Negotiate With It: Learn To Reduce Your It Expenses (microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, Sap)

Dr. Ken Russell knows first-hand that the responsibilities of CIOs are evolving. With decades of experience developing and implementing organizational change, the fractional CIO is not only aware that innovation has become essential for organizations, but is what CIOs will have to understand for the next generation. Chief Information Officers are transitioning into Chief Innovation Officers, becoming the leaders who will need to navigate through organizational structures. It’ll be important for these leaders to juggle between what Russell shares as “C” words: conversations, collaborations and community. Innovation officers will need to be able to have conversations with leaders and have those conversations turn into collaborations. In turn, these collaborations can turn into commitments and these commitments can turn into communities. The next-generation CIO will be more of a strategist that fleshes out ideas and be able to put them into motion. Key Takeaways:If you’re going to be a technology leader, you hav

COVID-19 is strongly impacting everyone’s daily routines, especially in the workforce. With shelter-in-place put into effect worldwide, a large majority of the world’s workforce is either forced to work remotely, take strong precautions onsite or, unfortunately, be laid off. Net Health’s CIO Jason “JJ” James knows now, more than ever, that organizations need to have a mobile-ready workforce to not just maintain operations but for the health, morale and security of everyone involved. Although of high importance for organizations, remote workforces can bring challenges including cybercrime, security and delivery. JJ shares his knowledge of CIO leadership in a crisis, the top priorities in IT currently and more on this week’s episode.

Change is evident, especially in an age where technology is constantly advancing. Although change may lead to positive advancements, increased efficiency and productivity, change itself affects those around it. Anjana Harve, CIO of Hill-Rom, knows the impacts of change and how it can affect its organization, especially when it comes to tech improvements. To Harve, there are key learnings in leadership when it comes to being a change catalyst for a team or organization. In order for a transition to go as smoothly as possible, a few tactics including constant communication, setting expectations and more need to be done. Harve shares these tactics along with more valuable information, on this episode. Key Takeaways:While bringing in new technology may have a lot of positives and an impact on improving things, at the end of the day, it does involve change for peopleWhen introducing change, it’s important to speak to your audience in their own words and from their own organization If you want someone to do somethi

Cloud computing is increasing - quickly.With the continuous growth of software and hardware spend in IT, the demand for SaaS, PaaS and IaaS in company workload is important now more than ever. Dan Kelly, Senior Partner of The Negotiator Guru, knows the attention and concerns that go into cloud computing as well as how to convince companies into making the right decisions for their IT spend. In a previous webinar with computer software company, Flexera, Kelly shares his knowledge of understanding the entire SaaS machine, the rules and responsibilities of sales teams, how to understand and leverage business desks and the negotiation opportunities for new versus existing customers when it comes to buying this software.  Key Takeaways:Companies expect to see an increase in SaaS along with their IaaS, PaaS and cloud environments but not as much on their on-premises softwareToday, 32% of the workload is in IaaS, PaaS and SaaS but an additional workload of 11% is expected to move into IaaS, PaaS and SaaS over the ne

Studies show that by 2025 the United States will have 1 million jobs in technology but not enough people to fill positions.A low amount of students are studying tech industries, but Helen Norris, VP and CIO of Chapman University, is encouraging this to change. Believing she would become a high school math teacher when she enrolled in college, she stumbled upon computer programming and shifted her career into the technology industry. Playing many roles in IT including a systems administrator, programmer, network engineer and working on a service desk, her experience has prepared her to become the CIO she is today.With demographics showing that the U.S. doesn’t have enough people working in technical fields, Norris knows that the nation will be at a disadvantage if more people don’t enter into STEM. Norris shares the importance of STEM in higher education, her thoughts on women in tech and why education is so important in order to fill spots that may be missing in career advancement.Key Takeaways:Studies show t

Dennis Hodges, the seasoned CIO of Inteva Products, knows what it takes for successful divestitures and acquisitions. With more than 10 years of experience in oil and gas, chemicals and automotive Tier One suppliers, Hodges’ expertise has helped a major automotive supplier and start-ups leverage communications and collaboration through digital transformation.Hodges knows that CIOs are living in interesting times, with digital transformation driving technology in the automotive industry. Technology is growing on the production floor to improve operational excellence and reduce waste. Hodges shares his impressive background, successful divestitures, working with startups and more, in this week’s episode. Key Takeaways:Inteva Products is a $1.5B spin-off of Delphfi,and is a leader in Latches, Window Regulators, Motors, and Interiors.Knowing your business well and what will be difficult to transition is key for successful divestitures and acquisitionsCIOs shouldn’t tie themselves to technology because it continuo

