Historically, IT has been viewed as a cost center and CIOs have been unable to effectively communicate the value of IT to the business. In their latest book, The Real Business of IT, co-authors Richard Hunter and George Westerman tackle this problem and offer advice on how CIOs can use information technology to create various forms of value to the organization.
Read chapter five: 'Finding Sources of New Value'
This chapter is an excerpt from the book The Real Business of IT, authored by Richard Hunter and George Westerman, published by Harvard Business Press, Oct. 2009.
In chapter five, "Find the Sources of New Value," the authors discuss four ways IT can add value and improve business performance. Internally, IT can provide more timely and quality information to help improve operational decisions, as well as optimize and transform internal processes. For external purposes, IT can do a better job of embedding information in the company's products and services, and change how customers and partners interact with the business and its products and services.
The chapter also provides examples of ways companies such as DKSH Holding Ltd. and Career Education Corp. are demonstrating the value of IT to the business through improved processes and information delivery.
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