business works. So, we definitely have some shared passions there, Jackie. You mentioned AdvanSix a couple of times now. Obviously, it'd be great to know a little bit more about who AdvanSix are, and kind of what you know, what do you do? What kind of industry are you guys in?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Of course! At AdvanSix, we are a chemical manufacturer. We&amp;rsquo;re publicly traded under the stock ticker ASIX. Our headquarters are in Parsippany, New Jersey, and we've got manufacturing plants and other locations in Pennsylvania and Virginia. So, all our operations are in the United States. We sell our products globally. And what we do is, actually we're an essential manufacturer, which is kind of a key point. We've been operating continuously with our staff on our sites, even during this global pandemic. So, we've had to think a lot about how we can work, you know, safely and with good health together in reasonable ways, with this global health crisis going on around us. And it's important that we're able to keep people on our sites and keep running because we produce a lot of important products. So, we produce nylon. This is in a form called caprolactam and also a nylon resin. These are products that are used in industries such as carpet production and automotive industry. We make a nylon film. So, this is a film that creates an oxygen and water barrier in packaging. So that's important for like food packaging, and other packaging applications. We make ammonium sulphate, which is a chemical fertilizer. It's really critical to the nitrogen fixation in crops, which helps with crop yield. And then we run our process across our plants in a highly integrated way. We make products and co-products throughout our process. So, we make a number of chemical intermediates that are used in a variety of applications from solvents that are used in in the electronics industry, to acetone which is a key feedstock for hand sanitizer; obviously something that's become much more important to our lives recently. So, a number of products used in a wide range of industries around the world. And very glad that we've been successful to operate throughout these interesting times recently.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I feel like we should really be talking about potential industrial robots versus software robotics. Maybe that's something that we can, we can pick up on another episode. I'm sure there is some wonderful technology that's ongoing actually in the factory as opposed to the kind of back-office functions were where we'll probably touch upon a little bit today. For you guys it was 2018, I think, when you started on your automation journey. I mean, why don't you give us a little bit of history about where you've been to date. And then let's talk a little bit about, you know, what your thoughts are about the future.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Sure, of course. You're right, we started about three years ago and we can talk about automation in all kinds of ways, but to narrow in on robotic process automation is pretty interesting. We started you know, learning from other companies what they were doing with robotic process automation, and we thought it was a really interesting opportunity. Thinking about the kind of process work that we do across our organization, business processes, right. How can we automate, simplify, make work easier, transform our processes? And back in 2018, we made the connection with ISG and decided that this would be a really interesting partnership for us, which it certainly has been. And we also, with the support of ISG, we selected to use the Blue Prism software as our as our RPA software. And, you know, we find RPA to be a really intriguing opportunity. So, when you think about the kind of work that often happens and decisions that we've made over time, we have different systems that we run across the organization, which means that when you're pulling together data from a process, you might be getting that data from different places; maybe some of it&amp;rsquo;s even collected manually, maybe some of it's in our SAP system, maybe some&amp;rsquo;s in other systems. So, we end up with people who are spending time, frankly repetitive time, to go and gather information from these different places. And, you know, traditionally they're probably putting this data into an Excel file. Maybe now they're collecting it into a Power BI report, but they're taking their valuable time to go and track down data over and over again, from different places and put it somewhere. So, they're spending a lot of their time doing this manual work. And when we can take a take a bot, right, and teach the bot to go and do this, it really transforms what the what the human, what the person can do with their time, right? Instead of spending all that time going and finding data. They can actually be using their time to analyze the information, create insights, share those insights with, you know, the right decision makers, enable decisions across the organization, which is a way more powerful thing for a person to be doing. And that's a really awesome opportunity. I think that RPA gives us. It allows us to change the kind of work that we're having our folks do, our people do, and offload some of the manual repetitive work on these bots or digital workers. And that's, you know, frankly, this is really good for people development, also. It's allowing us to refocus individuals on different kinds of work that's more interesting and can help them develop more in their careers. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;So with this kind of interesting thought, we decided that we would build an automation COE made up of citizen developers. And so we partnered with ISG on this journey, and ISG helped us to train the individuals that we selected in our center of excellence. And we did this in a way, there was there was classroom training originally, but what was great was ISG helped us practice those skills. I mean, as probably we all can agree it's terrific to get educated on something, to take some kind of course, but you can't really become proficient at it until you start practicing. So, our COE embarked on a journey to build 10 or so bots. And the first set of bots that we built, ISG was doing a lot of the work and we're doing some kind of shoulder surfing if you will, watching and learning. And then in the in the next round that we built; now we're kind of moving into our second year probably of our automation journey, in that in that second round, our team was building bots themselves with some mentoring and coaching from our ISG partners. And this really helps us practice and learn the skills. So, then our COE could move on and start building bots on their own, which is what we're continuing to do today. We've got it a COE made up of individuals from across our organization, not just in IT, and these individuals spend some of their time to create automations. And we love the citizen development model, because if you think about IT work kind of traditionally; I mean a challenge can be that IT kind of comes in and looks at a process and says, &amp;ldquo;here I can help you, you know build a solution to make that easier&amp;rdquo;. And then when that project is done, IT is gone and then the process owners are the ones kind of living with whatever it is, which you know, hopefully is really good, but if it's not they're kind of stuck with what it is. By creating this citizen development model, we have people who are close to the process designing the way they want to run; and I mean, if you will, managing the bots or the digital workers once that work, or that process is automated. And I think that's really powerful, because it shifts that ownership of the digital process to the process owner. Our COE has built some additional bots on their own and we're really proud of their work and we're continuing to to advance that learning and capability as we go forward.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Okay, well, I guess that kind of helps with the backstory, and obviously I guess the start of your journey. You can tell how long ago it was because you were literally shoulder surfing. And we know in COVID times, well that wouldn't have happened over the last 18 months for a lot of organizations. So we can we can formally confirm that shoulder surfing was definitely something that was 2018 and not 2020 or 21. Thinking about why citizen developer then, I think you've touched upon a few points there, you know, you didn't necessarily want this to be completely owned by IT and obviously that's one of the things that we, you know, we see working well in organizations; that it's not just an IT initiative. But were there any other kind of points that you thought, well actually we want to go down this citizen route, we want to involve as many people in the business; was there any kind of thoughts behind that model? You know, what was the motivator behind choosing that path?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Well, like I said, we want the process owners to be closely engaged. We want to drive the design of the automation so that people are really close to the work. But we also thought about, you know, where are their interesting opportunities across the organization? And probably like many companies we have a number of interesting automation opportunities. So, we really tried to capture like a cross section of the organization. We have citizen developers from finance, from marketing, from engineering. We do have a couple of citizen developers that are within IT. We've looked at supply chain opportunities, commercial; I&amp;rsquo;m sorry, I'm leaving out some functions here, we've looked at HR. But we really looked across the organization and said you know, &amp;ldquo;how can we best assess the opportunities?&amp;rdquo; We can do it by getting close to the process and engaging people from functions all across the organization in this citizen development work. And, you know, something I think maybe sort of interesting about the way that we thought about this, is when we started we asked our COE members to identify an automation opportunity in their own work. So, what's something that you could automate that's going to make your life better and create some, you know, additional time for you? You can give some work to a bot, a digital worker effectively. And by doing that then, once you've gone and automated some of your work, then that's going to free up a little bit of time for you, and you could spend that time automating processes for some of your co-workers in your, you know, HR function or your finance function, or wherever you are working in the organization. So, a way to kind of, you know, give back and spread the wealth if you will.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Fantastic! I think that kind of makes sense. And I guess it really does bring, you know, this collective together. I guess, you&amp;rsquo;re kind of all in it, right? It's not, you know, somebody's doing ill to, you know, an area of the business. You know, this is not necessarily IT saying, you know, this is what we're doing to you; actually this is a collaboration of departments who are all kind of in it together. So I think that's certainly something that I took from your output there, which is great. You obviously mentioned there's lots of people in different departments. I mean, was there anything you did you think was good around choosing those people? Because I guess most of these departments don't necessarily have, you know, a bedroom coder, as I might call it. Was there any kind of criteria you used to find the right people? Or was it willing victims? It&amp;rsquo;d be really good to get your kind of insight on that bit.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Well, certainly, I think willing participation. I don't use the word victim here. But I think willing participation is key. I mean, and certainly this is demonstrated by asking and talking with people, explaining the opportunity. But a little more high level, we looked at who were our top talent, individuals that we thought were ready for an interesting development opportunity, people who were interested in driving and leading teams, because this is about transforming process work. So, you've got to be an individual who looks for opportunities to drive improvement, and who's willing to own that and work with people to drive that change to end results to outcomes. And, of course, you've got to be interested, you've got to have manager support, engagement in this, you know, in this journey. And I think, you know, I think it's also important that you've got a demonstrated ability to really get into the details; so, think carefully about a process and think about how you might improve that process.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And I think one of the challenges that a lot of organizations have kind of had around citizen developer programs, or at least the perception, I think the external perception has always been around governance. How do you maintain a level of quality in a citizen program? You know, how do you maintain that the guy in marketing is documenting the process and automating the process in a way that would resonate with a citizen developer in HR or, or you know, your core guiding principles as part of your core COE way of working? I mean, how do you have to kind of keep a good close eye on everybody? How to keep everybody engaged? And I'll be really keen to understand the kind of the governance around your program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Absolutely. That's a really important point that you're bringing up. I think we can all probably think back in time, and there was a time where maybe some light citizen development might have been, you know, I have a process that I'm doing so I'm going to simplify by using Microsoft Access. I'm going to build this incredible Access database, and it's going to make my life so much better. And that's great as right up until the point that that person moves on to a new role, and then someone else has to start doing this work and really can't figure out the super complex Microsoft, you know, Access database that was built, and then we start to get to kind of breakdown of process. So, as we think about citizen development in RPA, we have to think about longevity over time and across people, right? We're transforming process, &amp;nbsp;so we're not just building a bot to run for a year or to run as long as the bot developer is in that role. We're trying to create something that can be leveraged, you know, into the future by the organization, even as people grow and develop and move into new opportunities. So, this is another area that that the partnership from ISG was really insightful and helpful. They helped us to build a governance model and engage the whole COE in that discussion and ownership of the governance model. Like probably most companies out there, we have an acceptable use of IT resources policy and we ask, you know, individuals to review and agree to this on an annual basis. For our COE team members, we go a little bit further and we think about, you know, an agreement to our governance policies beyond just the acceptable use of IT resources. We've got to agree and comply with a set of RPA governance processes. And you know, the kind of processes that we use aren't so different from traditional IT development. We try to keep it, you know, fit for purpose, right. Really thoughtful about how we create value and create that longevity over time. But we do have a bit of a checkpoint around process documentation, right. It's important that we understand what the bot is meant to do. We do peer reviews of the bots within the COE, so we, you know, work together and partner on that. We of course do testing, and validate that the bot does what we want it to do. Certainly as we were investigating RPA we heard a horror story here or there where maybe a citizen developer creates a bot but it executes some unintended consequences. We want to really try to avoid that. And you talked about team engagement right? I think that's really critical. This is a journey and our COE&amp;nbsp; team members are all on the journey with us. So, we want to continue to build the capability, engage, share, look for new opportunities, work together. The COE team members, they get together on a regular basis. I think there was actually a COE meeting this morning. We have a COE leader who reports to me, but the members all have accountability to each other, to share learnings, to talk about what they're working on, so that we can learn from each other, and also to be an advocate for process automation in their in their respective functional areas. So, the COE team members take turns kind of building some interesting content that can be shared with peers and across the organization, and get out there talking about and looking for automation opportunities, assessing those opportunities in a meaningful way to think about, you know, where are those great opportunities where it's meaningful to automate work. And I guess the last point I'll make is that we're going to bring the team together here face to face. I know that sounds crazy after 18 or 20 months of not doing things like that, but we're really excited to get them together for some advanced training and practice. And you know just time together to, you know, have a meal and share and build those relationships, which I think is a really important part of being a team working together building trust.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You mentioned kind of closing out there, and time is almost up on this episode. It's been fantastic so far. As kind of one final question I'd be really keen to understand; we spoke about your journey so far, what about where you going? Like, what do you think you'll be doing over the next kind of 12, you know, 18 months? Hopefully, you know, COVID starts to be a little bit more behind us. It's fantastic that I guess the team will be meeting up in person for the first time in quite a long time so that's fantastic. But where next?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As I said it's definitely a journey. So, it's a journey we're going to continue to stay on. We're still learning as an organization. We're learning more about the capabilities in Blue Prism. We have ISG to support us on that journey. And what we see is that the capability keeps innovating. Blue Prism is innovating in their product, which is super cool. It keeps giving us new capability. So, we're exploring, you know, what are the new capabilities that are out there? How can we leverage them? And you know, there's so many opportunities, I can&amp;rsquo;t possibly talk about them all but a few that I'll&amp;nbsp; refer to is, I believe it's called Interact in Blue Prism. So, this is a way our original bots are kind of scheduled right. They have tasks at a certain time that they go and do. Interact introduces a new capability where the individual can trigger a process, the bot gets sent out and does some work, maybe some data collection or something. And once it's done its work it brings it back to the individual who then can maybe make some insights on that data and kick off the next step of the process that the bot can go and do. So, really interactive process transformation, which is just super interesting. We're looking at starting to do this. We're interested in Intelligent Automation. And, you know, frankly, what we want to do is continue to create value and capability. To build capability with our COE team members, and just to create value and capability across our organization, to help AdvanSix continue to grow as an organization and to create more effective, efficient processes that really, really help us be your best.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I'm sure like myself, the audience will have absolutely loved the insights that you&amp;rsquo;ve provided over the last kind of 30 minutes. So, thank you ever so much Jackie, really do appreciate your time. I know you're incredibly busy. I'm sure the audience will appreciate, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you in person myself in the not-too-distant future. So, thank you, Jackie.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jackie Grunwald&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Thanks so much Wayne. This has been really fun. I've enjoyed talking to you and honestly, I can't wait to meet you in person. I'm looking forward to that.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wayne Butterfield&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;And thank you everybody for listening to Bots and Beyond this week, and we'll speak to you all soon.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the host&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Wayne is an automation pioneer, initially starting out as an early adopter of RPA in 2010, creating one of the first Enterprise scale RPA operations. His early setbacks at Telefonica UK, led to many of the best practices now instilled across RPA centres of excellence around the globe. Customer centric at heart, Wayne also specialises in Customer Service Transformation, and has been helping brands in becoming more Digitally focused for their customers. Wayne is an expert in Online Chat, Social Media and Online Communities, meaning he is perfectly placed to help take advantage of Chat Bots &amp;amp; Virtual Assistants. More recently Wayne has concentrate on Cognitive &amp;amp; AI automation, where he leads the European AI Automation practice, helping brands take advantage of this new wave of automation capability.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:d577b795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0200f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/why-are-insurance-outsourcing-contracts-so-bad</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Insurance</category><title>Why Are Insurance Outsourcing Contracts So Bad?</title><description>Over just the past 18 months, COVID-19 and the pace of digital transformation have produced massive, high-speed changes to the insurance industry.</description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:47:52 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Over just the past 18 months, COVID-19 and the pace of digital transformation have produced massive, high-speed changes to the insurance industry. The changes have spanned technology, process automation, insurtechs, cloud and on-prem infrastructure hybrids, cyber security and work-from-home delivery models. Yet the vast majority of insurance outsourcing contracts contain very little that reflect this new world. Insurance outsourcing contracts today look like they could be straight out of 2010.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Over the next three years, $6 billion of insurance outsourcing contracts are up for renewal. At the same time, a steep increase in new outsourcing contracts is taking place as insurers look to third parties to assist in their digital transformations. Insurance companies have a huge opportunity to update their outsourcing contracts to reflect the post-COVID-19 world &amp;ndash; and reduce risk, save money and improve performance.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This ISG white paper &lt;strong&gt;Why Are Insurance Outsourcing Contracts So Bad?&lt;/strong&gt; addresses vital questions about the changing shape of outsourcing contracts:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt; &lt;li&gt;What major shifts in outsourcing strategy should my contract reflect?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What new post-COVID-19 contract&amp;nbsp;clauses should be added or updated to my contract?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What are the major tenets of a sustainable outsourcing contract?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Why should insurers leverage the benchmarking clause in their outsourcing contract?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please complete the form to read the white paper.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; {{INLINE}}&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Dennis Winkler is a Director in the&amp;nbsp;ISG&amp;nbsp;Insurance industry vertical. With more than than 25 years of experience as a business process and technology consultant, he has advised hundreds of companies on their sourcing strategies, including establishing shared service centers and outsourcing relationships around the globe.&amp;nbsp;Dennis has worked with numerous insurance clients, including AIG&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:0774b795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0200f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/software-the-new-benchmark-for-car-makers</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Manufacturing</category><title>Software: The New Benchmark for Car Makers</title><description>It is no secret that players in the automotive industry are investing heavily in their software development capabilities.</description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:28:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;It is no secret that players in the automotive industry are investing heavily in their software development capabilities. This strategy is driven by two fundamental changes in the industry: 1) the product &amp;ndash; in this case, the car &amp;ndash; is being completely redefined and 2) the business model for automotive manufacturers is changing from selling cars via dealers to providing mobility to customers. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;The Car Becomes a Software Product&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Product-related changes, including autonomous driving, electrification, connected and shared mobility, are heavily reliant on software solutions based on new technology. The heart of all these solutions and applications is the car operating system. For automotive manufacturers, this means IT and engineering are converging. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;The Automotive Business Model Relies on Connectivity&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The new business model automotive manufacturers must build to provide mobility requires a strong connection between the car and user data and the data and apps that make the car ecosystem run. Based on new services and revenue models, manufacturers are using &amp;ldquo;user stories&amp;rdquo; to develop software and solutions that provide new user experiences for drivers and additional value streams for themselves.