From Offense to Defense

Over these past years, Information Technology’s (IT) influence and manifestation has increased.  Every company views it as a resource ever more critical to their success. Every company uses the latest technology to gain advantage from its competitors. Thus, this means spending a lot. They do believe that once you invest to the best one though it may spell big money, the return would be greater. The advantages in return are innumerable.

But as time goes by, there’s a shifting attitude of company managers. Return-on-investment calculations are not critical anymore. They say that IT is relatively more of a commodity than it was in the past and that the present technology gives no longer competitive advantage.  IT is becoming a commodity because it becomes available to everyone. The core functions of IT – data storage, data processing and data transport – have become available and affordable to all.

This scenario makes IT essential to competition but inconsequential to strategy. So as IT infrastructure matures, companies should not focus on mere innovation but rather execute proficient strategies. The key to success is no longer to seek advantage aggressively but to manage costs and risks meticulously.

Managers should be observant and wise that they should formulate and execute strategies that will deliver greater advantages to the company. According to Nicholas G. Carr, author of IT Doesn’t Matter, there are new rules for IT management. Many companies will want to take a hard look at how they invest in IT and manage their systems.

According to Carr, companies should spend less. Many quality IT infrastructures today are cheaper but still provides the same quality performance like those of the expensive ones. Therefore, why settle for the expensive one when there’s the cheaper one who can give the same need?

It’s very popular nowadays that companies use the “Follow, don’t lead” strategy. Companies just wait for their competitors to show their new competitive edges and they would just simply follow it. They will just make theirs better.

Moreover, companies should shift more of their focus from IT opportunities to risks. No matter how many opportunities IT can offer your company, a single risk can damage the whole thing.

Information technology has become a business priority but has turned into a commodity and lost much of its strategic potential for companies. Company managers should be critical in managing their IT especially nowadays that what we practice from the past starts to shift to the other way around.

 

GET SMART!

Competition is omnipresent especially nowadays that many business firms emerge. It is important to retain valued customers and as well acquire new ones. It is necessary for firms to make better and more-profitable business decisions.

The aim of business intelligence (BI) has always been to improve the value of customer relationships. Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) aims to retain its valued clients and as well acquire potential loyal customers. Especially now that competition is tight in the banking business, LBP is forced to rethink and innovate BI strategies. This scenario will help LBP make better and more profitable business decisions.

LBP caters to a wide range of customers. We provide service to customers where the relationship is actually unprofitable. For example, there is free checking for high-activity customers with low balances and no other accounts, loans or services. This chunk of customers may not at all provide a positive contribution margin to the firm.

With this kind of setting, it is better to apply targeting. It is certainly better to know who our profitable customers are and let them know how much we appreciate their dealings with our company. We can definitely do this through BI solutions. Moreover, LBP can use BI to identify unprofitable customers and find opportunities to enhance those relationships.

Through BI’s Customer Profitability Management and Analysis, LBP can now even facilitate excellence in customer service and improve the customer acquisition with targeted marketing and market research. LBP can identify the most profitable customers and analyze their banking transactions.

The firm has a database of its clients that shows who those profitable are and not that so profitable at all. Only authorized personnel can access this kind of privilege information. From this information, LBP can release some offerings and provide reminders to its valued customers of service needs.

BI really plays a drastic role in every organization and LBP is no exception. The banking business is an unpredictable world and I can see BI as one of the key investments that will enable LBP to be effectively managed and be successful in its operations.

 

Mind Having A Third Party?

Security.

Freedom from risk or danger.

Something that gives or assures safety.

An organization’s security can be categorized into two different types. IT or physical realm.

But since this blog is under the requirement of our IT subject, then I assume that security here is within the Information Systems and Technology scope.

The IT realm includes the application security, computing security, data security, information security and network security. But the real focus should be whether an organization outsource the security or not.

Well, the answer only depends on the assessment of the organization regarding security outsourcing. Reasons for security are clear. It’s given that an organization should indeed provide IT security but it’s an organizational management issue whether outsourcing should be done.

The organization should take note some factors before pursuing outsourcing of IT security. It should weigh the advantages and disadvantages in order to implement the right decisions.

