IT is now integral to delivering overall business strategy say IT directors

Crucial IT issues currently facing large organisations were discussed at the ninth annual conference held by The Corporate IT Forum. Delegates from both the public and private sector attended the event to hear presentations and share the experiences of senior IT directors from Barclays, the Co-operative Group, British Airways, Rentokil Initial, Exel, Centrica and Masterfoods.

Topics covered by the key speakers at the conference tackled many of the major challenges currently faced by large organisations including:

End to end supply chain management
Driving down IT costs
Changing work environments
User and customer empowerment
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Collaborative tools

A number of common themes emerged with leading IT directors seeing similar trends. The main message coming through from the presentations and workshops is that IT is becoming progressively more embedded in the overall business strategy of the organisation rather than acting as a separate entity. Simon Webb, Group CIO, the Co-Operative Group, outlined that during a substantial time of business change for the Group, the focus on IT is shifting to become integrated into each area of the groupís strategy - customer, people and brand.
Increasingly IT departments are showing a direct link between the IT deliverable and the business benefit. Many large corporates are using IT to completely change the organisation and deliver business benefits. Mike Croucher, Head of IT Delivery, British Airways, detailed how technology is playing a central role in the transformation of BA and underpins the companyís success formula. He summarised: There are no IT projects - there are only business projects.

Other shared challenges which were covered and debated included security, supply chain management, and ensuring the cost effectiveness of systems currently in place. A clear message to suppliers is that IT heads are increasingly expecting higher standards in meeting their needs and are taking steps to ensure best value is received.

Kevin Lloyd, CTO of Barclays, highlighted that cost savings that can be made by managing suppliers effectively: Through accessing different supply chain relationships it is possible to drive down costs. Nearly 50% of Barclayís supply side business is now outsourced and we have moved a substantial proportion of labour onto a variable cost basis. We have also reduced the number of suppliers we are using to focus on quality and ensure we receive right-first-time delivery to agreed times and budgets.

Feedback from the event confirmed the popularity of the well organised networking opportunities available during breaks with peers to share ideas and experiences in a vendor free environment. Delegates also highlighted the importance of being able to draw parallels with other large businesses and gain interesting insights to differing corporate cultures and the way they influence technology adoption.

Denise Plumpton, Chairman of the Management Boards said: We provide a unique opportunity for senior IT professionals to share and learn from the real experiences of people at the forefront of implementing ICT projects which facilitate major organisational changes, rapid access to information for customers and staff while driving down costs and improving profitability.