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With all this focus on software development and the challenges it brings, the good news is that the topic itself is not new. It has been a capability in most manufacturers&amp;rsquo; enterprise IT for decades and an important part of the electronic components systems in cars programmed by hardware suppliers and OEMs. Still, the car and the automotive business model are changing &amp;ndash; and executives need to be prepared to build a support environment for the success of the industry&amp;rsquo;s transformation. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;What are the key areas the executives should address?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Bring Enterprise IT and Engineering IT Together&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;New car software will combine engineering software components and backend enterprise IT components. The new functionalities and user stories will require an end-to-end flow of data, functions and connectivity. Although the two IT organizations have been separated in the past, this will no longer suffice. Some companies have already established organizations to bring both sides together. One of the major challenges is to &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/industries/manufacturing/articles/digital-product-it-a-new-responsibility-for-manufacturers-on-the-iot-journey"&gt;translate the engineering requirements and its specific glossary into IT requirements, technology and solutions&lt;/a&gt;. As the investments in the future will be huge, the IT organization has to understand the requirements and find scalable, competitive and cost-efficient solutions in-house or in the market.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Build a New Partner Ecosystem&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Many enterprise IT service providers have invested in recent years in the extension of their capabilities for design, engineering, user experience and technology specifically for the automotive industry. They are no longer only enterprise IT providers for towers like server, storage and network services; they are becoming &lt;a href="https://research.isg-one.com/reportaction/Quadrant-Manufacturing-US-2020-OTSS/Marketing"&gt;solution providers for automotive IT transformation and digitization&lt;/a&gt;. These companies can deliver solution elements to map across the industry&amp;rsquo;s connected, autonomous, shared, electrified (CASE) dimensions. Car makers are finding the benefits of establishing partnerships with these providers that allow them to build new business models.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Update Your Sourcing Strategy&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Different sourcing models and implementations have been critical to enterprise IT for many years now. This includes sourcing software development and applications in different depths and breadths. In many engineering sourcing models of the past, the hardware or unit provider offered the control software as a bundle, and software development focused on the physical components. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The new car software architecture will focus on enterprise IT experiences like standardization, integration, scalability and open architecture. Since manufacturers cannot deliver all future requirements in-house, they will need to continuously validate internal capabilities and capacities and assess the success of external sourcing agreements for innovation, competitiveness and time-to-market. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Establish a Modern Software Organization&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;To meet the increased requirements of software development, many car makers are establishing new organizations or reforming existing ones. In this new organization, the classic enterprise IT tower structure is not suitable. Instead, the structure must be product- and solution-oriented to provide a foundation for agile teams to drive digitization and combine the product view with the new end-to-end value stream, including the user, product and IT backend. This organizational model requires strong governance and management. In addition, &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/industries/manufacturing/articles/cybersecurity-concerns-in-connected-mobility-a-panacea-for-the-recovering-automotive-industry"&gt;the security requirements and the need for reliable, scalable and comprehensive applications and functions&lt;/a&gt; in the car create new challenges. They can put extra pressure on an agile implementation and restrict a &amp;ldquo;fail fast&amp;rdquo; culture. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/ot-security-vulnerability-the-enterprise-s-achilles-heel"&gt;new way of structuring IT for manufacturing&lt;/a&gt; does not require the invention of brand new methods and approaches. We have seen successful examples of organizations that cross the CIO&amp;acute;s enterprise IT organization and engineering business functions. Most advanced enterprises directly merged specific roles and functions into a more vertical and IT/ET integrated organization and broke up the existing silos. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Either way, transformation and organizational change cannot be avoided. Software and software solutions will become the new benchmark for automotive manufacturers. Car makers that integrate, steer and govern their existing instruments with strong software capabilities and partnerships will have the chance to create competitive advantage in a changing market. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps manufacturers find, integrate and govern organizations to optimize inhouse and external teams. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Andreas Fahr is ISG partner and manages clients in the automotive industry for several years in the DACH region. He has a long-lasting experience in leading IT transformations. He helps clients to define their strategy, apply methods and best-practices and implement the future mode of operation. Andreas manages IT optimization projects based on market knowledge and industry data and is expert for sourcing strategy and initiatives. This includes the transaction, transition and contract management phases. Andreas supports clients in defining and implementing an end-to-end IT governance model to steer the IT and provide value to the business.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:3c72b795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0200f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/the-role-of-advanced-distribution-management-systems-(adms)-in-the-new-infrastructure-bill</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Energy and Utilities</category><title>The Role of Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) in the New Infrastructure Bill</title><description>For the past five to ten years, U.S. Utilities have been modernizing an aging grid that was built to withstand the highest load day of the year and was based on large, centralized generation with predictable load.</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:44:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Recently, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives 228-206. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in August, now heads to the President for final signature. It allocates approximately $72.5 billion for the Utilities and electric vehicle (EV) charging sectors. The last time &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/how-can-utility-cios-prepare-for-the-new-infrastructure-bill-hr-3684"&gt;the Utility industry saw an influx of capital investment from the U.S. government&lt;/a&gt;, it was a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That bill allocated approximately $4.5 billion that in most part was matched by the industry for a total of $9.5 billion and resulted in what we now know as AMI 1.0, or the Advanced Metering Infrastructure&amp;rsquo;s initial implementation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Investment in Clean Energy Transmission&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The 2021 infrastructure bill targets EV infrastructure, power infrastructure and the electric grid. Official communication from the White House states the following: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The bill invests $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States. The bill will provide funding for deployment of EV chargers along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop. Federal funding will have a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Also within the legislation is about $65 billion of investment that constitutes the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history. The White House communication states: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It upgrades our power infrastructure by building thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy. It creates a new Grid Deployment Authority, invests in research and development for advanced transmission and electricity distribution technologies, and promotes smart grid technologies that deliver flexibility and resilience. It invests in demonstration projects and research hubs for next generation technologies like advanced nuclear, carbon capture, and clean hydrogen.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;EV Charging and Revisiting ADMS&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s clear the bill emphasizes EV chargers. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the U.S. trails both China and Europe in total EV numbers (including battery and plug-in hybrid EVs). The current administration, through this bill, is focused on changing that.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/advanced-distribution-managment-systems-1.png?sfvrsn=b835dd31_0" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Advanced-Distribution-Managment-Systems-1" title="Advanced-Distribution-Managment-Systems-1" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Source: IEA&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The U.S. market share of plug-in EV sales is one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. This bill is attempting to put infrastructure in place that will encourage EV adoption in the U.S. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;EV adoption has some significant implications for the Utilities industry. The following diagram summarizes potential impact areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;img src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/advanced-distribution-managment-systems-2.jpg?sfvrsn=e935dd31_0" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Advanced-Distribution-Managment-Systems-2" title="Advanced-Distribution-Managment-Systems-2" /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Source: ISG Point of View&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For the past five to ten years, U.S. Utilities have been modernizing an aging grid that was built to withstand the highest load day of the year and was based on large, centralized generation with predictable load. Along with this modernization comes a software requirement to manage distribution power flows that fluctuate based on distributed energy resources and rapidly changing load patterns, like many EVs charging at the same time. The software solution marketed to meet this requirement set is referred to as the Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ADMS includes or integrates to multiple functions in the Utility infrastructure such as outage management, fault location, isolation, and restoration, Volt-VAR optimization, demand response, EV support, and integration of distributed energy resources such as wind, solar and battery storage. Its purpose is to maintain distribution grid stability when fluctuations occur, which will increase as EV charging takes hold. It is a vital piece of the emerging utility infrastructure and will be accelerated with the passage of the infrastructure bill.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Implications of the New Infrastructure Bill for Utility CIOs&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;What does this mean for Utility CIOs and COOs? Now that the infrastructure bill has passed, it is only a matter of time before we will see projects proposed for funding. As it pertains to the ADMS, Utility CIOs/COOs should:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identify if your utility will be applying for funds.&lt;/strong&gt; Many of the projects will be larger than during the ARRA of 2009 (capped at $200 million) and will include pipes, wires, equipment and hardware. Those projects will require a software component as well as the design, build, implementation and support activities that undergird all technology-based solutions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Partner with the operations business unit.&lt;/strong&gt; In many utilities, the ADMS resides or will ultimately reside in operations as operational technology (OT). IT and OT partnerships are nothing new and have actually become a trend in recent years. Not only will the ADMS belong in operations, so will its functions and possibly other applications such as Outage, FLISR, Volt-VAR, DR, EV apps and DERS. Even if your system was upgraded as recently as five years ago, operational engineers may have concerns about their systems&amp;rsquo; ability to keep up with the changes that will happen over the next few years.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Review and update your operations application roadmap.&lt;/strong&gt; Many utilities already have an applications roadmap that includes plans for the retirement, upgrade or replacement of specific technologies. This bill may change your priorities, and the window to apply for federal funding will be open only for a short timeframe. Ignoring this could place your utility at an operational or financial disadvantage. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps companies in the Utility industry build strategies, roadmaps and business cases for change. Our deep understanding of solutions and providers can fast track the software and systems integrator selection process. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help your organization.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Mr. Brock is an internationally recognized expert on best practices in utility business process and technology, with extensive experience in helping top global companies redefine themselves. Jon&amp;rsquo;s expertise spans a wide range of disciplines, including strategic planning, business development, operations, product management, process re-engineering, organizational restructuring, benchmarking, regulatory/testimony, financial analysis and strategic alliances. He is known as a seasoned, confident communicator who is able to inspire positive change, empower cohesive teams, and maintain an extensive network of executive-level partner and client relationships.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:026eb795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0200f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/top-5-ways-to-secure-your-supply-chain</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Cyber Security</category><title>Top 5 Ways to Secure Your Supply Chain</title><description>A disruption in a company’s supply chain can be catastrophic to its ability to serve its customers.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2021 19:24:45 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:digital-business-summit-2021}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;A disruption in a company&amp;rsquo;s supply chain can be catastrophic to its ability to serve its customers. Most enterprises have spent years building supply chains with the goal of making them cost effective, speedy, high quality, diversified, and resilient to typical disruptions like material shortages, natural disasters, and unplanned business closures. Now companies must also include cybersecurity risks to this list of supply chain risks. These are oftentimes called third-party risks. A cybersecurity attack &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/ot-security-vulnerability-the-enterprise-s-achilles-heel"&gt;can not only cripple your supplier or supplier&amp;rsquo;s supplier&lt;/a&gt;, it can also infiltrate your network if it&amp;rsquo;s not appropriately protected. In either situation, your company could be significantly impacted.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Supply chain cybersecurity is not only the responsibility of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and the cybersecurity program, but also the joint responsibility of the Chief Supply Chain/Procurement Officer and the business entities that rely on the supply chain. This triad of roles must work closely together and ensure they have a full picture of the cybersecurity threats, risks, and mitigation plans for their supply chain. It is not a matter of if, but when, they will need to execute them in this world of increased cybersecurity attacks.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Considerations for Your Supply Chain Cybersecurity Response Plan&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Governance and planning.&lt;/strong&gt; Establish connections and working relationships between the CISO, supply chain and internal customers. Have standard meetings to discuss the readiness of the organization and &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/what-to-do-about-cybersecurity-before-it-s-too-late"&gt;how to handle a cybersecurity response&lt;/a&gt;. This could be part of the company&amp;rsquo;s incident response plan or a unique plan if the company itself is not the primary target of the attack. Plans should be in place to have cybersecurity support in the follow-on meetings with the supplier to determine the extent of the attack and translate what is happening.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inventory. &lt;/strong&gt;Document all supplier connections into your network whether they be through a protected direct network connection, an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or just via e-mails. Document who the owners are on both sides of the connection and the business impact if that connection must be broken for any amount of time during a cybersecurity attack.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Due diligence. &lt;/strong&gt;Make sure you have incorporated cybersecurity-specific requirements and terms into your solicitations and contracts. Ensure you are implementing the appropriate continuous monitoring against these requirements throughout the contract lifecycle as well.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Risks. &lt;/strong&gt;Many companies have &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/products/isg-governx"&gt;very strong supply chain risk management programs&lt;/a&gt; with sophisticated analytics and tracking of goods and services critical to their company&amp;rsquo;s success. Make sure you have added cybersecurity risks to that program and updated those plans to account for the speed at which a supply chain cybersecurity risk can become a significant issue. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communications. &lt;/strong&gt;Know where your company is in the call tree with your key suppliers if they have been the victim of an attack. Once the attack becomes public, customers will be expecting information and may look for it from all parties involved. Be aware that your customers may call you to get an update on how this will impact your ability to serve them. Be ready with a plan for explaining the situation, the business impact and who should handle internal and external communications.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the end, supply chains are critical to the success of your business. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/how-to-think-about-cyber-insurance"&gt;You must be prepared for the inevitable supply chain cybersecurity risk.&lt;/a&gt; The more you are prepared, the less your business will be impacted. If you do not feel you are ready, ISG is here to help you assess and plan so you are ready. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Doug Glair is a Principal Consultant in ISG&amp;rsquo;s cybersecurity practice. Doug is a cybersecurity and supply chain leader with remarkable background leading, designing, and operating large enterprise-wide cybersecurity and supply chain programs. Exceptional relationship builder and collaborator with proven ability to deliver improvements in cybersecurity risk posture using established standards, industry leading practices and ROI-driven controls.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:7b0db795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/how-airlines-are-handling-contact-tracing-and-employee-vaccination-mandates</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Travel, Transportation and Hospitality</category><title>How Airlines Are Handling Contact Tracing and Employee Vaccination Mandates</title><description>How might technology improve the contact tracing process and employee vaccination mandates for a better overall experience for the flying public?</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:52:55 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;After returning to Atlanta from a recent international trip through London Heathrow, I was contacted by the U.K. National Health Service, informing me that someone on my Virgin Atlantic flight had tested positive for COVID-19. Had I still been in the U.K., I would have been required to quarantine for 10 days, but the notification came six days after my return.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The contact tracing process is primitive, with most airlines relying on optional sign-ups for domestic travel and hard copy forms for international travel. Many commercial apps claim to improve and augment manual contact tracing, but download rates are low and most are not being used effectively. Similarly, usage is not yet widespread for contact tracing apps developed and deployed by U.S. states, and there&amp;rsquo;s been limited success to date for the Apple and Google collaboration to enable Bluetooth technology to help government agencies contact trace. This lack of choices has left most airlines resorting to manual contact tracing forms for international travel and no contact tracing at all for domestic travel.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The process was slow, but it did work in my case, though the experience got me thinking about how technology might improve the process, enable domestic contact tracing and make for a better overall experience for the flying public. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;The question of airline customer data &lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Airlines do not conduct contact tracing themselves &amp;ndash; they simply collect the data and send it to government health agencies. As with all customer data &amp;ndash; particularly, in this case, health data &amp;ndash; airlines are concerned with maintaining user privacy. Airlines do have flight and address data for their passengers and could leverage that for quicker contact tracing, but so far, they have chosen to defer that task to government agencies rather than doing it directly. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;COVID vaccines and the accompanying mandates loom even larger than contact tracing in the fight against COVID. Domestic U.S. travel does not require a COVID test or proof of vaccination from passengers before a flight, and no quarantine warnings are sent out, so employee vaccinations will be key to keeping both customers and employees safe as delta and other variants surge. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;How airlines are complying with the federal vaccine mandate&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;United Airlines &amp;ndash; United was the first airline to mandate vaccinations for its employees, with termination the consequence for noncompliance. Despite strong labor contracts, United reports that more than 99.5 percent of their U.S. employees have been vaccinated and the ones that have sought religious exemption have been placed on unpaid personal leave.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Delta &amp;ndash; Having earned a reputation for handling COVID well (keeping middle seats blocked longer than any other carrier, for example), Delta seems to be taking a softer approach, requiring bi-weekly tests for unvaccinated employees rather than mandating the vaccine, and levying a $200/month insurance premium surcharge on unvaccinated employees. The airline does require all new employees are fully vaccinated.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Hawaiian, Frontier, American Airlines and Southwest have opted to comply with the federal employee vaccine mandate. Hawaiian allows religious exemptions but requires negative COVID test results. There was some speculation that Southwest&amp;rsquo;s flight cancellations over the long holiday weekend October 9 &amp;ndash; 11 were due to employee mandate protests, but management denies that&amp;rsquo;s the case.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;JetBlue and Alaska have mandated vaccination proof from employees, citing federal contracts as their reason for compliance.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Las Vegas-based Allegiant and ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit have also indicated they will comply with the federal vaccine mandate, but details are not yet available of how many employees are vaccinated.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Airlines are choosing to comply with the mandates and are publishing data about their vaccination rates in a bid for all-around safety as business and personal travel picks leading into the holiday season. Complying with federal vaccine mandates ensures airlines retain their federal contracts, reassures passengers that airlines are working to keep them safe, and helps recruit new hires. