"Treating IT as a cost center or a liability is the wrong approach," said Gerry Mendelbaum, Managing Partner of Camber Advisors (http://camberadvisors.com/
Camber Advisors has offered five strategic suggestions for deriving the true value of a company's information technology function. The first strategy, according to Mendelbaum, is simply to "spend money wisely," so that the IT spend is guided by a roadmap that ties IT spending into the areas that are most important to the business.
The second strategy is to avoid inertia. "A process that yields positive results today won't necessarily yield positive results tomorrow," said Mark Neibart, Partner of Camber Advisors. "Technology changes the equation constantly, and if a company merely stays the same, it falls behind." The third strategy builds on the second—staying up on the latest trends in IT. Taking advantage of those new trends will help a company stay consistent with the competition, continuously improve operations and build the bottom line. Newer, disruptive technologies and technology-driven business models like cloud computing underscore the strategic value of IT and how it contributes to the business as a whole.
The fourth strategy is to continuously assess the IT staff. "Rather than seeing the IT people as separated from the strategic business function, recognize that what they do has a direct impact on business objectives at the highest levels," said Neibart. "Are your IT people excited about technology for its own sake, or are they excited about how technology advances the business? When the IT department understands the business correlation of what they do, they are adding incredible value to the entire organization."
Lastly, IT value increases when there are accepted processes. "The IT department is there not just to maintain and fix on the fly," said Mendelbaum. "Assigning priorities and implementing a results-oriented schedule that has real-world, business-side input will yield major improvements in the value of IT, and of the business in general."
These five strategies all contribute towards IT taking on a more strategic role in the business, which ultimately allows the business to better leverage its IT department in meaningful and measurable ways.
About Camber Advisors
Camber Advisors serves private equity investors and their portfolio companies. We deliver operational and technological expertise that helps businesses perform at their peak. For the investor, this translates into the ability to acquire investments wisely and operate them efficiently, thereby generating improved returns. Camber’s professionals have extensive consulting backgrounds as well as direct Private Equity operating experience. We understand a wide variety of verticals, and diverse business functions. We have also worked in the context of varying investment strategies, from organic growth and M&A platforms to run-offs and reorganizations. We are comfortable interacting at all levels, from the Board to the asset manger to portfolio company management to line staff. Visit our website at www.camberadvisors.com (http://www.prlog.org/
Contact:
David Schutzman
david@davidschutzmanmarketing.com
203 550-8551