The primary issue in IT outsourcing is financial matter. The organization would prefer to outsource IT security from a company that has lower cost yet making the most out of it. The lower the cost and better quality, the better.

Also, it’s a concern of the client organization if the outsourced IT security service provider is reliable. The former should be familiar with the latter. If that is the case, the former should know already the capabilities of the latter and they won’t have a hard time assessing their performance and features.

If an organization shall outsource IT security, they can focus on unique core competencies and exploit the intellect of the outsourced IT security service provider.

Outsourcing can be bad to an organization also.

It can reduce the degree of control of the client organization and increase dependency on the outsourced IT security service provider.

So really, to outsource or not outsource, it all depends on the nature and decision of an organization. They should better evaluate things first before coming up to a decision.

The primary issue in IT outsourcing is financial matter. The organization would prefer to outsource IT security from a company that has lower cost yet making the most out of it. The lower the cost and better quality, the better.

Also, it’s a concern of the client organization if the outsourced IT security service provider is reliable. The former should be familiar with the latter. If that is the case, the former should know already the capabilities of the latter and they won’t have a hard time assessing their performance and features.

If an organization shall outsource IT security, they can focus on unique core competencies and exploit the intellect of the outsourced IT security service provider.

Outsourcing can be bad to an organization also.

It can reduce the degree of control of the client organization and increase dependency on the outsourced IT security service provider.

So really, to outsource or not outsource, it all depends on the nature and decision of an organization. They should better evaluate things first before coming up to a decision.

 

The Art of Letting Go

It’s been almost 5 months working with my first “formal” employer. Yes, It’s no other than DSWD.

Five months may be short but within those five months, I found a second family. A family that is very supportive, thoughtful, loving and fun. A family I would really stick with forever. Indeed, I can say that my office mates became so very dear to me.

But now, perhaps it’s time for me to travel the road which I think is best for me. I need to grab the opportunity that was given to me. If I have to receive something good, in some case, I need to let go of something good also. I need to depart from them.

Well, I will not really leave them and like never return nor visit them. It’s just that, I’ll really miss our happy moments together. I’ll miss the times eating lunch together at “karinderyas”, sharing snacks like the “tinanok na saging”, making fun of our over-aged yet still virgin officemate (haha..she’s not pikon though, so it’s alright to tease her), our grace under pressure at work, checking in at hotels during our seminars and all other stuffs. It’s like leaving from what I used to and it’s hard to adjust to a new set of people and environment especially that I’m the shy type kind of person. It’s hard to leave my comfort zone.

I can even still remember when I was interviewed for the hiring. I thought that everything would be so serious. But my interview at DSWD was the craziest and funniest! Mind you, it was a panel interview by the head officers.

They saw in my resumé that I’m a fresh graduate and had no work experience. They also saw that I do modeling. So, what they did is to let me do catwalk and sing. They said this is to cover for not having work experience yet (Whattda?!!).

One head officer knew that I’m single and said that he would introduce his son to me (LOL!).  And it would be a good thing also that if they will hire me, their office will now have Snow White and the Seven Dwarves theme (me as Snow White and the seven dwarves as the seven stout workers employed at one department).

Where in the world can you find head officers from a respected government department to be so that crazy? I learned nothing from my interview. All throughout our interview, what we all did was just laugh.

Now, I just smile. These things will just be mere memories to me.

I’ll miss the grantees who always submit their documents to me. I’ll miss how they would call me as their “Ma’am Injil” (haha). I’ll miss my whacky officemates. I’ll miss DSWD (Chos! Emote much? haha)

Oh well. Life has to go on. Although it’s painful to be separated from my second family, I should let go. Surely, I’ll have my third family and I’m excited to know them and share happy memories just like what I had at DSWD.

Sorry for emoting. LOL. Haha.. 😀

 

The Long-term Thinker

It’s better to be sure than never.

During these times, risk is inevitable. It is inherent in everything we do and needs to be continuously and systematically managed.

If I have a project team member who feels that risk management is a waste of time because the future cannot be predicted, then I believe that he is a “short-term thinker”. I stand firm that risk management is very important in an organization. Risk management is an important part of doing business that must be addressed properly in order for the company to be successful.

I believe that it’s better to praise a person publicly and reprimand privately. As a co-team member, I should take time in discussing the concern of my project team member regarding risk management. Of course, I need to respond in the nicest way in order not to offend his own views.