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;COVID and the Customer Experience &lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customer experience is often described in terms of being personal, easy, efficient or inviting. In the age of COVID, it&amp;rsquo;s also all about being safe. As eager as customers are to leave their homes and resume their lives, a safe and comfortable customer experience is the ultimate goal of contact tracing and vaccine uptake. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beyond airlines, other business-to-consumer travel businesses share this need to show &amp;ldquo;hypercare&amp;rdquo; and deliver a socially distant and COVID-safe customer experience that still feels high-touch and customized. Requiring a vaccinated workforce also conveys care for employee safety, bolsters retention and attracts applicants. By facilitating contact tracing for domestic travel and creating a vaccinated population, the travel industry is on the forefront of the post-COVID experience.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps airlines navigate the ever-evolving travel and transportation industry. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Pratibha Salwan is a&amp;nbsp;Director with ISG Consumer Services.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:7000b795-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-it-benchmarking</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Benchmarking</category><category>ISG ProBenchmark</category><title>How to Get the Most Out of IT Benchmarking</title><description>To ensure your benchmark delivers the results you need, take time to understand the process and help it along, set goals early and identify opportunities.</description><pubDate>Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:19:44 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Benchmarking can be an important part of your sourcing strategy. It can deliver insights into whether your service provider agreements are competitive with the market and how to strengthen the overall relationship between the parties. But, to get the most out of a benchmark and reach a fair result, a company&amp;rsquo;s involvement shouldn&amp;rsquo;t stop when a benchmark advisor is selected; both the enterprise client and the service provider should work to be prepared and active partners in every step of the process.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In my years helping companies benchmark their sourced services, I&amp;rsquo;ve seen a world of difference in the outcomes when benchmark participants follow best practices. To ensure your benchmark delivers the results you need, take time to understand the process and help it along, set goals early and identify opportunities. This can lead to improved service delivery, a shared set of expectations and greater value in the final results. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Frequently Asked Questions about IT Benchmarking &lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;How can I ensure reliable and useful results from an IT contract benchmark? &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The first step is selecting an experienced benchmark partner. At a basic level, a benchmark compares the terms, scope, service levels and other attributes of a contract with comparable services (and therefore prices) in the market. When choosing a benchmark partner, seek one with a proven, market-accepted methodology and deep data assets; both are critical to delivering a fair and accurate result.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Understand that, in studying the differences between your contract and the market, benchmarkers are seeking to understand more than just data; they want to understand the full contract, the services and volumes offered, how they are delivered, and at what level of quality. Benchmark specialists use these details to define the scope of the comparison and find comparable contracts in the market to base the benchmark comparisons and eventual results.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Consider what your thought process might be if you were looking to buy one of two houses. While price would be a major factor, you wouldn&amp;rsquo;t make your decision solely on which one was cheaper&amp;mdash;to know the real value of the house, you would have to look deeper into how many rooms each one had, the quality of the building materials, if there were extra amenities, like a pool, or how close each was to a train or a good school. It&amp;rsquo;s the same when benchmarking contracts against one another: the devil, as they say, is in the details.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Companies can support benchmark exercises in several ways: first, share key documents, including the contract, addendums, pricing tables, responsibility matrixes and invoices. Being forthcoming and open makes a huge difference in terms of fair and balanced results. Actively participate in all workshops and meetings, say yes to interview requests and other productive investigations: the more a benchmarking firm understands about your contract, the better the results of the benchmark and, in the end, the more likely you are to see the results as valid.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additionally, be open about why you decided to execute a benchmark and what your relationship is with your service provider. It may sound obvious, but hiding the reasons you decided to conduct a benchmark can elongate the process and ultimately hinder the results you are looking for.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;What can I do to make a benchmark more effective? &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Think clearly about your reasons for starting the benchmark exercise and what your expectations are for the results. Some common outcomes are:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Reducing costs or gaining investment dollars&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Confirming access to new innovations&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Market testing prices ahead of an extension&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Revising terms and conditions or service-level agreements&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Realigning your relationship with your provider&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Knowing your goals will also help you decide which kind of benchmarking is best. &amp;ldquo;Tripartite&amp;rdquo; benchmarks occur when the benchmark clause in a contract is executed and the advisor acts as a neutral fact finder on behalf of two business partners&amp;mdash;the buyer and provider of services. In other instances, a benchmark might be conducted to review a contract without the provider&amp;rsquo;s input. This version can help inform the buyer before renegotiation or contract extension.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that knowing your goals is different from predicting your outcomes; having a preconceived idea of the outcomes can lead to disappointment. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Often, clients go into a benchmark exercise expecting to find a major misalignment with the market and, consequently, large savings. But it is just as likely to find that it is not the market but their own requirements that are constraining their provider&amp;rsquo;s service. Efficiency gains and pricing improvements are often a shared responsibility.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work with your benchmark partner to review the overall relationship alignment with your provider and be open to opportunities for improvement by both you and your provider. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;What can I expect to learn from a benchmark? &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Benchmarking&amp;mdash;done collaboratively and in an open manner&amp;mdash;can create outcomes beyond measuring competitiveness. These opportunities include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;How do you compare to your peers in terms of service and strategy?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Where do you have strengths and opportunities to improve service delivery and value that aligns with the overall business and IT strategy?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What major step changes in the overall operating model are available?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What changes to the overall sourcing model will bring in the best partners for innovation and growth?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;These opportunities tend to be areas that can lead to growth rather than describing problems that need to be solved. Although you may be surprised by how intertwined those two ideas may be.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I worked with one CIO who was surprised to learn how much agita was caused by some redundant systems left over from an acquisition. His provider team was busier than they needed to be, not bringing innovation to the table, and costs were high, but no senior staff had noticed because there were no problems in the day-to-day workflow. Nothing was &amp;ldquo;broken,&amp;rdquo; in other words, but the results we discovered about the larger context allowed him to improve efficiency, price and the relationship with the service provider.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;How can a benchmark improve our service provider relationships?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A benchmark is a comparative process, but it doesn&amp;rsquo;t just provide the opportunity to compare the terms of an arrangement. It also gives parties an opportunity to compare the overall health of the business relationship.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ve seen benchmarks in which both parties are eager to participate in the process and are open to the results and the opportunity to improve their relationship. I&amp;rsquo;ve also seen cases where the two parties are in conflict and are using the benchmark as a hammer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;When it&amp;rsquo;s gotten to this point, you need to think beyond the benchmark to re-aligning the entire relationship and, in some instances, moving on to another provider. The thing to remember in either case is that, while a benchmarking team delivers results, what happens after the benchmark is up to you.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Are you looking to move forward with your service provider? Are you seeking to end a relationship and move on? There&amp;rsquo;s no right or wrong answer, but heading into benchmarking with that knowledge will help your company yield the most benefits from its results. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/benchmarking"&gt;ISG benchmarking services&lt;/a&gt; help you track and meet your cost, performance and quality objectives. Our data is unmatched &amp;ndash; it comes from detailed engagements with client organizations and providers rather than just from market research.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Kathy Rudy is Chief Data and Analytics Officer of ISG and a member of the ISG Executive Board. She was named to this post in January 2020. Kathy is responsible for the development of ISG data solutions and platforms to deliver new and even more valuable insights to our clients, as part of the overall ISG Platform strategy. She is working across the firm to enhance our data products, develop data-driven consulting assets, and increase our go-to-market effectiveness. Throughout her 20 years with the firm, Kathy has supported hundreds of client organizations as they leverage data to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness in their IT operations, build measurement programs and support critical sourcing decisions. She was responsible for the development of ISG Inform&amp;trade;, the firm&amp;rsquo;s next-generation data-as-a-service platform solution, launched in 2019. Before joining ISG in 2000, Kathy, a graduate of Michigan State University, was part of the Unisys team that managed the transition from internally delivered IT services to an outsourced environment for the City of Chicago.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:6bfdb695-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/how-to-identify-and-resource-your-core-competencies-for-strategic-growth</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Strategy</category><title>How to Identify and Resource Your Core Competencies for Strategic Growth</title><description>Which capabilities need to be in-house and which can be outsourced? Learn how to identify and resource your core competencies for strategic growth.</description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 20:27:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Which capabilities need to be in-house and which can be outsourced ? For many, this question is an uncomfortable one. Especially when the ratio of in-house to outsourced resources needs to be strategically justified. It&amp;rsquo;s much easier to simply base your direction on what your IT organization currently does best. But striking the right balance of capabilities with internal and outsourced resources is a critical job.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;What are the skills and abilities you need in-house to secure your business success long-term? In view of the disruptive changes that ever-increasing digitalization will bring to almost all areas of the business, IT must become much more transparent. External shocks such as COVID-19 and far-reaching market changes such as the energy revolu­tion further increase the need for clarity.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;These are the five most important points for understanding which skills belong in-house, which advanced skills need to be developed and where sourcing solutions are appropriate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Core skills determine scope of internal services.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Corporate strategy is the starting point for all deliberations. Core skills are particularly relevant. How do we differentiate ourselves in the market? What skills do we need to respond in a timely manner to new customer requirements and successfully develop a business model? What knowledge and skills are part of our permanent toolkit, which will get me back on track quickly and achieve new growth even after external shocks? Example: Do our marketing skills stand out? A core IT skill must then be reliably and promptly implementing sales innovations. It&amp;rsquo;s possible you&amp;rsquo;ll want to resource this important competency with at least 80 percent in-house staff.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;strong&gt;2. Enterprise agility changes the capability resourcing equation.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;There is no question that technological megatrends such as AI, IoT and cloud computing are constantly redefining the skills needed to make change. But this should not distract from the fact that a major change lies somewhere else. Organizations are increasingly managing products and services in teams that run vertically through the entire value chain. The waterfall model of the past is no longer useful for productization. Instead, working in a way that enables product owners to manage their teams in an agile manner is what matters. This is the backdrop against which IT must determine where in its value chain it needs additional development skills as well as newly structured roles. Two important questions are: 1) what are our core competencies, and 2) if we were to switch off all external provider relationships, are we capable of accomplishing our core competencies on our own?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Clarifying core in-house services is a prerequisite of successful IT strategies.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The question of skills and abilities leads directly to the people already on board. What tasks does your team actually perform? Honesty is crucial. Should the status quo of earlier IT strategies be continued or should the challenges created by the current business strategy now be addressed? An honest comparison of what is and what should be will help strategically balance decision-making. When key internal skills need to be expanded, strengthening insourcing can at least partially help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Decisions need to be differentiated by fields of activity.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;IT&amp;rsquo;s internal contribution rate actually rarely hits 100 percent. In other words, almost all work can involve outside support, and rates of 70, 50 or even 0 percent can be useful options. Make the relevance of the work to the business strategy the most important criteria. Take the automotive industry as an example: Architectural design in software development is weighted significantly differently in e-mobility than in the field of combustion engines.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Managing a core portfolio of in-house services mitigates operational risk. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Determining the appropriate ratio of internal and outsourced resources is a continuous task. An organization should always be given enough time to adapt. Reviewing quotas annually is, as a rule, sufficient &amp;ndash; and doing this simultaneously with the review of business and IT strategy is a wise idea. But stay on the ball, especially in view of the disruptive changes you are facing. Resourcing core competencies internally is a vital way to minimize operational risks and retain the ability to react to the market. Especially in times of market upheaval and crisis.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Would you like to learn more about striking the right resourcing balance for core competencies? &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to find out how ISG can help. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Mr. Loeer is a proven leader in IT operation and management and in IT outsourcing. He has demonstrated expertise in assessment, strategy development and sourcing transactions. Friedrich's clients benefit from his 35 years of IT industry tenure, his practical experience in IT thereof more than 18 years in sourcing. Friedrich also offers clients his expertise in the financial services industry, manufacturing and automotive.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:02e6b695-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/how-to-prevent-ransomware-attacks</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Consulting</category><category>Cyber Security</category><title>How to Prevent Ransomware Attacks</title><description>How should your enterprise prevent ransomware attacks? Get our leading practice recommendations to questions that are on top of the mind of every CXO.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2021 18:48:34 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Ransomware attacks are on the rise and getting increasingly sophisticated by the day. Many companies around the world are facing a record number of data breaches and phishing attacks. Some Fortune 500 organizations have faced threats in recent times while many others are anticipating and preparing themselves against the next attack. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;How severe will the impact be? What are the best practices to protect the organization in the eventuality of an attack? What tools can help protect against such attacks or at least help detect them on time? Here is our concept of leading practice recommendations to some of these questions that are on top of the mind of every CXO. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;What you need to know about cybercrime&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The pandemic has forced companies to adopt a hybrid work model that demands enforcing different security paradigms. As technology advances, the threat landscape is also constantly adapting to the changing technologies. Research reports state that most IT organizations face one or more threats. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A recent &lt;a href="https://www.bitkom.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/200211_bitkom_studie_wirtschaftsschutz_2020_final.pdf"&gt;cybersecurity research study by Bitkom&lt;/a&gt; showed that 70% of all companies that experienced a ransomware attack faced severe damage. The research also highlights that, in 25% of all cases, critical passwords were stolen, while 23% cases saw malware infections and phishing attacks. Over 82% of all participating companies expect a further increase in ransomware attacks. Bitkom has issued a cautionary note that the severity and complexity of such attacks will only rise in future. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Among the many myths surrounding cyberattacks, a popular one is that only large organizations are targeted. Research has shown that this is far from the truth. As per the &lt;a href="https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/04/29/middle-market-data-breaches/"&gt;U.S Chamber of Commerce&lt;/a&gt;, 33% of mid-market executives said they experienced ransomware attacks or demand in 2020. Thisi extends beyond large companies and cities to even &lt;a href="https://www.dw.com/en/rural-german-district-declares-disaster-after-cyberattack/a-58227484"&gt;rural districts&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Today, cybercrime has reached epic proportions with global online extortion raking in over $&lt;a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/cybercriminals-raking-in-1-5-trillion-every-year/"&gt;1.5 trillion USD&lt;/a&gt; in a year. It is taking shape into an organized crime syndicate with sophisticated operations, multi-layers of workers &amp;ndash; from coders to data miners and even money-laundering specialists. Governments and law enforcement bodies are assimilating available information and monitoring these newly formed cartels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A study by &lt;a href="https://analyst1.com/file-assets/RANSOM-MAFIA-ANALYSIS-OF-THE-WORLD%E2%80%99S-FIRST-RANSOMWARE-CARTEL.pdf"&gt;Analyst1&lt;/a&gt; shows several ransomware gangs including Twisted Spider (creators of Maze and Egregor ransomware), Viking Spider (creators of the Ragnar Locker ransomware), Wizard Spider (creators of Conti and Ryuk ransomware) and Lockbit Gang joined hands to run coordinated attacks and data leaks and even share intelligence and infrastructure. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The United States celebrates the month of October as &lt;strong&gt;Cybersecurity Awareness Month&lt;/strong&gt; as a collaborative effort between government and the private sector to raise the importance of cyber safety and online security.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;At this point, prevention and detection are the best available options for organizations. This necessitates the need to invest in the latest technology, obtain third-party cyber expertise and create security awareness from the grassroots level. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;How to mitigate ransomware attacks&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;In a response to the pandemic, a new future is unfolding. The tremendous potential of a hybrid workforce that goes beyond the enterprise&amp;rsquo;s perimeter is unleashing across the world. Most organizations, however, are ill-equipped to respond to an attack. The 2020 cybersecurity study by Bitkom shows that 96% of participating organizations regard ransomware attacks as one of the most threatening scenarios. Yet, successful ransomware attacks demonstrate a significant lack of preparedness and a serious lack of precautions in most organizations.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Ransomware attacks typically exploit endpoint vulnerabilities and often spread with the help of end-user privileges. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Short-term counter-response strategies to stop the spread of malicious ransomware &lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Restrict administrative access. &lt;/strong&gt;Restricting end-user privileges and all end-user admins makes it harder for attackers to gain administrative rights on any kind of system. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) as this can significantly limit the lateral spread of an attack. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scan IT infrastructures.&lt;/strong&gt; Scanning for and patching vulnerabilities, non-compliances and abnormal configurations is an important ongoing activity. Apart from unaware users, vulnerable systems pose the greatest opportunity for attacks. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;an incident response strategy: &lt;/strong&gt;Create an effective incident response strategy and regularly put them to the test. A well-structured incident response plan can quickly help detect, minimize the damage and reduce the cost of a cyberattack while preventing future threats.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ensure&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;backup and recovery or critical data and systems. &lt;/strong&gt;Protect the backup repository systems for a speedy recovery of your critical systems and administrative functions. Know the interdependencies between systems and data for a successful large-scale recovery.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;your&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;security&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;network.&lt;/strong&gt; Using a qualified third-party penetration testing service for anomalies, risks and possible vulnerabilities will help you avoid bigger damages. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heighten&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;internal awareness. &lt;/strong&gt;Emphasize organization-wide cybersecurity awareness with a strong focus on threats such as social engineering and phishing. Share information, employee training modules, and precaution measures (strong passwords, personal responsibilities, safe data storage, and retrieval) to monitor, analyze and build defense mechanisms. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Long-term counter-response strategies to protect against ransomware &lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prioritize ransomware prevention.