As more systems are outsourced to the cloud and more users either use or choose their own device the requirement to have someone who is responsible for plugging systems in, getting and keeping them running and backing them up is getting less and less. Products like Office 365 and systems platformed on Azure don't need the same management they did when you had rack after rack of servers on premise.
So the need for an IT manager has gone then? Yes but that role for me has been replaced by a much more important one, the role of systems or process manager. Your business needs someone who understands your processes 'end to end' and how those map onto the software you use. That’s where the complexity and risk comes if it’s not right these days.
That requires someone who not just understands the technology, and specifically the software side much more than the hardware, but understands the business, its vision for the future and what all stakeholders from staff to customers to vendors need.
Good process managers will be proactive about suggesting opportunities to improve and streamline that process and become one of the most key members of staff. Consulted about every business change, they make sure that the systems are ready to support that change and that everyone from staff to partners understand what's required to enable it. When there is a query as to what has happened they are the first person called.
It's not a role that other management or finance staff have time to do. To get it right takes time commitment and the ability to think conceptually. Get the right person though and it will drive growth and profitability like few other roles in your business.
Author: James Crowter
I’m passionate about how businesses can improve their efficiency by getting process optimal more of the time. For the last twenty five years I’ve worked to help organisations of all sizes and types implement the ERP & CRM software that typically they decide they need when things are going wrong. I’ve seen that work unbelievably well and enabled those organisations to rapidly grow but I’ve also had some hard projects over that time where it’s felt more like warfare at times.
Since 1996 (and version 1.01) I’ve been working with a small Danish product called Navision that’s now become Microsoft’s Dynamics NAV and I’ve also been using and consulting around Microsoft CRM since 2005. As managing Director of one of the longest established first Navision and now Microsoft Dynamics partners I’ve been involved in the complete history including numerous product councils and system design reviews. It’s my privilege to know many of the key Microsoft executives and product designers and have insight into both where the products are now and their future direction.
So colleagues & clients have asked me to start this blog to share some of the insight that both this knowledge (obviously where not restricted by NDA’s or client confidentiality) and experience can help. Specifically I want to concentrate not on the specifics of how (there are some great blogs already for that) but why. If any user helps their business make better decisions or consultant can give better advice then that will be objective achieved.
I founded Technology Management in 1992 and have led from the front ever since. Helping clients use technology to grow their business is my passion through explaining technology in terms that everyone can understand.
My interest in computing began at the age of eight, long before my school had the equipment to cope. Throughout school and university I developed software commercially.
I hold many IT certifications, such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV (for over 17 years), Microsoft Dynamics CRM (for over 10 years), as well as Microsoft Windows Server, Exchange and SQL. In October 2015, I was awarded the title of Most Valuable Professional (MVP), a title given to a select few individuals (31 currently) across the world specifically for Dynamics NAV.
After years of working with a range of distribution and manufacturing software for hundreds of organisations, I focus on understanding the business requirements of an organisation, what it will take to deliver the systems required to maximise their potential.
Follow me online via my other social channels:
- Twitter: @jamescrowter
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamescrowter
Or email me directly at james[.]crowter[@]tecman.co.uk.
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