CASE STUDY
IT leaders face a financial battle when demonstrating ROI in a turbulent economic landscape . Intelligent CIO has spoken to Craig Wishart , partner and CIO at KPMG Australia and Head of ASPAC Technology Services Group , and Ben Allard , Vice-President and General Manager APAC at Apptio , about managing this and the role that Technology Business Management ( TBM ) plays – an issue especially important when you consider Asia- Pacific IT spend is predicted to reach almost US $ 924 billion this year .
Wishart tells us that these days : “ CIOs and tech leaders are operating under a different set of T & Cs – trust and credibility .”
However , Allard notes that despite the need to demonstrate value and ROI , many business chiefs , CIOs and CTOs don ’ t have a clear view of all costs pertaining to technology to make informed decisions .
Despite their increasingly strategic business roles , as reported by analysts , transparency is limited – due to the continuously changing and increasingly complex technology portfolios .
Allard says it ’ s no surprise many Australian enterprises feel pressured to reduce IT spend when there is an inability to demonstrate value ; Apptio recently conducted research which found as many as 63 % of companies stating they need new IT capabilities and better financial management to optimise their costs and make better strategic decisions .
According to Wishart , using spreadsheets to manage costs is like solving one side of a Rubik ’ s Cube – solving the finance puzzle is multi-dimensional and as such requires a different way of thinking .
Technology Business Management ( TBM ) is a methodological framework that provides a multidimensional view of financial / spend data incorporating the many different and varied cost models now under the management of CIOs and financial controllers .
TBM is not a defensive play – it ’ s a means of engaging boards , executives and all stakeholders in an informed and productive data-driven discussion to ensure technology is aligned to strategy and delivers expected business value .
THAT ’ S A FUNDAMENTAL
SHIFT FOR THE CIO AND TECHNOLOGY
LEADERSHIP ROLE .
KPMG Australia itself leverages Apptio and the TBM framework . The initial goal was to generate visibility into the company ’ s services , which it defines as an increasing priority for its customers .
This was one of the issues we considered with Wishart and Allard below .
KPMG Australia leverages Apptio and the TBM ( Technology Business Management ) framework . Can you explain what TBM is and what Apptio offers in this respect ?
Allard : At its core TBM is really about having valuebased conversations with all stakeholders across the business . It ’ s about bringing that group of individuals
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