&lt;/strong&gt; The U.S. government has elevated ransomware threats to a level of priority similar to that of &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-give-ransomware-hacks-similar-priority-terrorism-official-says-2021-06-03/"&gt;terrorism&lt;/a&gt;. This is the level of priority that corporate leadership needs to accord to cyberthreats. Apart from setting up security teams, upgrade technical and organizational measures and allocate budgets in proportion to the average cost of recovering from a ransomware attack (potential business losses, cost of restoring data, ransom pay) and its impact. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;d&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ata security encryption&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;It can help avoid data breaches and reduce the possibility of a loss of business and reputation. Data security is not just an IT but a core business continuity issue.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assess&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;disaster recovery: &lt;/strong&gt;The need for a robust disaster recovery plan that is frequently tested and proven for rapid recovery to a ransomware attack cannot be stressed enough. It is vital to conduct business continuity exercises, assess risks involved and develop a detailed recovery plan ready to be swung into action. ISG offers Disaster Recovery Assessment services, combining the best elements of the NIST 800-34 (rev 1) contingency planning guide and the Service Continuity module of Carnegie Mellon University SEI Resiliency Management Model.&amp;nbsp;Our clients who are confident of their well-preparedness at the end of their first assessment workshop learned to identify the major shortcomings in the implementation of their documented measures during subsequent drill downs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;One of the key measures is to ensure your cybersecurity program incorporates adequate balance and resiliency in its execution plan. While there is a need to focus on the protection and detection of the attackers to prevent a ransomware attack, it is equally important to have a strong back-end system with tested and proven disaster recovery plans to help recover quickly.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Strategic preparedness and tactical readiness for cybersecurity&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The world is waking up to the dangers of ransomware. With devastating attacks becoming more&amp;nbsp;frequent, companies are taking days or even weeks to recover from it, and in many circumstances, a full recovery may not even be possible. What is required is a combination of strategic preparedness and tactical readiness that can help an organization navigate risks by evolving through disruption and uncertainty.&amp;nbsp;Just as companies innovate and create continuously better products to stay ahead of the competition, threats need to be constantly monitored, risks and vulnerabilities continually mitigated and employees informed and trained on the latest security risks. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps enterprises build and incorporate a culture of security.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With over 30 year of experience in the industry, Roger Albrecht supports customers in various industries in the challenges of enterprise digitization and strategic security initiatives. Roger specializes in strategic security consulting to address modern security needs across the enterprise.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:38e4b595-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/the-outlook-for-microsoft-outlook-and-the-evolution-of-collaboration-software</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Consulting</category><category>Does Your IT Spend Support Your Business?</category><category>Software Advisory Services</category><title>The Outlook for Microsoft Outlook and the Evolution of Collaboration Software</title><description>At its Inspire conference, Microsoft announced plans that demonstrate just how far it is willing to go to drive users from Outlook to Teams.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2021 18:29:31 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Since the introduction of Microsoft Outlook &amp;ndash; which first launched in 1997 as part of the Office 97 bundle and the preferred email client for Exchange 5.5 &amp;ndash; it has been the application in which Microsoft has most wanted you to spend your time.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Email technology has been under the microscope for the past several years now. The introduction of more modern collaboration tools such as Google Workspaces, Slack, Yammer, Box, Workplace for Facebook, Jive, Zoom and many others make this a dynamic market.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Collaboration solutions eclipse email clients&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Microsoft Teams is Microsoft&amp;rsquo;s collaboration solution. It is specific to Office 365 and embedded in all currently available &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/software-advisory-services/articles/the-calculus-of-adding-new-office-365-functionality"&gt;0365 subscriptions&lt;/a&gt; (including F1, F3, E1, E3 and E5), which means it is not a traditional on-premises software application and not available a la carte. It effectively reshuffles standalone services or Office 365 bundles into a single application. By collapsing a number of services that were previously made available as standalone services (SharePoint, Lync, Skype, Yammer, PBX, PSTN), Microsoft made Teams to become the dominant user interface, displacing the Outlook client with a &amp;ldquo;stickier&amp;rdquo; solution.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/articles/microsoft-announces-windows-365-as-azure-virtual-desktop-adoption-increases-time-to-invest-in-daas"&gt;At its Inspire conference this summer&lt;/a&gt;, Microsoft announced plans that demonstrate just how far it is willing to go to drive users from Outlook to Teams. Microsoft competes in today&amp;rsquo;s market based on three large cloud platforms: Microsoft 365, Azure and Dynamics 365. The Dynamics 365 model monetizes any user access to Dynamics 365 data with subscriptions that provide data access ranging from casual to comprehensive. Microsoft is planning to add casual Dynamics 365 data access to Teams at no cost, thus reducing current Dynamics 365 costs for lightweight licensing.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This announcement reinforces the tie Microsoft is keen to establish between Teams and Dynamics 365 by eliminating the &amp;ldquo;licensing tax&amp;rdquo; that had previously held customers back from using the available integration. Additionally, it puts Microsoft on competitive footing with the customer relationship management solution made possible by Salesforce&amp;rsquo;s recent acquisition and integration of the Slack collaboration application.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Platforms that combine stand-alone services&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Teams supports several Microsoft add-ons. It is rumored that it will redesign its diagramming and vector graphics application Visio to offer a lightweight version via Teams. Not only would this save the cost of traditional Visio Plan 1 and Plan 2 subscriptions, it would also save organizations any Software Assurance spend directed at on-premises Visio. This seems to be another way Microsoft is positioning Teams as the user interface that displaces Outlook.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Microsoft is continuing to add functionality to Teams to make it the natural landing zone for users when they log in into work. For example, Microsoft Viva, a separate Office 365 user subscription, delivers a virtual workspace within Teams intended to better connect traditional remote and recent office workers now working from home. Viva purportedly uses automation and artificial intelligence to monitor and aid Teams users with time management and can direct users to learning content to meet performance objectives. To ensure Teams is a primary landing zone for users, Microsoft is committed to opening Teams up to third-party integration across many disciplines and providers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;All these announcements clearly have implications for users who typically manage their day through their interaction with the Outlook email client and, by extension, with email in general.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Is Microsoft finessing a move to Teams?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;While Microsoft has not specifically messaged this to the market, it is making choices with respect to its Exchange email application that could be construed as ranking Outlook lower on the priority list &amp;ndash; or even on a path to ultimate retirement. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Take, for example, the already announced changes to the Exchange on-premises business model.&amp;nbsp; Beginning with Exchange 2022, users will no longer be able to purchase perpetual licenses. This means Microsoft could technically shut down an on-premises email system if it chooses to end the subscription program with which it&amp;rsquo;s planning to replace the current perpetual model. In addition, it will require newer access and storage protocols.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Are these design and administrative changes a deliberate attempt to redirect users from Outlook to Teams?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Current Microsoft customers should &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/software-advisory-services"&gt;evaluate their needs for communication and collaboration&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; and get a clear understanding of the rapidly changing marketplace. Technology companies &amp;ndash; by their nature &amp;ndash; are ushering in the next generation of tools to replace the old. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/software-advisory-services/articles/negotiating-with-microsoft-the-goliath-of-software-vendors"&gt;Buyers must understand that the natural consequence of this trend can be an increased dependency&lt;/a&gt;. Moving to Microsoft Teams involves quite a bit of organizational change management and some careful planning to mitigate the new liabilities in your Microsoft relationship. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Working with a qualified advisor can help you understand how email and collaboration services are changing and how you will need to adapt to avoid unexpected surprises and costs. &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how we can help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Louis joined the ISG team in early 2014 after nearly 20 years with Microsoft Corporation. Louis has compiled a track record of Enterprise client success underpinned by customer focus, strategic thinking, organizational agility, problem-solving acumen and impactful knowledge transfer which has established his reputation as a Microsoft licensing expert.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;During his time with Microsoft, Louis worked in both the Consulting Service Group as a Practice Manager and in the Worldwide Licensing and Pricing Group as a Director responsible for designing and negotiating Global Volume Licensing relationships. As a highly effective and influential communicator/negotiator, Louis has delivered consistent business results across both revenue and quality of service performance targets.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:f5daaf95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/why-look-at-a-fully-integrated-cloud-erp-platform</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Technology Adoption</category><category>Digital Transformation Mastering the Change</category><category>Consulting</category><category>Cloud ERP</category><title>Why Look at a Fully Integrated Cloud ERP Platform</title><description>Everything about ERP has changed in the last few years. Why should enterprises look at a fully integrated cloud ERP platform? Here are seven reasons.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2020 20:23:11 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;For many corporate employees, work life has changed before our very eyes. The commute is gone and, for many, will not return. Cars, work clothes and printers are sitting idle, and we replaced conference calls with Zoom calls overnight. For all the many issues COVID has caused, we&amp;rsquo;ve also seen technologies of all types advance and quickly become part of daily life. Who would have guessed that, within weeks, Ford and GM could be producing enough ventilators to supply the world?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the midst of this, a U.S.-based enterprise client told me its similarly sized Chinese competitor was spending 80 percent less on IT than it was. In fact, my client spent more on its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system alone than the other company spent on its entire IT budget. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;How do fully integrated ERP platforms fit into this? Some time ago, ERP vendors determined it was necessary to have a full stack of applications to meet its customers&amp;rsquo; business needs. As companies moved to the cloud, they no longer wanted multiple, disparate applications from the same vendor. Thus, ERP users gained a huge advantage as vendors scrambled to buy software companies to complete their offerings, and then take the best of what they could find and build them into a single integrated offering. This worked best for enterprises building a system from scratch, but the process becomes more complex when a company already has modules in place that its employees use and like. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div style="float:right; margin:20px; max-width: 402px;"&gt;&lt;img src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/full-cloud-erp-platform-1.png?sfvrsn=a99ec531_2" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Full-Cloud-ERP-Platform-1" title="Full-Cloud-ERP-Platform-1" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;Figure 1: Full Cloud ERP Platform Contains Four Application Suites&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/cloud-erp/articles/where-is-erp-headed-in-2020-the-cloud-erp-decade"&gt;the cloud ERP market today&lt;/a&gt;, software vendors have tightened up their offerings to include integrated functionality across major business areas, including human capital management, customer relationship management, supply chain management and finance. Many providers are now beginning to incorporate artificial intelligence or robotics process automation (RPA) with chatbots to handle customer queries and workflows that enable a seamless customer experience.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As Thomas Friedman said, &amp;ldquo;Technology is accelerating faster than our ability to adapt. We can catch up. The future of humanity will depend on our ability to adapt to and work with&amp;nbsp;technology.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Everything about ERP has changed in the last few years, including its very definition. Why should enterprises look at a fully integrated cloud ERP platform? Here are seven reasons: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Security.&lt;/strong&gt; In early conversations with enterprises about moving to the cloud, security was a top concern. Today, the entire business model for cloud ERP providers is focused on securely delivering the latest cybersecurity functionality. Because it is now generally accepted that cloud ERP is more secure than on-premises solutions, the trust factor is high. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Workflow and integrated business process.&lt;/strong&gt; These are the two biggest efficiency advancements in integrated ERP. A workflow triggers a necessary action from either the system or another individual allowing a transaction to move seamlessly between lines of business. With integration, a procurement requisition can be created, then flow to the right approvers based on dollar amount, and, when received, be brought into inventory and trigger appropriate financial entries. A unified platform allows for greater levels of automation and greater return on investment. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reporting and analytics&lt;/strong&gt;. Yesterday&amp;rsquo;s reporting is today&amp;rsquo;s analytics. This is why companies need an-out-of-the-box analytical system that can take in all the data, analyze it and display it in an easy-to-consume dashboard that doesn&amp;rsquo;t require customization. A fully integrated cloud ERP pulls data from all related applications and facilitates improved data-driven outcomes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Common self-service access&lt;/strong&gt;. Today&amp;rsquo;s ERPs allow employees to make updates and access their records instantly from anywhere on any device. Single sign-on and dual-factor authentication ensure secure user access. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Single data entry point&lt;/strong&gt;. Using single sign-on to make changes in the system, such as adding a beneficiary or updating an address, is a best practice. In a full integrated cloud ERP, a single data record flows to finance, payroll and benefits. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ERP center of excellence (CoE) for managing releases, changes and testing. &lt;/strong&gt;The most important elements of a move to an integrated cloud ERP solution are the automatic software updates, new releases and testing. Not only do ERP users no longer have to treat each application individually, they also are freed from having to test the integration after an upgrade.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reliability. &lt;/strong&gt;Cloud ERP products are promising up-time service levels of 99.7% with an expectation of exceeding those. High rates of reliability and redundancy are key to their success &amp;ndash; and ultimately the customers&amp;rsquo; success as well.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;If your organization is looking to cut expenses or get a better handle on operations, &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/cloud-erp/articles/replacing-your-erp-five-steps-to-success"&gt;moving to a fully integrated ERP system in the cloud&lt;/a&gt; should be one of the first things to consider. ISG understands the complexity of selecting a cloud vendor, moving to a fully integrated platform and handling the implications of such a significant change. Contact us to find out how &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/cloud-erp"&gt;we can help you with your cloud ERP undertaking&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; As Director at ISG, Jim leads ISG&amp;rsquo;s ERP and Cloud Business Systems practice and draws upon extensive experience in ERP, shared services, outsourcing and supply chain management to help clients define and implement their Cloud ERP technology and service delivery strategies. Jim has 30 years of experience in ERP implementations, shared services, and was involved with Cloud Implementations before it was called Cloud, with a focus on enabling technologies. He has been involved in over 200 engagements across various ERP/ Analytic / CX platforms to include, Financials, Analytics, Source to Pay, Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Record to Report, Manufacturing, Inventory, Human Capital Systems, and CRM.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:81cbaf95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/everything-depends-on-network-transformation</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Network Advisory &amp; Select</category><category>Does Your IT Spend Support Your Business?</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Everything Depends on Network Transformation</title><description>A stronger, digital-ready network drives growth potential across revenue, profit, customer retention &amp; more. Now is the time to make your network digital-ready.</description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2020 19:46:54 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Today&amp;rsquo;s enterprises are working feverishly to design interactive digital customer and employee experiences. Whether it is through connected devices, new applications, automation technologies, enhanced security controls or moving to the cloud, every enterprise is embarking on a digital transformation journey of some kind. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The problem is, as enterprises embark on digital transformation, their need for improved performance, monitoring and security grows significantly &amp;ndash; and, all the while, they also must maintain cost efficiency. Critical business applications that enable digital transformations like SAP and Salesforce require massive amounts of bandwidth. In short, &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/resource-center/resource-center-articles/top-5-ways-to-rethink-your-network-for-your-new-future"&gt;companies need to transform their networks&lt;/a&gt; to support the new requirements of digital transformation. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Network sourcing strategies are evolving rapidly and forward-thinking enterprises are adopting multiple approaches as they transform their networks. While most global enterprises are adopting an overlay/underlay model with a preferred integration partner to help them on the transformation journey, the transformed network itself can take on different flavors. ISG has seen three predominant models emerge:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Fully outsourced network managed services (MNS) and services integration (SI) supported by a regional carrier transport model, which is as close to network-as-a-service (NaaS) as is operationally possible&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Hybrid WAN networking using a combination of MPLS and DIA&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Broadband access aggregation for smaller sites, augmented by a combination of hybrid WAN for corporate networks. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;One thing seems certain: the legacy &amp;ldquo;one carrier fits all&amp;rdquo; model is largely dead.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And the technology and network provider market is in flux as it responds, with the emergence of &amp;ldquo;born in the cloud&amp;rdquo; firms that specialize in communication platforms-as-a-service (CPaaS), unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS), contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) and security-as-a-service (SecaaS). There is no question that network centralization and virtualization in the cloud is dramatically changing enterprise network designs and purchasing models. For many organizations, cloud services are considered a differentiator. And, as network services increase in complexity, buyers are looking to shift to managed services. Global carriers are adapting to this changing landscape as we speak.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Ninety percent of large enterprises are using the internet for direct WAN connectivity and 70 percent are in the process of using or testing software-defined WAN (SD-WAN). But emerging SD-WAN offerings from carriers and software providers with little standardization are confusing &amp;ndash; and buyers are increasingly reaching toward service aggregators who promise reduced costs, comfort with plain internet service and multiple broadband providers. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, ongoing merger and acquisition activity in the telecom industry is fuelling global competition and rate compression, which is creating significant pricing gaps in the middle of contract terms. This means the opportunity for enterprises to optimize their networks has never been better than it is today. The ingredients are all there: growing demand for digital transformation, greater market options, lower rates and better contract terms.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If next-generation networks are business enablers and catalysts for digital transformation, what do next-generation networks look like? They offer:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Greater visibility and control with standardized and harmonized services&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Faster deployment cycles and site connectivity to aid agile digital business&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Customer-centric focus for improving the user experience &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Increased operational efficiency&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Financially optimized right-first-time delivery&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Enhanced security controls, encryption and network segmentation to meet evolving threats and satisfy regulatory compliance&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Access to regional providers and secure internet connectivity and SDWAN overlay&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Increased cloud adoption via cloud exchanges and direct SaaS connectivity via internet &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Greater stability via automated tooling and leading best practices &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now is the time to make your network digital-ready, leverage significant cost optimization strategies in the near-term to enable your digital network transformation and provide the best possible return for the enterprise. The implications are clear. A stronger, digital-ready network drives stronger growth potential across revenue, profit, customer retention and productivity. Gone are the days of issuing an RFP with a list of questions and requirements, pricing, terms and conditions. The sourcing market is no longer a like-for-like market in sourcing. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/network-advisory-services"&gt;ISG can help your enterprise&lt;/a&gt; through a collaborative process to ensure you end up with outcome-based solutions and a network infrastructure customized to your environment.