I don’t know what made my project team member prefer to react to the problems only as they occur rather than preparing solutions to the unforeseen dilemmas that can happen.

That I should find out.

I need to know his hidden reasons. I need to listen and of course, I need to partake my side also.

I should clearly explain to him that addressing solutions by the time the problem occurs is good but addressing solutions beforehand the problem occurs is better. By identifying the risks before they occur, one will still have the time and space to prepare and put effective solutions in place if needed.

It should be taken note that once a person is a part of the project team, he has the responsibility to contribute to the management of risk and opportunities. The better the risks are dealt with, the lesser the financial burden it will cause the team to bare. Project risk management allows an organization to prevent operating losses resulting from adverse events.

I’m sure that my project team member has encountered a lot of problems wherein he learned that it’s better to plan ahead rather than wait for the problem to occur. From his past experiences, he should be knowledgeable that in every situation, risk will always be present. Thus, he should always backup solutions or either prepare strategies to avoid them. He should apply this kind of attitude as well to the working place. He should be open to risk management.

One should be a long-term thinker when it comes to these kinds of issues. Risk management may indeed be relatively expensive but the return on its investment is very worth it. You may cash out a lot today but you will actually save in the near future two times the money and time you have spent formerly.

 

The Twin Popsies

I had a college professor who told us from the very start of his lesson not to take down notes. He said that taking down notes would be useless because not everything he talks about is true. It’s up to us to critically think, analyse and discover the truth ourselves.

I remember he even asked me if who’s better in bed —men or women?

I was really dumbstrucked with his direct question. I was in my second year at that time and I was somehow conservative then. I just said that, “Sir, I’m innocent. I have no idea.”  He teasingly said to me right away that one does not need experience in order to know the truth.

After three years of not answering his argument, I’d like to return to him and say that, every experience is truth; and certainty is based on experience. But we should take note that not everything needs to be experienced to know the truth. It all depends on the scenario.

For example, death. One need not experience death to prove that it is indeed true. We know it as a truth even though we have not experienced it yet.

There are also things that in order to know the truth, definitely experience should be the backbone of its identification. Let us take for example the experience of Jamal Malik, the main character of the multi-awarded movie Slumdog Millionaire.

Jamal won the grand prize on their popular local game show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” because of the experiences he had since he was small. He got every questions right because every question asked to him reveals the truth that he had experienced.

We can not and should not generalize things.

Truth is like Twin-Popsies.  It can be derived with or without experience. It just depends on the specific subject or scenario we discuss.  And it also greatly depends on the perception of the viewer.

There’s nothing to be argued about. If you know the truth, then fine. What’s more important is that truth should be used appropriately.

So far, this is all I can say to my college professor if ever I’ll meet him again. And if ever he argues back and give me that evil grin again, I don’t care. Besides, there’s no more way that he will change the TRES grade he gave me.

 

Sweetest Things

J’aime mes amis. Ils m’ont complète!

I know each one of us has his own special friends. Mine are these (Although not complete. Of course I need to upload a picture where I am cute. Haha!).

I knew taking up Masteral would be hard and risky but I never expected this to be so x10 hard and head-cracking! Perhaps one of the reasons why I instantly took up my Master’s Degree is that I really want to learn more. Definitely, I need to continuously learn. Also, I want to gain new friends and it’s going great. I’ve got new friends and I’m loving them.

Going to school every Saturday is exciting and scary especially when unprepared, and that’s my case always. Haha.

Everytime I enter school, I am always reminded of my college days — the island, the umbrellas, fonts, “kumos-kumos”, the creepy CR, Manong guard, CM rooms and, always walking fast and gasping for air because of being late.

Fun, disappointing and very stressful. So memory-filled.

Nothing. I just miss my college friends.

And to my present classmates, KUDOS. Let’s all graduate together. We can do this. AJA! 🙂

 

Darme La Bienvenida!

I welcome myself sa wordpress…HOORAY! (clap, clap)

I’m not really a blogger but I find it exciting to be one.

I believe that I’m a woman of few words so expect that my blogs are concise.

Well, see you around and thanks for reading this post.

God bless. ^_^