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the authors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Phil Hugus serves as Partner, leading ISG&amp;rsquo;s Research consulting and benchmarking practice for Europe. For the past thirteen years with the firm, Phil and his teams have led hundreds of client procurement, contract negotiation, benchmarking and market guidance engagements. Phil leads a team of industry provider experts providing global market intelligence, benchmarking support and sales enablement strategies for ISG&amp;rsquo;s provider and network carrier clients. Most recently Phil was assigned to oversee ISG&amp;rsquo;s Research practice in Europe. Phil&amp;rsquo;s vast experience in the telecommunications industry includes merger-related operations and restructuring, strategic development, market development and launch, strategic contract negotiations, and international management.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Margot Wall is a Principal Consultant with ISG since 2007, directly responsible for production and development of ISG Provider Services Carrier Deliverables, including Market Trends, Win/Loss Reports and additional ISG Research. With more than 25 years of experience in Telecom, she brings considerable depth and breadth in network technologies and solutions, having represented all facets of both the client and carrier side of the equation.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:2a75af95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/4-areas-where-diversity-and-inclusion-(d-i)-technology-can-enable-organization-wide-change</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>HR Technology</category><category>HR Technology and Delivery Services</category><category>Consulting</category><title>4 Areas Where Diversity and Inclusion (D&amp;I) Technology Can Enable Organization-Wide Change</title><description>The HR technology market features a breadth of innovative solutions offering increased scale, consistency &amp; better insights to an organization’s D&amp;I efforts.</description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2020 16:26:16 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;With diversity and inclusion (D&amp;amp;I) programs taking an increasingly important role in organizations today, companies are turning to digital solutions to help drive improved diversity and inclusion. The HR technology market now features a breadth of innovative solutions offering increased scale, consistency and better insights to an organization&amp;rsquo;s D&amp;amp;I efforts.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Business and HR leaders recognize that greater diversity and inclusion (D&amp;amp;I) impacts a company&amp;rsquo;s culture and brand, its ability to attract and retain talent, and its business performance. Studies consistently show that diverse organizations are more innovative, have better business outcomes, and are more profitable. More than ever, organizations will be looking at D&amp;amp;I as imperative to creating better business outcomes and better human outcomes when all employees feel included and valued in the workplace.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Organizations are increasingly turning to technology to drive consistency, scalability, and better insights for their diversity initiatives. There is a robust market for D&amp;amp;I technology tools, with well over a hundred different D&amp;amp;I technology vendors. The areas where we see the most traction in the D&amp;amp;I technology market can broadly be categorized as talent acquisition, learning and development, employee engagement, and analytics.&amp;nbsp;Keep reading to learn more, or &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;with any questions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Talent Acquisition&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;D&amp;amp;I technology for talent acquisition has been a significant growth area. There is a breadth of solutions for attracting a diverse workforce, reducing unconscious bias in the recruiting process, and facilitating effective candidate selection. Some examples include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Text evaluation to minimize bias in job postings&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Job posting outreach tools with recognized networks of diverse candidates&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Automation capabilities to remove resume names or identifying information to eliminate unconscious bias in the recruiting process&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Video-based AI to assess interviewers&amp;rsquo; potential biases through speech and body movements during interviews with candidates&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Resume analysis for evidence of skills that match existing job descriptions to broaden the potential candidate pool and facilitate more objective matching&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Talent acquisition is the cornerstone of any diversity strategy, and we expect the level of D&amp;amp;I technology adoption in this area to accelerate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Learning and Development&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;On the learning and development front, organizations have traditionally provided sexual harassment training or unconscious bias training as part of their D&amp;amp;I efforts. However, new approaches to D&amp;amp;I are gaining interest. For example, vendors such as Being VR or Equal Reality provide virtual reality awareness, unconscious bias, and diversity training to help employees better understand colleagues&amp;rsquo; points of view &amp;ndash; including those of a different race, gender, or ability &amp;ndash; and practice behaviors in workplace situations.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Other vendors in this space deliver micro-training, such as using a chatbot to interrupt bias, and recommending unconscious bias learning content within platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. Numerous vendors help diverse employees find mentors within or outside their current networks or technology to offer personalized career pathing and targeted skills development.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Employee Engagement&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Listening and engagement software is another critical category of D&amp;amp;I solutions. A lot of the feedback and listening vendors enable organizations to tailor survey questions and use sentiment analysis to identify themes in the feedback. Other technology in this category helps organizations evaluate their cultures in real-time and identify when teams may not behave in inclusive ways.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Leadership and employee engagement technology, such as that provided by the vendor Cultivate, can even start to measure differences in how a manager communicates based on data from workplace communication platforms (such as email, chat, and calendar). This helps the manager improve self-awareness and understand if they are acting consistently and inclusively.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;Analytics&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;D&amp;amp;I analytics are core to developing insights in the workplace, guiding decision making, and prioritizing the D&amp;amp;I areas that need improvement. Common data captured for analytics include information on diversity representation within the organization, critical sources of talent, promotion, and turnover rates of diverse talent, and data on pay equity. Intelligence gained from these solutions helps assess the impact of specific D&amp;amp;I activities on business outcomes (for example, where to invest recruitment dollars for the highest performing talent) and estimate the financial impact of D&amp;amp;I initiatives (such as achieving gender equity for an organization). Not only are there standalone and niche solutions in the market, such as Visier, Pipeline, or Sameworks, but many of the leading HCM technologies have capabilities here as well.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Other emerging areas in the field of D&amp;amp;I analytics include organizational network analysis technology to identify how diverse employees are networked compared to majority groups within the organization. This evolving area of analytics helps organizations further build awareness of their culture and opportunities to create a more inclusive workplace.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With the awareness around D&amp;amp;I has come significant technological innovation to help organizations with talent acquisition, learning and development, engagement, and analytics. Workplace diversity and inclusion will only grow in importance as companies continue to invest in their D&amp;amp;I programs. As you begin or expand your D&amp;amp;I initiatives, evaluate some of the innovations in the market. If you can implement some of the best diversity practices and technology, you can take a tangible step toward achieving a more diverse and inclusive organization.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.toolbox.com/hr/diversity-inclusion/guest-article/4-areas-where-diversity-and-inclusion-di-technology-can-enable-organization-wide-change/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;This article originally appeared in Toolbox HR.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Stacey Cadigan is an HR thought leader who is passionate about HR and talent management. With more than 20 years in HR, she has leveraged her deep experience and expertise to help clients achieve their strategic, operational, and financial objectives. Through her diverse experience in HR strategy, HRO operations, RPO, HR technology, and transitions, she has developed unique insight and the ability to ask the right questions in assisting organizations with finding solutions to effectively align their HR initiatives with their vision.&amp;nbsp;Stacey was named &amp;ldquo;HR Thought Leader of the Year&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;in 2016&amp;nbsp;and &amp;ldquo;HRO Superstar&amp;rdquo; by HRO Today Services and Technology Association&amp;nbsp;for 2016&amp;ndash;2019.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:1f21af95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/building-a-cybersecurity-mindset-humans-are-as-important-as-technology</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Cyber Security</category><category>Organizational Change Management</category><category>Does Your IT Spend Support Your Business?</category><category>Crisis</category><category>COVID-19</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Building a Cybersecurity Mindset – Humans Are as Important as Technology</title><description>Cybersecurity must be built into the core of every employee, product and service. Here are seven steps to help companies take cybersecurity to the next level.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2020 14:45:04 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:category:crisis/covid-19}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;If we didn&amp;rsquo;t believe cybersecurity was a digital megatrend of the decade, the &lt;a href="https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2020/here-s-how-twitter-got-hacked.html"&gt;recent Twitter hack&lt;/a&gt; might just convince us. As we&amp;rsquo;ve seen with the compromise of several political celebrities&amp;rsquo; accounts, Twitter struggles not only with closing the attack vector, but also with its own reputational damage. And, given how coy Twitter is being about how the hackers got inside (what it&amp;rsquo;s calling a &amp;ldquo;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1283591846464233474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1283591846464233474%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2020%2F7%2F15%2F21326656%2Ftwitter-hack-explanation-bitcoin-accounts-employee-tools"&gt;coordinated social engineering attack&lt;/a&gt;&amp;rdquo;), it&amp;rsquo;s clear this massive and dangerous hack was, at the outset, a people failure and not a technical failure. Several employees clicked on something they shouldn&amp;rsquo;t have &amp;ndash; whether through company email or social media services &amp;ndash; which gave hackers extraordinary access to their systems.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For many enterprises, cybersecurity has been a topic to be added &amp;ldquo;on top&amp;rdquo; of the cool engineering functions that promise to bring in revenue or save money. In this decade, however, cybersecurity is an intrinsic risk management essential that must be built into the core of every employee, product and service. The days of relying solely on perimeter security are fading away. Companies need to implant security by design and default into their enterprise DNA.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This means rebuilding the culture and behavioral patterns of employees to establish security as a core value, which has become a responsibility at least as important as looking at the most recent trends in defense technologies and the next must-have on the CISO&amp;rsquo;s agenda. Many companies have already adopted awareness campaigns and may have established policies and procedures to become more defensive &amp;ndash; one can&amp;rsquo;t help but think Twitter would have led the charge on this front. But its recent breach makes it clear these programs have room for improvement. Today, establishing a security mindset that helps employees think like an attacker has become crucial.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here are seven steps to help companies take cybersecurity to the next level:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create new neural pathways.&lt;/strong&gt; Take a page from the Utilities and Manufacturing industries&amp;rsquo; playbook. Companies in these industries had to shift away from &amp;ldquo;we will probably not be affected&amp;rdquo; to &amp;ldquo;sophisticated violation can happen to anyone, we can never be too vigilant.&amp;rdquo; An individual&amp;rsquo;s prefrontal cortex can hold only about three or four thoughts at a time. To change human behavior, you must build the desired mindset in the prefrontal cortex by consistent and applied repetition and testing. When ISG has helped Utilities companies emphasize facilities and physical safety, we&amp;rsquo;ve seen measurably fewer industrial accidents and better safety for employees. This same strategy can work using a combination of employee awareness, testing and role play of bad security stories to increase employee knowledge and improve attitudes and behaviors.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Err on the side of caution (and borderline paranoia!) in personal responsibility. &lt;/strong&gt;In the manufacturing industry, daily or weekly touch point meetings often begin with a "safety moment." Participants open with a brief presentation on safety and leave their colleagues with a clear take-away. Brain science has proven that this kind of engagement and repetition is effective for changing behaviors. An IT team might build in &amp;ldquo;security moments&amp;rdquo; as the foundation of standing meetings to begin adopting the mindset of preventing security hacks.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Invest in active defense.&lt;/strong&gt; Establish threat intelligence to look beyond your enterprise&amp;rsquo;s scope into the greater internet, the deep net and even the dark net. Who is interested in you? Who is selling your credentials? Who is buying your credentials? Who could target you? How will you know if they have? On the operations side, train key people in charge of personnel on- and off-boarding to act immediately adjust and terminate access as needed.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Establish a cybersecurity center of excellence (CoE). &lt;/strong&gt;A cybersecurity CoE does not act as a policy provider or security gatekeeper. It is a sparring partner to test solutions and assumptions around security and a security solution provider for the whole lifecycle of products, services or organizational change. Once a CoE has been established, enable and encourage everyone in the company to actively and heartily facilitate its work.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Establish security communities of practice (CoP).&lt;/strong&gt; Security CoPs focus on opening up the work of the cybersecurity CoE to a broader audience &amp;ndash; anyone can participate, regardless of their function or role. Use these communities to raise awareness and continuously educate and remind employees about their personal responsibility in security. Conduct regular, brief &amp;ldquo;think like a hacker&amp;rdquo; workshops with security professionals, share experiences with especially difficult &amp;ldquo;security by design&amp;rdquo; challenges, and discuss how to build collaboration into the product, service or organizational lifecycle as early as possible.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use all available methods for challenging, testing and proofing security.&lt;/strong&gt; Use automated penetration testing on a regular basis. Conduct security assessments with greater frequency. Regularly run &amp;ldquo;red team assessments&amp;rdquo; to simulate a cyberattack on your own products, services and company and identify holes in your security plan. Conduct regular social engineering and spear-phishing test attacks. Participate in a &amp;ldquo;bug bounty challenge&amp;rdquo; to provide incentives to ethical hackers to find gaps in your security at the human and technical levels before malicious attackers do.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Facilitate &amp;ldquo;CYBERsecurity by design&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;CYBERsecurity by default&amp;rdquo; strategies as market differentiators. &lt;/strong&gt;Today, it is not enough to show your ISO27001 certificate. Invite your customers to take part in a red team assessment. Show them how you deal with discovered vulnerabilities. Prove that your policies, procedures, people and practices are built on a secure foundation.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;It is a brave new world with more and more work happening virtually and more potential for security threats. ISG helps enterprises secure their workplace and their workforce using solutions that leverage technical and human solutions. &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Talk to us&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the authors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Andreas is a senior member of the Cyber Security Practice and a Subject Matter Expert in aligning IT Security and Data Protection/Privacy requirements with Service Management and architectural challenges. He is an experienced project manager and architect for digitization journeys in the area of Cyber Security, Data Protection/Privacy, Enterprise Architecture and IT Service Management.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Missy Lawrence-Johnston is a Culture &amp;amp; Change-Leadership expert with a passion for organizational effectiveness and human capital optimization. A recognized speaker and executive coach leading our Americas Operating Models Capability, Missy&amp;rsquo;s distinct competency is in corporate culture, Executive Coaching, Product Models &amp;amp; Mindset, and cultural change-leadership programs. Her zeal for agile and product team dynamics, C-suite coaching, and empowering psychologically safe environments have landed her on Business First&amp;rsquo;s Top 40 under 40 Professionals for her Digital Culture and Human Behavior Dynamics Playbooks. Her 20 years of experience are grounded in Brain-based Leadership, Operating Models, IT HRBP,&amp;nbsp; Neuroscience, HCM, HR Mergers and Acquisitions, Organizational Effectiveness &amp;amp; OD, Culture Change, CMMI, enterprise agility, DevOps, and Productizing/Product Oriented Delivery in a variety of industries.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:2180ae95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/managing-enterprise-risk-the-tprm-lifecycle-framework</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>How to Manage Your Managed Service</category><category>Third-Party Risk Management</category><category>Third Party Management</category><category>ISG Governx</category><title>Managing Enterprise Risk: The TPRM Lifecycle Framework</title><description>The ISG TPRM Lifecycle Framework is a model that helps organizations manage the risks in their third-party relationships more effectively.</description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2020 15:50:14 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:category:crisis/covid-19}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;Most organizations today rely on hundreds of third-party suppliers, partners, subcontractors and agents to deliver their services. It&amp;rsquo;s a matter of doing business. But risks arising out of these relationships are drawing attention from senior management &amp;ndash; and rightly so. The high-profile prosecution of enterprises linked to unlawful conduct or compliance failures of their third-party suppliers is a stark reminder of the significance of third-party risk management. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Risk management is about anticipating what negative things might happen to your products or services then mitigating the impact of those negative things. Effective risk management is composed of four basic components: 1) framing the risk, 2) assessing the risk, 3) responding to the risk, 4) and monitoring the risk. An enterprise risk framework addresses systemic issues within an organization and dictates what the risk frameworks throughout the organization should support, based on the strategies across the enterprise. Operational risk management addresses risks related to internal and external operations, including third-party relationships.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Every institution should implement systematic lifecycle management and strong governance practices for their third-party portfolio, especially critical relationships, including with fourth parties. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx-third-party-risk-management"&gt;ISG Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) Lifecycle Framework&lt;/a&gt; pictured here is a model that helps organizations manage the risks in their third-party relationships more effectively.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;img width="739" height="637" src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/governx-third-party-risk-management-lifecycle-framework.png?sfvrsn=5e42c431_2" alt="GovernX-Third-Party-Risk-Management-Lifecycle-Framework" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The top half of the ISG TPRM Lifecycle Framework describes lifecycle management activities; the bottom half describes sustainability activities. A robust program includes all the elements in this framework. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. SETUP AND TIERING&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Business and vendor relationship management (VRM) teams are responsible for the following activities:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Business Plan and Requirements: &lt;/strong&gt;The starting point of any third-party relationship is the recognition of a need for a better process, solution or service, or when an agreement with the existing vendor is nearing expiry. The next step is to define the business requirements in clear and unambiguous terms. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Initiate TPRM and Setup: &lt;/strong&gt;Once the business requirements are defined, the teams should identify and assign the business stakeholders, which are also known as the first line of defense. They play a major role in identifying, assessing, managing and controlling risks related to third-party relationships as they are closest to the operational outcomes, issues and incidents.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Preliminary Assessments and Risk Tiering: &lt;/strong&gt;Based on the nature of services from a third-party, an assessment is performed to evaluate the inherent risk. The relationship is then tiered according to its risk. &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. DUE DILIGENCE AND SELECTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Sourcing, business and VRM teams are responsible for the activities in this phase, which includes evaluation of the third party&amp;rsquo;s strategic objectives, pending litigation, regulatory violations, industry reputation and risk management practices.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Third-Party Risk Assessment Setup: &lt;/strong&gt;Build the inherent risk assessment template, which covers all the elements required to assess risk from third-party relationships.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conduct Third-Party Risk Assessment: &lt;/strong&gt;Route the inherent risk assessment to the first line of defense to determine the risk associated with the third-party relationship.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Subject Matter Expert Evaluation and Report: &lt;/strong&gt;Risk control specialists and risk managers will evaluate the responses from the risk assessment and report the scores and risk-tier of the respective third-parties.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enforceable Control Requirements: &lt;/strong&gt;Put appropriate controls in place to manage, mitigate and terminate the risk identified in the risk assessments. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Third-Party Selection: &lt;/strong&gt;Choosing the right third-party supplier or partner can mean the difference between having a significant asset or a major liability. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. NEGOTIATIONS AND ONBOARDING&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The contract management, legal, business and VRM teams are responsible for the activities in this phase.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contract Negotiation: &lt;/strong&gt;Contracts that are unambiguous and straightforward without overly legalistic language are vital for effective third-party risk management. Contract clauses should carefully articulate the nature and scope of the engagement, intellectual property rights, right to audit, confidentiality and data privacy.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Residual Risk Review: &lt;/strong&gt;Residual risk is the risk that remains after controls are accounted for. It is important to assess the residual risk at the appropriate frequency to ensure the enforced controls are adequate to manage and mitigate the risk. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Residual Risk Approval: &lt;/strong&gt;Best practice is to have the business approve or accept the residual risk and determine whether additional controls are required after each residual risk assessment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contract Onboarding: &lt;/strong&gt;The contract is then onboarded into a technology platform or database, so all the artifacts related to third-party assessments, including inherent and residual risk assessments, responses, respective scores, and controls enforced, are available in one place. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. ONGOING MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The VMO is responsible for ongoing monitoring activities, including contract management, spend management, relationship management and termination management. The VRM and business teams are responsible for risk monitoring and remediation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Risk Monitoring and Remediation: &lt;/strong&gt;Risk monitoring is the most important aspect of third-party risk management. The monitoring should be more detailed and comprehensive if the third-party provides critical services. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx-contract-lifecycle"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contract Management&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Contract management provides processes, tools and administrative assistance to manage the complex interplay of deliverables, obligations, changes and contract issues.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Relationship Management: &lt;/strong&gt;Relationship management facilitates easy administration of governance boards at each layer of customer and third-party relationship management. This also includes setting up an end-to-end performance management framework with service-level agreements and monitors the service delivery against the agreed targets.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx-spend-management"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spend Management&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Spend management ensures invoicing is performed according to the contract terms, including conformance with pricing documents. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Termination Management:&lt;/strong&gt; The termination phase ensures preparations and a process are in place to efficiently terminate a third-party relationship and transfer the activities either in-house or to another third-party provider. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the current environment, with so many regulations around data security, privacy and anti-money laundering, organizations have no choice but to extend their risk management practices to their third-party relationships. The goal should be to automate as many of these due diligence and risk assessment processes as possible and minimize tactical work effort. The &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx-third-party-risk-management"&gt;ISG TPRM Lifecycle Framework&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx"&gt;third-party management platform GovernX&amp;reg;&lt;/a&gt; enable organizations to leverage data analytics to develop predictive and proactive risk avoidance capabilities and produce supply chain insights for enhanced business resilience. &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to learn more.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:41ecad95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/top-5-ways-to-rethink-your-network-for-your-new-future</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>COVID-19</category><category>Crisis</category><category>Network Advisory &amp; Select</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Top 5 Ways To Rethink Your Network For Your New Future</title><description>Your network will need to be a strategic priority as you build toward your new future. Here are our top 5 ways to rethink your network.</description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2020 19:08:22 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:category:crisis/covid-19}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;If there is one thing the past six weeks have taught us, it is how much we depend on network connectivity for work, school and even family gatherings. Looking forward, a key part of the pandemic&amp;rsquo;s legacy will be a dramatic increase in awareness of the network&amp;rsquo;s role in our economy and society. At the enterprise level, the network is essential for developing, operating and improving business applications and maintaining a continuous improvement program for operations.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This means your network will need to be a strategic priority as you recover and build toward your new future. Here are our Top 5 ways to rethink your network.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Treat the network as a strategic priority.&lt;/strong&gt; Demand for bandwidth has &lt;a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/at-t-q1-mixed-amid-covid-19-plans-more-5g-investment-as-network-traffic-surges/"&gt;skyrocketed&lt;/a&gt; in the last two months. It&amp;rsquo;s become abundantly clear that the network is the single most important link during this period of social distancing. The ability to communicate, collaborate, take orders, coordinate delivery, engage with customers, buy and sell goods, and work remotely are all reliant on being connected over a combination of wireline, cellular, Wi-Fi and other networking technologies. Networks enable the multiple supply chains that ensure we have food, power, medicine and everything else we need to live in our modern society. We have been a connected society for a long time, even if we did not think about it before, and networks are what make this possible. Networks comprise our virtual workspaces, and it is time to realize that the most successful companies are putting the same level of strategic planning into their networks as they have historically put into physical workspaces. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Right-size your network costs.&lt;/strong&gt; Like any other element of businesses, networks contain elements of old and new technologies. Infrastructures, contracts, pricing and delivery strategy &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/covid-19/covid-19-articles/covid-19-implementing-rapid-cost-takeout"&gt;provide opportunities for quick hits to upgrade services and save costs&lt;/a&gt;. Optimizing your network environment can pay big dividends, whether by renegotiating or re-sourcing your carrier, modernizing your infrastructure and adopting more cost-effective technology, or getting rid of unused but expensive capacity and connections. Conduct an assessment and audit and go after network savings now; our experience shows you can save between 20 and 30 percent in most cases. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start building resilience.&lt;/strong&gt; Driving out cost does not mean driving out capability. Let&amp;rsquo;s face it, you need more network capacity now than ever before to enable remote working and business continuity. Application performance and worker productivity all rely on strong, resilient connections. This means ensuring a certain degree of redundancy as well as a diverse array of network architectures. Maintaining your workforce will mean giving them unlimited access to collaboration services like Microsoft Teams, video meeting platforms like WebEx and so forth. Each of these require bandwidth to support the virtual face-to-face environment that will hold your teams together during this period and in the future. And if you are still &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/covid-19/covid-19-articles/enterprise-to-home-office---call-center-conversion-in-48-hours"&gt;struggling with your contact center&lt;/a&gt;, this has to be an immediate action to ensure you can take care of your customers. This all has a cost, so you&amp;rsquo;ll need to understand how to acquire this capability cost effectively while managing cost elsewhere - and do it quickly.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverage the network to be first to recover and lead your industry in the second half of 2020.&lt;/strong&gt; Adversity presents opportunity to take a leap forward. Start planning now for the next stages of the &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/covid-19"&gt;pandemic&lt;/a&gt;. Resumption of business will come in steps as we recover globally, and each step will require an evolving network strategy to support your employees and customers as we face uncertainty and then eventual recovery. Continue to design the network capabilities that will support each phase of recovery, so you are the first to be operational at the next level and can maximize your share of returning business.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start building your future business now for success this year and into 2021. &lt;/strong&gt;While you are operating under the restraints of the pandemic is the perfect time to design your future. The limitations of physical access provide a unique sandbox in which to test new business processes and refine various types of remote operations. Processes that leverage remote sensors, robotics, edge computing, smart factories and 5G will all be key to future competitiveness. The pandemic has fueled an outbreak of creativity and ideas, freeing us from many of the old paradigms and excuses and forcing us to begin adapting and experimenting. Business and the world will never be quite the same. Use the gift of forced adaptation to prepare for the new future &amp;ndash; and find new opportunities for your business to thrive. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;We invite you to join us for a webinar&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://globalmeet.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1310454&amp;amp;tp_key=c0b4d0f6ba&amp;amp;sti=web"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Network Resiliency and Driving Out Costs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;to explore how you can create a resilient network on the road to the new future. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the authors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Bill Huber is Global Partner &amp;ndash; Digital Platforms &amp;amp; Solutions and a well-known thought leader in the field of technology, sourcing and transformation.&amp;nbsp; In his current role, Bill is the global leader for ISG&amp;rsquo;s Software Advisory practice, which assists clients in delivering savings, de-risking their software environment, maximizing the business value of their third-party technology investments and accelerating their digital transformations.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Due to his strong background in the telecommunications industry, Dieter focuses on ISG's Network Services Group and personally acts as the lead network advisor on many contract negotiations for clients. Dieter joined Alsbridge in 2009 as President of the Network Advisory business unit, and led the Network advisory practice for the company, managing all aspects of P&amp;amp;L and leading large-scale engagements with strategic clients. Dieter was appointed Partner at ISG in December 2016.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Before coming to ISG through its acquisition of Alsbridge, Dave served as Managing Director of Alsbridge&amp;rsquo;s Network Services Group. Prior to that, he served as the president of Telwares, where he was responsible for leading the organization through several critical periods of revenue growth and service expansion. Dave also established key operating relationships within many of the global network service providers and their executives. During his tenure at Telwares, Dave held several key executive positions including; SVP Engagement Delivery, COO, Managing Director and President.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:ba17ad95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/quantum-computing-and-the-future-of-big-data</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Digital Transformation Mastering the Change</category><category>Digital Solutions</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Quantum Computing and The Future of Big Data</title><description>The U.S. plans to invest more than $1.2 billion toward quantum information over the next 10 years. Read more about quantum computing and the future of big data.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2020 17:52:30 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Recently, Google proclaimed that it had achieved quantum supremacy with its &amp;ldquo;Sycamore&amp;rdquo; quantum computer that can solve complex algorithms unsolvable by any other computer today. This milestone raises fundamental questions about how quantum computing can be used and how it will affect initiatives in the digital era.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Every day, humans create more than 2.5 exabytes of data, and that number continues to grow, especially with the rise of the internet of things (IoT) and 5G capabilities. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are some of the ways to help manage and analyze data for competitive advantage, but continued innovation and the desire for meaningful insights may make data increasingly complex for organizations to collect and analyze. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As classical binary computing reaches its performance limits, quantum computing is becoming one of the fastest-growing digital trends and is predicted to be the solution for the future&amp;rsquo;s big data challenges.&amp;nbsp;Though quantum computing is still just on the horizon, the U.S. plans to invest more than $1.2 billion toward quantum information over the next 10 years in a race to build the world&amp;rsquo;s best quantum technology.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size: 1.5rem;"&gt;What Is Quantum Computing?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Quantum computing combines quantum physics, computer science and the theory of information &amp;ndash; and most experts agree it has the potential to impact the future of digital business and security.&amp;nbsp;How does it differ from classic computing?&amp;nbsp;Traditional computing uses a base-two numerical system that follows set operations and processes and communicates data using bits. Every piece of digital information is stored as a bit in the form of either a one or a zero. A series of bits put together is called a binary code. For example, the letter &amp;ldquo;A&amp;rdquo; in classic computing is stored in binary as 01000001. The challenge of classic computing is that it can only run one calculation at a time. So, when there is a large data set to compute, this negatively impacts and decreases its computational power.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Quantum computing is fundamentally different in that it uses what is called quantum bits (qubits), which expand the binary limits by following quantum logic represented as a one or zero of digital data and the logic of superposition in which a qubit is represented not just by one state but by both a one and a zero at the same time. It exists in an unrecognized combination, and once the data is called, it is compiled into one of the definite states as a one or zero.&amp;nbsp;Superposition is what makes qubits more impressive because it decreases the number of operations needed to solve complex problems by being able to run calculations simultaneously at higher speeds and with less power consumption.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;img src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/quantum-computing-big-data-1.png?sfvrsn=6f53c731_0" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Quantum-Computing-Big-Data" title="Quantum-Computing-Big-Data-1" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size: 1.5rem;"&gt;Impact on AI and ML&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Analyzing massive amounts of data is very complex. In fact, it can be nearly impossible for humans to sift through a large volume of data and find correlated information that has actionable value.&amp;nbsp;Organizations create so much data that large amounts of data go unused. Many are missing out on opportunities that could help gain competitive advantages.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;It is with these large data sets that ML can be quite helpful. ML requires a great deal of historical data and constantly needs to be fed with new information, so it can learn how the data changes and identify trends over time.&amp;nbsp;However, as the volume of data increases, the complexity of computation also increases, along with the time needed to analyze, calculate, identify, interpret and provide any relevant output. Machines do not know how to tell a story with data, they simply provide the raw material. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ML algorithms today are limited by the computational power of classical computers. Quantum computing is capable of administering large data sets at much faster speeds and can supply data to AI technologies to analyze data at a more granular level to identify patterns and anomalies. Quantum computing also can help integrate data by running comparisons between schemas to quickly analyze and understand the relationship between two counterparts. To give a bit of perspective, Google&amp;rsquo;s Sycamore is reported to have solved a problem in 200 seconds that would have taken today&amp;rsquo;s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to solve. This opens new possibilities for the future of big data and analytics.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As the world changes its approach to IT and information architecture, its approach to computing and big data must change as well. Organizations are facing different problems today, which means they need different solutions. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG stays up to date with the latest digital trends in IT, so we can help enterprises make decisions about big data and analytics along the digital transformation journey. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to discuss how we can help solve your current big data and analytics challenges and put your organization on a path toward a digital future.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Authors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Brandon Provost is part of the ISG Digital Strategy team and helps enterprises along their digital transformation journeys and large-scale technology deployments.&amp;nbsp;He has successfully collaborated with organizations in various digital transformation initiatives, including implementing solutions that optimize IT costs, enhance IT operations through process improvement, rationalize application portfolios and consolidate IT infrastructure.&amp;nbsp;Brandon brings more than 15 years of total IT operation experience to his role as a Senior Consultant.&amp;nbsp;He leverages his expertise and experience to partner with organizations and help align their strategic vision toward an impactful digital future.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Ji Luo is part of the ISG Digital Insights team and helps clients identify opportunities to generate added value for big data, AI and ML technologies. He has profound business knowledge in the areas of strategy and project management with clients across industries. Ji has a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in physics with a focus on quantum physics and is involved in researching quantum computing methodologies.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:158aac95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/agile-transformation-the-five-steps-to-building-an-agile-delivery-model</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Operating Model &amp; Agile Innovation</category><category>Technology Modernization</category><category>Enterprise Agility</category><category>Creating an Agile Enterprise</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Agile Transformation: The Five Steps To Building an Agile Delivery Model</title><description>Becoming agile encompasses much more than just technology. Learn more about the five distinct segments of the agile transformation journey.</description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jan 2020 19:57:15 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Much has been written about the business benefits of being an agile organization. Becoming agile encompasses much more than just technology. To achieve the expected gains in efficiency and innovation, enterprises must ask themselves: What path will we take? Who will need be involved? Will the agile delivery approach provide the quantitative and qualitative improvements we need?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Success or failure depends on how willing your organization is to adapt to a new way of application delivery in concert with cross-functional teams. The organization also must be ready to engage all functions in the technology stack &amp;ndash; infrastructure, data, business process, architecture and others.&amp;nbsp; Aligning technology with business capability is a key element. Even though what is being directly consumed to enable business capability may be an application, the entire stack must be engaged to address that consumption holistically. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The agile transformation journey can be broken into five distinct segments. The diagram below depicts the progression. Note that it is critical to recognize and address your organization&amp;rsquo;s business alignment goals early in the journey toward an agile delivery model.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;img src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/agile-app-delivery-1.png?sfvrsn=c8cdc631_0" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Agile-App-Delivery" title="Agile-App-Delivery-1" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Figure 1: Phases of Agile Transformation&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Align Technology to Business Capabilities&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Often known as product alignment or productization, this step entails modeling the technology environment based on how technology is consumed by product or business capabilities. Often conducted with key business stakeholders, technology may be aligned to stages of a customer journey, to steps in a business process, to business value streams, business units/segments, or other segmentation methods &amp;ndash; generally this reflects how the business is run (whether financially, operationally or functionally). The result is a portfolio of products, often combined into product families of coupled or more highly dependent products. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/operating-model-design-and-implementation/articles/something-old-something-new-building-enterprise-agility-in-a-legacy-environment?searchTerms=enterprise+agility"&gt;The crucial determinant relates to the business stakeholders or user constituency to drive alignment and ownership of requirements and priorities&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Identify Business and Technology Leaders&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Show the organization that IT is focused on delivering to the business in a new way by building a culture that aligns IT and the business. This alignment should identify counterpart business and technology leaders. Reduce finger pointing and give way to joint ownership of problems and their associated resolution, with joint accountability for product capabilities. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/enterprise-agility-and-technologies@scale?searchTerms=enterprise+agility"&gt;Aligning technology products and services with business ownership creates focus on the business needs and priorities&lt;/a&gt; while using a two-in-the-box approach to manage critical technical needs, including technical debt. This stage should also identify objectives. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To properly introduce agility into an organization, the business and technology owner(s) must establish clear and concise objectives that will keep agile teams in sync and allow them to remain focused on the aspects of delivery that support the goals of the business. This business partnership is imperative. Clear objectives also enable the team to measure success or failure only if supported and aligned to business goals and objectives. Involving business owners prior to establishing the teams communicates to employees and leadership alike that the business takes objective feedback seriously. Business and IT owners should translate that feedback into the way they measure success of their agile delivery efforts. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Start Small and Then Expand&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Use a &amp;ldquo;minimum viable product&amp;rdquo; (MVP) agile team model, including a detailed approach for governance (standards, oversight and best practices) and a performance framework that outlines how teams will be measured. Use this relatively &amp;ldquo;light,&amp;rdquo; MVP-level approach at initial implementation; the expectation is that teams uncover barriers and identify resolutions necessary for continuous improvement of the model over time as the they expand and mature. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Identify a small group of teams to begin and identify the team members based on the skill mix and objectives identified for that product or capability. After clear objectives are set and the business is engaged, focus on team makeup. The agile team should be a cross-functional group. The coming together of people from the business, technical, infrastructure and architecture units will drive unique perspectives. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Launch Team and Continually Improve&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Engage the agile teams and be sure to communicate the current model and the product-specific objectives. Launch the processes required to deliver the work, outputs, and deliverables according to business priorities. Take the time needed so the team can first assess its condition: what is the skill level of the team and the team members? What are the performance objectives of the product? What is the current product performance? &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/operating-model-design-and-implementation/articles/creating-a-culture-for-enterprise-agility?searchTerms=enterprise+agility"&gt;Is the team and its organizational culture conducive for team empowerment and collaboration?&lt;/a&gt; What education (and practice) is needed to establish agile capabilities? What level of agility is needed in the end state &amp;ndash; based on the rate of change, the business consumer expectations, and/or competitive environment? What are the barriers to the required level of agility? Barriers can include lack of business support for the agile delivery model and lack of support for the new delivery approach. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If talk about change is perceived as lip service, the environment quickly devolves. Involve the business in identifying and removing barriers to the agile application delivery model. Give teams appropriate training to understand their roles and responsibilities, the product team model and agile practices. Items should be added to the team&amp;rsquo;s product backlog to address any and all activities to improve these areas and break down barriers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Continually Improve Governance Model&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Governance is established to address the level of standards and requirements across the environment. These guardrails are an important part of the team model and should be used to enable efficiencies across the environment. Drive continual improvement of the model with performance and adoption. Create a baseline of team performance using the three performance indicators of any technology product: business metrics, development metrics and operating metrics. Use these performance metrics so you can measure the adoption of the model, address areas of concern or acceleration, and &lt;a href="https://research.isg-one.com/reportaction/Four-Key-Principles-of-Enterprise-Agility/Marketing?SearchTerms=enterprise%20agility"&gt;recognize the benefits of agile delivery.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Continuous improvement&amp;nbsp;of the model and capabilities requires ongoing effort. Communicate improvements and/or declines to the organization throughout the agile transformation and use the teams to address areas of concern. Ongoing improvement depends on receiving and processing feedback, so build responses into the agile delivery practices. Solicit feedback directly from the teams to improve the team model, review and incorporate new best practices and build practices that will provide better and more successful agile delivery based on that feedback. Engage and solicit feedback from IT and the business. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some improvements may be directly tied to how well the business is engaged. For example, the quality of the business requirements fed into the agile delivery cycle can impact quality of the outcomes. If you are not seeing the efficiency gains you expect, don&amp;rsquo;t be afraid to look at the skills makeup and diverse qualities engaged in the team formation. Reassess skills and continue to grow cross-function capabilities. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Continuously improving the processes and the team skills is an absolute necessity. This is done team by team and &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/operating-model-design-and-implementation/articles/the-foundation-of-successful-enterprise-agility-strong-devops-teams?searchTerms=enterprise+agility+team"&gt;across teams through communities of practice&lt;/a&gt;. Form communities to discuss, review and assess results both positive and negative. These communities can share best practices and understand where and how to improve quality delivery across the landscape. This also builds the processes to reach beyond the MVP-level in an iterative fashion of delivery. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Organizations require various levels of agility that align to their needs; not every business capability needs the highest rate of change or market response.&amp;nbsp; The model design needs to fit the various speeds that are needed across the environment in question, with all factors considered, including organization maturity, architecture, business strategy, technology strategy, and infrastructure and application development environment. There are many ways to be agile. Enterprise agility requires applying agility at the right level in the right places at the right time based on business need.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;When building agile teams, focus on business engagement. Spend more time early in the process working with business stakeholders. A high degree of business engagement increases the likelihood of success. ISG helps enterprise build agile teams and address the organizational change that goes along with it. Contact us to discuss how we can help you. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Bill brings years of experience from his diverse background in leadership positions, including 30+ years of operations management in both logistics and retail verticals.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; {{INLINE}}&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:e6a9a995-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/microsoft-s-transition-from-premiere-support-to-unified-support-ouch</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Software Advisory Services</category><category>Does Your IT Spend Support Your Business?</category><category>Consulting</category><title>Microsoft’s Transition from Premiere Support to Unified Support. Ouch!</title><description>Microsoft has been stealthily transitioning its product support model from its legacy Premiere Support to a new “modern” support model called Unified Support.</description><pubDate>Tue, 28 May 2019 18:45:20 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Over the past three years, Microsoft has been stealthily transitioning its product support model from its legacy Premiere Support to a new &amp;ldquo;modern&amp;rdquo; support model called Unified Support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Premiere Support was a very specific labor rate-card model that allowed end-user organizations to buy blocks of hours to correspond with various levels of Microsoft technical support. End-user organizations could then manage their support incidents and track how they were drawing down their escrow of hourly pre-paid support.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Premiere Support was complemented by the customer&amp;rsquo;s enrollment in Software Assurance (SA) insofar as end users could convert their standard SA benefits into the equivalent support hour to extend or fund the number of hours to which their Premiere Support agreement entitled them. End users could review support incident histories and use that data to refine their future Premiere Support agreement commitments, which was a workable solution for most of Microsoft&amp;rsquo;s Premiere customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Of course, support revenue &amp;ndash; along with software and online service revenue &amp;ndash; is under constant scrutiny for optimization and growth. Growing support revenue by selling hours and rate cards didn&amp;rsquo;t &amp;ldquo;cut it&amp;rdquo; for Microsoft, so it has developed a newer (and less transparent) alternative.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Enter Unified Support.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Unified Support eliminates the hours and rate-card model and replaces it with a fee based on a percentage of the agreement cost and all of an organization&amp;rsquo;s other Microsoft spend dating back five years. To make this an even more complicated model, Microsoft has divided spend inputs into three categories: 1) server spend, 2) applications and systems spend, and 3) Azure spend.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The spend associated with each of these categories is subtotaled and a unique percentage is applied to determine its part of the Unified Support. Then all the categories are totaled to determine the complete Unified Support contract value, which is considered the baseline. This sizing and pricing process is &amp;ldquo;fixed&amp;rdquo; by Microsoft and the end user has no part in determining whether it wishes to include all categories or not.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Currently, no comprehensive mainstream&lt;sup&gt; &lt;/sup&gt;third-party support options for Microsoft tools and solutions exist in the market, and end users are left with little choice if they want to confidently support their Microsoft usage and deployments. In a number of recent engagements in which we assisted client organizations with Microsoft agreements, the company was evasive about its methods for arriving at a Unified Support offer price. In one instance, the company told the customers the pricing process is proprietary, which may be a red flag. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We believe a support pricing model should reflect an indexed approach in which the support percentage decreases at certain marginal tiers. Let&amp;rsquo;s look at an example. Say an enterprise client spends up to $2 million with Microsoft and pays a support percentage of &amp;ldquo;x&amp;rdquo;. Logic dictates that an organization with incremental Microsoft spend running from $2 million to $4 million would incur a percentage expense of something less than &amp;ldquo;x&amp;rdquo; (no more than .9x) with several added spend margins in which the incremental spend is assessed using a decreasing percentage (to a floor of .5x).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;However, Microsoft seems to be applying a fixed percentage to all spend, which means support costs increase linearly with increased spend. The company is adding expense for each Office 365 user, for example, even though it does not incur more support costs with each added user once an Office 365 tenant is established.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As a specific Unified Support category, Azure seems to be the most aggressive in terms of support costs, coming in at 10.5 percent of overall Azure spend. This effectively amounts to an &amp;ldquo;Azure tax&amp;rdquo; and nullifies any price discounting the end user may have negotiated. Many end users now are questioning how they can justify incremental Azure spend if every dollar they spend is subject to a 10.5 percent support tax.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Unified Support is not designed as a multi-year contract but instead is designed to reset each year in an effort to sweep all of the year&amp;rsquo;s spend into a &amp;ldquo;true up&amp;rdquo; for support moving forward. For example, if a customer spends more during a year than the established baseline, Microsoft will calculate the incremental Unified Support costs in arrears and invoice the end user for the amount of spend above the baseline. This new amount will then become the updated baseline for the next year of Unified Support.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The current Unified Support model is a &amp;ldquo;work in progress&amp;rdquo; for Microsoft with many first-generation end users unknowingly serving as beta testers. It&amp;rsquo;s worth noting that, while product and support costs were separate in the past, they are intertwined today. This means enterprises must prepare more carefully as they negotiate commercial terms for their Enterprise Agreement and pay particularly close attention to the cost proposals for Unified Support. Contact &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to learn more.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Louis joined the ISG team in early 2014 after nearly 20 years with Microsoft Corporation. Louis has compiled a track record of Enterprise client success underpinned by customer focus, strategic thinking, organizational agility, problem-solving acumen and impactful knowledge transfer which has established his reputation as a Microsoft licensing expert.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;During his time with Microsoft, Louis worked in both the Consulting Service Group as a Practice Manager and in the Worldwide Licensing and Pricing Group as a Director responsible for designing and negotiating Global Volume Licensing relationships. As a highly effective and influential communicator/negotiator, Louis has delivered consistent business results across both revenue and quality of service performance targets.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:8238a895-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/how-to-increase-agility-in-your-project-management-office-(pmo)</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Technology Adoption</category><category>Third Party Management</category><category>Program and Project Management</category><category>Boosting Productivity</category><title>How to Increase Agility Through Your Project Management Office (PMO)</title><description>Use these five steps to build an agile PMO and increase agility through your project management office (PMO).</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2019 19:32:36 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Today&amp;rsquo;s PMO faces countless challenges. In addition to the continued demand to deliver products and services on time and within budget, the larger efforts toward digital transformation across the enterprise are having a significant impact on all forms of technology-based projects, whether a multi-year legacy system replacement program or the implementation of innovative products that need to be delivered to the market quickly. In all these cases the PMO is being drawn into transformational changes while it must continue to respond to traditional time-and-cost directives.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3&gt;Embrace the Agile Mindset to Improve Project Performance&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;So what can a PMO manager do? &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/research/articles/why-it-s-important-to-spread-agile-outside-tech-teams?searchTerms=agile+mindset"&gt;Actually, a great deal&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The PMO can take steps to begin its own digital transformation journey, without waiting for the organizational and technology upheaval that often comes along with enterprise-wide transformation. This starts by introducing an agile mindset into project management and its processes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3&gt;The Five Steps to Building an Agile PMO&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduce the cultural change.&lt;/strong&gt; Traditional project staffing is based on filling functional and technical roles such as software developers and testers, but today&amp;rsquo;s PMO must rethink project staffing so it is more focused on delivering product value. When forming teams, draw people from different functional areas, including business analysis and testing, and encourage cross training with a focus on product development. For example, have the business analyst who knows the new product requirements participate in testing and have a tester take part in systems development work. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use agile techniques to build schedules. &lt;/strong&gt;Introducing iterative cycles for development and testing work is a relatively straightforward way to begin an adaptive approach. Rather than attempting to determine a precise hour estimate for tasks and activities, use T-shirt sizing as you build out the schedule. For example, a small task is X hours, a medium task is 2X and a large task is 4X.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Failure is an option. &lt;/strong&gt;Many PMOs were originally formed to address the failure rate of projects within an organization. And they were successful at that; on-time and within-budget projects are now often the norm. But the goalposts have moved, and the PMO needs to not only support on-time and within-budget projects but also help quickly introduce new products. If a team stumbles at first, encourage learning from that experience and urge it to push on, rather than punishing them for being on the leading edge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Establish an initial set of metrics. &lt;/strong&gt;Look at standardizing across the project teams&amp;rsquo; defect rates, lead times and release frequency measures. Introducing these measures now will encourage the agile mindset by focusing on business-value drivers. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t sweat the tools. &lt;/strong&gt;Often, members of a PMO who have a deep background in technology want to introduce new tools as a first step in any project. Don&amp;rsquo;t let that sidetrack you from helping the project teams understand and embrace the agile mindset.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;h3&gt;The Path to Enterprise Agility&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/consulting/operating-model-design-and-implementation/articles/creating-a-culture-for-enterprise-agility?searchTerms=agility"&gt;path to enterprise agility can take time&lt;/a&gt;, but the PMO should not wait. Steps taken today will pay dividends immediately and pave the path to an agile organization. &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/managed-services/project-management?searchTerms=project+management"&gt;ISG helps organizations increase agility in the way they manage digital projects&lt;/a&gt;. Contact me to discuss how we can help your PMO become an agent of change.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Chris VanHoeck is a Director in ISG Project Management Services practice, drawing upon 30 years of experience managing programs and projects.&amp;nbsp; He brings to bear expertise from a wide variety of technologies and business systems while introducing the benefits of a Project Management Office (PMO) to ISG&amp;rsquo;s clients. His unique perspective allows him to quickly assess client&amp;rsquo;s needs, advise the best approach for success, suggest tools to use and implement those recommendations. His work has spanned manufacturing, sales, marketing, engineering, and finance applications.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:35e9a695-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/what-does-the-workplace-of-the-future-look-like</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Workplace of the Future</category><title>What Does the Workplace of the Future Look Like?</title><description>The workplace of the future is not a place at all but an ability to work from any place and almost anytime using the tools of choice.</description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Jan 2019 15:58:23 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;What does the workplace of the future look like? &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s not a cubicle. It&amp;rsquo;s not an office. It&amp;rsquo;s not even the makeshift office you converted out of your spare bedroom or kitchen table during the pandemic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The workplace of the future&amp;nbsp;is not a place at all. Rather it&amp;rsquo;s an ability &amp;ndash; the ability to work from any place and almost anytime using the tools of choice. Anywhere, anytime, any platform. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;The Workplace Is Impacted by the Workforce&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;div style="float:right; margin-left:20px;"&gt; &lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;img width="600" src="https://isg-one.com/images/default-source/default-album/future-workplace-framework.png?sfvrsn=f244de31_2" data-displaymode="Original" alt="Future-Workplace-Framework" title="Future-Workplace-Framework" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Figure 1. ISG Future Workplace Framework&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;Let&amp;rsquo;s start by looking at what has shaped the workplace in recent months: lockdowns and self-isolation. Overnight, businesses closed their buildings and changed the way work is done, sometimes with dreadful consequences. IT firms and departments went into overdrive trying to figure out how to make work remote work first possible and then productive. The silver lining? By many estimations, the workplace evolved 5-10 years in the span of one year. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Between 2020 and 2021, the work&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;place&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; was most impacted by the work&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;force&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The abrupt disruption of business processes catalyzed by &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/articles/from-firefighting-to-fighting-fit"&gt;the fact that the workforce could not spend time in close proximity&lt;/a&gt; has forever changed our viewpoint of the workplace. No longer is the digital workplace defined solely as the collection of laptops, desktops, monitors, IT support, collaboration tools, software and smartphones. Today, &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/consulting/articles/from-help-me-to-engaged-productivity"&gt;the digital workplace is the integration of the digital, physical and human workplaces&lt;/a&gt;. The intersections and dependencies between these three, as seen in Figure 1, are what is missing from most future workplace strategies. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;A Workplace that Prioritizes Collaboration&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Tomorrow&amp;rsquo;s organizations will need to address these dependencies and intersections. They will focus the 12 capabilities outlined in the ISG Future Workplace Framework on creating a shared sense of purpose, a culture of collaboration and a way of tapping an ecosystem built specially to drive business value. The &lt;a href="https://www.isg-one.com/articles/building-the-workplace-of-the-future"&gt;future workplace empowers and inspires people&lt;/a&gt; to do their best work &amp;ndash; to communicate, collaborate and solve problems. It deepens engagement, spurs productivity and creates efficiency.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; And though technology does not define the workplace of the future &amp;ndash; it is a critical element, allowing an organization to attract the right talent, seamlessly bridge physical and digital workspaces, appeal to workers of different generations and integrate data into the decision-making process. A hallmark of the workplace of the future will be human employees working side by side with digital ones. Finding success in this new model requires a holistic and agile approach to digital enablement that allows an organization to transform processes and services in a strategic way to boost performance and reduce costs.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; As the future workplace connects platforms and integrates new digital products and services, it will require new personas, systems, processes and roles to support the digital landscape. Digital enablement gives enterprises a structured way to constantly improve the user experience, increase digital competencies and promote business agility. Changing employee capabilities requires leaders to continuously identify gaps and up-skill and cross-skill employees so they are prepared to perform new job functions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 style="font-size:1.5rem;"&gt;6 building blocks of the workplace of the future:&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assess the health of your operations:&lt;/strong&gt; identify key cost and operational hotspots that provide the map for change and validate thinking&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test the business model:&lt;/strong&gt; assess what worked and what didn&amp;rsquo;t to create a plan of action and consider a new business model&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identify your capacity to deliver:&lt;/strong&gt; create a clear understanding of how you need your employees to work in the future and how they want to work&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Map operating model change:&lt;/strong&gt; adapt your operating model to be more focused on the next-generation customer, employee and technology&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine technology needs: &lt;/strong&gt;determine the technologies and partners required to deliver the new operating model&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source your new business model:&lt;/strong&gt; source the components identified in your new operating model, technology and future-of-work strategies&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps the world&amp;rsquo;s most forward-looking companies capitalize on human ingenuity, efficient processes and intelligent technology to build workplaces of the future.&amp;nbsp;We have the expertise you need in cloud computing, automation, data analytics, change management, blockchain and Sourcing for Transformation&lt;sup&gt;&amp;copy;&lt;/sup&gt; to make sure you assess, map and source the components right for your workforce. &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; to find out how to get started.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dee Anthony leads ISG&amp;rsquo;s Collaboration and Experience Solution in the Americas and has over 24 years of leadership experience.&amp;nbsp; As the Americas lead for C&amp;amp;E, Dee advises organizations on 3 different workplaces:&amp;nbsp; 1) The Digital Workplace (technology and services used by the Workforce), 2) The Human Workplace (how work gets done, the processes and workflows, collaboration optimization), and 3) The Physical Workplace (where work is performed).&amp;nbsp; Dee equips clients with the knowledge needed for successful transformations. Dee provides pragmatic visions in multiple disciplines including Collaboration and Experience and others such as IT Strategies, IT governance, project and portfolio management, organization and staffing constructs, IT and business alignment, finance and budgeting, enterprise architecture, sourcing and procurement, service management, security and risk, and information management. Dee&amp;rsquo;s is considered as a thought leader at ISG introducing new and expanding existing solutions all while working with some of ISG&amp;rsquo;s largest and most complex client needs.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:0788a695-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/the-security-question-at-the-service-desk</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Retooling the Workplace for Tomorrow</category><category>Sourcing Solutions</category><category>Consulting</category><title>The Security Question at the Service Desk</title><description>Service desk employees without proper training can inadvertently compromise security. See why they are the cost-effective solution to protecting the enterprise.</description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:45:08 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div style="float:right;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;"&gt;{{cta:category:consulting/sourcing-solutions}}&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;The service desk has long been recognized as a potential vulnerability for enterprises &amp;ndash; especially in the age of social media. The modern cyber threat artist is like the Viking raiders of the 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century. They search the coast for weak points, storm the defenses and take away their spoils before the defenders can react.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Though strong security technology exists to protect enterprises from the bits and bytes that could threaten them, leaders today must take a further step and prepare their defenses to &lt;a href="https://logicalread.com/"&gt;the threats that social media attacks present&lt;/a&gt;. According to &lt;a href="https://www.sans.org/"&gt;Exploits at the Endpoint: SANS 2018 Threat Landscape Survey&lt;/a&gt;, phishing, ransomware and advanced persistent threat (APT)&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/firewalls/exploits-endpoint-2016-threat-landscape-survey-37157?utm_medium=Social&amp;amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;amp;utm_content=tw+daily+post&amp;amp;utm_campaign=SANS+Reading+Room"&gt;attacks are on the rise&lt;/a&gt;. In the first months of 2018, companies lost millions of dollars because of ransomware.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Of course, the service desk exists to be helpful, but when service desk employees do not have the proper training, they can inadvertently offer information to people who are not authorized to receive it. This is a verbal form of the kind of phishing attack we see on the internet and in email. The service desk cannot prevent cyber threats, but well-trained service desk agents can. In fact, they may just be the best and most cost-effective solution to protecting the enterprise.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;An end user typically calls the service desk when they believe services on their device or the application they are accessing are running slowly. This is the first alert point. Agents need to be trained and have the tools to quickly evaluate the security implications of what the end user is experiencing. Too often, the first priority is restoring the end user to full service and closing a ticket, when really there should be concurrent action with the security team(s) to assess what caused the event.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Validating the caller is often a secondary event, if it occurs at all &amp;ndash; and this is where the social media conmen excel. By acting as a troubled and none-too-bright end user, a social media grifter will ask for more and more information, and the unsuspecting service desk agent will offer more and more assistance in their effort to resolve the perceived issue. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;When embarking on securing your service desk, keep in the mind the following key tasks: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create a thorough security policy.&lt;/strong&gt; Disseminate it to the entire enterprise. Then monitor compliance and enforce the rules. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Develop a risk exception process.&lt;/strong&gt; Due to the ever-increasing complexity of today&amp;rsquo;s enterprise IT environment, the rapid evolution of technology and the continual assimilation of companies into external networks, exceptions at the service desk are inevitable. A risk exception process evaluates and weighs the risks of issues or actions that violate information security policies and standards against the needs of the business. The ultimate objective of any risk exception is to fully remediate the identified violation and align it with corporate policy.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Train service desk agents on system access standards. &lt;/strong&gt;And plan to refresh training on at least a semi-annual basis. Restrict access to any enterprise system to the least privilege possible in alignment with business need. One of the best guides for validation of authorized users is the recently published &lt;a href="https://www.nist.gov/"&gt;NIST Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Lifecycle Management&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use a role-based access control (RBAC) methodology to properly assign authorizations.&lt;/strong&gt; Put in place approved corporate authentication solutions whenever possible to ensure proper identity tracking. Limit administrative access to systems to only those individuals who absolutely require elevated privileges and then only through approved methods. Prohibit use of shared system accounts unless authorized by information security. Refer to authentication requirements in the &lt;a href="https://www.owasp.org/"&gt;Information Security Authentication Standard&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Expect all end users to conduct themselves in a professional manner&lt;/strong&gt;. Make known the enterprise code of conduct and other applicable policies and guidelines and ensure end users follow them when using or accessing any enterprise technology resource. Enterprise technology resources may include, but are not limited to:&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Client computing systems&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Electronic messaging &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Telephony and cellular phone usage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Handheld device usage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Internet usage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Internal Application usage &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Service desk access&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Standards, training and constant monitoring are the keys to a secure service desk and end user environment. ISG helps companies secure their service desks against real threats today and potential threats tomorrow. Contact &lt;a href="https://isg-one.com/contact-us"&gt;us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to discuss further. &lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:e2879c95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-challenges-for-enterprises-and-their-stakeholders</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Manufacturing</category><category>Industries</category><title>The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Challenges for Enterprises and their Stakeholders</title><description>The fourth Industrial Revolution presents near-unlimited opportunity. What does this f mean for enterprises and their various stakeholders?</description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2016 20:56:21 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Of the all the burning issues discussed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year, one that got top billing was the promise and peril of the &amp;ldquo;Fourth Industrial Revolution.&amp;rdquo; What does this fourth Industrial Revolution mean for enterprises and their various stakeholders? What should they do to keep pace with it and create competitive advantage to come out ahead?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Llh82Kzqaa8?rel=0" frameborder="0"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; &lt;form id="mktoForm_1378"&gt; &lt;/form&gt; &lt;p&gt;The third Industrial Revolution&amp;mdash;the digital age that began in the mid-twentieth century&amp;mdash;was about computerization. The fourth Industrial Revolution we are experiencing today builds on this first wave of computerization with the latest, rapidly evolving and disruptive advances in technology: the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet, robotic process automation, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, cyber-physical systems and connected wearable devices. As these sophisticated tools and technologies begin to converge, the impacts of the fourth Industrial Revolution are starting to become evident across many industries.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;It is in this dizzying context that businesses and their stakeholders must find answers to some foundational questions:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;does the fourth Industrial Revolution mean for research and development? &lt;/strong&gt;Consumers of all types of products and services&amp;mdash;from medicines to mobility&amp;mdash;are demanding personalization, customization and local production. A global coffee machine manufacturer, for example, has launched a web configurator that gathers real-time purchasing data to identify consumer preferences and understand the types of coffee for which they are willing to pay more. Armed with this data, the manufacturer then uses 3D printing to design a machine that offers a higher level of customization and dispenses coffee made specifically to match a certain market segment. These valuable insights fueled by big data will give customers an unprecedented level of influence in new product development and provide manufacturers new streams of more profitable revenue. As they keep pace with the changing customer expectations, enterprises will need to integrate this new way of thinking into all aspects of their research and product development, whether it comes from in-house capabilities or external partners. Their goals will need to be centered on maintaining alignment with innovation initiatives and reducing time to market.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does it mean for manufacturing?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;In the fourth Industrial Revolution, enterprises will need to merge their virtual and real production domains as much as possible with the help of advanced software, automation and data integration. Production processes and automation should be designed and commissioned virtually in tight collaboration with suppliers and partners. Manufacturers that want to retain their competitive advantage will increase production flexibility, automate logistics and deploy smart machines and smart products along the manufacturing value chain. A global industrial pump manufacturer, for example, that uses virtual tools and equipment to structure the location and flow of production lines will then be able to more carefully position automation lines, robots, production cells and people to reduce inventory and maximize productivity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does it mean for engineering?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Engineers must streamline the way they design, develop and produce new products and services. In a complex and interconnected network of manufacturers and suppliers, the roles and touchpoints of designers, service providers and customers are constantly changing, and engineers need a cross-functional and collaborative approach that will help them monitor product and customer lifecycles. Gathering data at all stages will be a critical part of this process.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does it mean for the CIO and the IT function?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;IT systems, especially production systems, are already at the heart of today&amp;rsquo;s enterprise. In the coming years, these systems will connect to more and more sub-systems, including service provider and customer networks. This is the new way of doing business&amp;mdash;the convergence of information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT)&amp;mdash;in which business processes and office automation will communicate and connect with industrial processes and factory automation. Interacting networks for physical and digital components will be co-engineered to create cyber-physical systems and provide the foundation of smart services. CIOs and IT organizations must strike the right balance of in-house and sourced talent to serve this complex marketplace and avoid the effects of shadow IT or the risk of fading into a back-office function. One CIO at a European shipping port authority is doing just that. His organization has launched several initiatives to improve the efficiency of harbor operations, including a project that gathers data on ship movements and traffic patterns to ensure cargo containers reach the harbor at the right time to optimize processing and delivery.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does it mean for employees and HR?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;In the short term, automation will displace some low-skilled workers who perform simple, repetitive tasks. However, employment overall will increase in the next decade, albeit with a requirement of different skills. The increasing market demand for software that leverages connectivity and analytics means employees with competencies in IT and software development will be highly sought after. Some manufacturers are beginning to recruit &amp;ldquo;Industrial Data Scientists&amp;rdquo; to conduct advanced data analytics, program robots and improve processes. Mastering this skill transformation will be an important survival tactic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;Revolutions are, by definition, dynamic, disruptive and destructive. The fourth Industrial Revolution presents near-unlimited opportunity for those enterprises that are able to adapt quickly and embrace change. Lethargic companies that treat this as a peripheral phenomenon may not survive at all.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Long live the revolution! At least until the next one comes along.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This post originally appeared in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.industryweek.com/emerging-technologies/fourth-industrial-revolution-challenges-enterprises-and-their-stakeholders" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Industry Week&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; {{inline}}</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:2d979c95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/globalization-and-the-economics-of-energy-spur-growth-in-engineering-services</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Chemicals</category><category>Industries</category><title>Globalization and the Economics of Energy Spur Growth in Engineering Services</title><description>Which aspects of innovation will be globalized? Who will leverage the innovation of engineering talent in tomorrow’s growth markets? Read to learn more.</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 05:00:00 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Daniel Yergin, energy and economic scholar, wrote in his book,&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;The Quest,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;Globalization of demand may be shaping tomorrow&amp;rsquo;s needs. But it is accompanied by the globalization of innovation.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;How will Yergin&amp;rsquo;s prediction play out? Which aspects of innovation will be globalized?&amp;nbsp; And who will leverage the innovation of engineering talent in tomorrow&amp;rsquo;s growth markets?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As energy demand shifts from West to East and new sources and regulations influence the market, the energy industry will be forced to reimagine its future. We&amp;rsquo;ve seen the beginning of this reimagining in response to sliding oil prices, namely through layoffs and efforts to maximize operating process efficiencies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Over the longer term, oil and gas companies also will need to be more efficient in planning and executing their capital-intensive projects. Our prediction is that engineering services outsourcing will be an essential tactic for those enterprises who want to thrive in this dynamic market.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The globalization of demand and its accompanying innovation is indisputable. According to McKinsey Research, global gross domestic product (GDP) will grow over the next decade from $70 trillion to $150 trillion, requiring the ability to meet increasing energy demand in emerging economies. The chart below shows regional GDP as a percentage of global GDP.&amp;nbsp; It forecasts China and India becoming more dominant players, while shares of the U.S. and Europe decline.&lt;/p&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;p&gt;As the supply and variety of energy sources increases to meet demand (BP estimates depicted below), intense competition and market forces are driving oil and gas companies from across the energy spectrum &amp;ndash; from integrated majors and super majors, to oilfield service companies, exploration and production companies and process manufacturing and chemical companies downstream &amp;ndash; to seek greater efficiencies and explore opportunities for operational excellence.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Oil and gas companies have always contended with a variety of forces: new energy sources and renewables that increase market supply, fluctuating demand, environmental regulations and efficiency standards. To address the escalating costs of production and the surge in demand, energy companies must be able to grow and shrink their talent pool as needed and, therefore, rely on a complex ecosystem of both local and global software and service outsourcing providers with industry-specific competencies.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the early 2000s, India-based engineering service providers saw opportunities in the oil and gas industry and invested in human capital by hiring in markets that had available talent, as well as in growth through acquisition. For enterprises, initial forays into outsourcing their engineering services proved effective in cutting operational costs with a focus on outsourcing services around data digitization, conversion from 2D to 3D modelling, plant operations and product lifecycle management.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Over time, engineering service providers have been able to offer increasingly complex services, including design automation, mobile-enabled parts catalogues, 3D printing, geospatial services, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and advanced data analytics.&amp;nbsp; Over the last decade, engineering service providers have gained substantial expertise and are looking for ways to contribute at a systems level.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, because of the current drop in oil prices and the difficulty in finding giant oil reserves (reserves that have at least a total of 500 million barrels of recoverable oil and gas), oil majors have begun exploring difficult terrains, mainly in the deep sea. Drilling on the ocean floor poses enormous engineering challenges. To ensure reliability and return on investment, these companies must depend on simulation and a host of other engineering activities that are well suited for outsourcing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In its Energy Outlook 2035, BP forecasts that volatile oil prices will continue in the near term. It is in this context that a number of enterprises are leveraging talent for complex engineering tasks and innovation closer to where the growth is. We predict that labor arbitrage and the availability of talent will underpin powerful business cases for funding the move of certain engineering functions from West to East, spurring the globalization of a set of mature and diverse engineering services to meet demand.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISG helps enterprises structure mature sourcing processes, implement successful transformational initiatives and build competitiveness in your future markets. Please contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:sampath.kumar@isg-one.com&amp;amp;cc=contact@isg-one.com"&gt;me&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;strong&gt;About the author&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Sampath and his team help enterprises leverage engineering services to address the needs of IT in engineering and accelerate time to market for product development teams. Sampath has more than 30 years of experience in engineering services and software product development and management. Prior to ISG, Sampath led the engineering services of Tata Consultancy Services in North America where he provided innovative solutions in Product Lifecycle Management, Embedded Software Development, Product Engineering and Plant Solutions for multiple Fortune 500 companies. He also led the Aerospace and Process Manufacturing business units and drove key business initiatives for engineering and manufacturing customers that included marquee Fortune 100 clients. Before joining TCS, Sampath led the Infosys Automotive business units in North America and Europe.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt; {{inline}}</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:05bc9c95-f644-6a14-bdc7-ff0000f6f5b0</guid><link>https://isg-one.com/articles/theory-of-competitive-advantage</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><title>Theory of Competitive Advantage</title><description>Learn about the Competitive Advantage theory which suggests that everyone is better off if decisions are made based on the competitive advantage at all levels.</description><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:00:00 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;Competitive Advantage theory suggests that everyone is better off if decisions are made based on the competitive advantage at all levels &amp;ndash; national, corporate, local, and individual. Simply stated, it is nothing more than asking for optimal utilization of resources and the globalization of manufacturing and services across the world as if we lived in a borderless (read: flat) world. Unfortunately, we don&amp;rsquo;t live in a borderless world since there are politicians and thick boundaries that define the territory of nations and politicians; hence the issues surrounding the loss of jobs due to offshoring and use of protectionist measures.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In a perfect world, letting someone do the work who has an advantage over you (due to natural or human resources, unique capabilities, competencies or cost) is not a zero sum game as it offers better pay off for everyone involved, thereby creating a win-win situation. However, this does assume that resources and capital can flow freely across the world. If market forces were allowed to operate freely, that would automatically be the case.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the real world, that is not necessarily the case as there are several frictions which prevent not only the free flow of resources but also the ability to capitalize on gains resulting from the use of competitive advantage. Let me dwell on this a bit more.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The theory is based on a fundamental assumption that adequate employment opportunities are available to those who are engaging themselves to leverage competitive advantage of others to the degree that they can optimize their own potential &amp;ndash; for instance, move up the value chain if they were constrained so far due to capacity instead of capability. Similarly, it assumes that resources will move to where they find their best employment opportunities irrespective of socio-cultural differences (water will find its level if there&amp;rsquo;s no man-made obstruction). That&amp;rsquo;s not necessarily the case in the real world, but it&amp;rsquo;s not altogether untrue either.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;What we observe is that, at a macro level, those forces will be at play &amp;ndash; people will redeploy themselves to the best possible opportunities available and relocate if necessary. However, at an individual level, there may be adjustment pains due to lack of societal support, capability gaps and personal financial situations. While that is true at the micro level, the trend does not negate the fact that it is beneficial to everyone at a macro level. Man-made obstacles can slow it down but not reverse the trend that offers a beneficial outcome to everyone involved. Hence, I conclude that offshoring services to the nations and locations which offer a competitive advantage is an irreversible trend. That said, you will be better off embracing it than standing in its way.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt; {{inline}}</a10:content></item></channel></rss>