The most successful people know how to manage their time.There’s only so much time in a day, making it very important to use wisely. Knowing how time management can make or break success, Tim Campos birth Woven, a powerful scheduling tool that uses AI to help its customers become more efficient and effective. Formerly the CIO and VP of Information Technology at Facebook, Campos co-founded Woven from his personal frustrations with calendar management while at the well-known company. Woven not only helps schedule time with others, but also predicts when a certain meeting would or wouldn’t be appropriate through its machine learning capabilities.Campos is passionate about helping people and companies spend time on what matters most to them. With the continuing advancement of AI and machine learning, time management is easier for everyone.  Key Takeaways:Woven is considered an intelligent calendar to manage your schedule and get the most out of your meetingsThe calendar is on one aspect of productivity that is mo

There are big digital moves happening in the veterinary industry, with cloud storage becoming more of a demand. Records and information that were once paper-based are now being converted to digital, allowing the industry to rid of paperwork and move forward in the digital era.Electronic Vet (eVet), a secure, cloud-based platform for the creation of show-compliant vaccination records and other medical documents, was created by Barb Blasko after a personal experience she had with missing medical records while competitively racing horses. After learning the need for more efficient, digital storage for these types of documents, she took action. Now, Blasko helps veterinarians with transitioning paper-based records to computer-based, electronic medical records. Jumping from the emergency room to entrepreneurship, Blasko has helped vets create a better workflow that still meets full HIPAA.Key Takeaways:eVet was created from Blasko’s personal experience with missing medical records while competitively racing horsesT

The nature of business is changing in digital transformation. Conversations around central versus decentralization are also changing from being an expense to a competitive advantage. For CIOs and other leaders, it’s time to take notice.Jim Maclennan, a strategic consultant on digital transformation, has spent his career helping organizations understand the concepts of digital business and how to put them into action. An organization must define how it creates value in order to strategically plan digital business strategies. Maclennan shares his knowledge of how to determine this value, how central and decentralization can help solve problems and where the next wave of IT impact is heading in the future on this week’s episode.Key Takeaways:Centralizing or decentralizing depends on the mission and the core existence of what the company is.The definition of company value is found in co-creation with stakeholders.The next wave of IT impact will probably be something in AI, changing the nature of knowledge itself.

A significant amount of businesses plan to increase their IT spending within the next year, especially when it comes to cloud computing. Unfortunately, a high amount of waste is involved in that spend.Kim Weins, VP of Cloud Strategy at Flexera, has spent her career focusing on cloud computing and spend optimization in IT and knows how this evolving software will impact businesses as it advances. She’s also spearheaded the State of the Cloud Report, a definitive annual report on cloud adoption, which continuously researches how it’s evolving. It’s time for CPOs, CIOs and CFOs to realize that money going into cloud cost optimization is growing significantly and leaders may need to get a handle of this growth to avoid wasting unnecessary cash. With cost and waste in mind, Weins shares how organizations should be using cloud and how often they should be planning their roadmaps in IT.Key Takeaways:Over 80% of respondents plan to increase IT spend within the next yearOrganizations are spending 22% of their budget o

Businesses are missing the mark in generating revenue with IT.Colin Campbell, the Associate Director for Livingstone Partners, advises businesses and business owners on how to sell, buy, and recapitalize their brands with a high focus on how IT can make or break a deal. He knows there are specific tactics businesses should take for investors and buyers to gain interest or for companies to increase revenue within IT.IT departments are now becoming revenue-generating machines versus just an expense line item. Information technology impacts the value of a business and its roadmap is now becoming a major focus when sealing deals. From the value of investment bankers to how to leverage technology, Campbell shares what businesses should focus on within their IT departments in order to be proactive and gain profits.For listeners who would like to contact Campbell, he can be reached by email, campbell@livingstonepartners.com or by phone, (424) 282-3709.Key Takeaways:As more companies begin to leverage technology, IT

“A value is only a value when it limits your ability to make a profit.” Bard Papegaaij, Director and Chief Change Facilitator of Transgrowth International, has focused his career on emotional intelligence in the workplace and the human side of organizations. Although working for the same company, different sides of businesses speak different languages, and it’s up to leadership to translate and involve every side to work together.From the IT perspective to the three languages every business should learn in their organization, Papegaaij shares important gems that can help any company work together, learn their true value and find solutions to human issues. Emphasizing the important roles for CIOs, Papegaaij believes the responsibility of collaboration is in their hands.“One of the key responsibilities for CIOs in the future is to be co-responsible for the culture of the organization,” Papegaaij says. “We cannot pretend that that is not our business.”Key Takeaways:One of the key responsibilities for CIOs is to

Working with a struggling or underperforming team? AMAG Pharmaceuticals VP and CIO Shannon Gath may have your solution with her five-step playbook.Gath, a Boston CIO of the Year finalist for team turnarounds, uses a strategy that transforms teams from order takers to strategic thinkers. Her playbook has worked with startups, medium and large teams allowing them to create goals and heavily focus on collaboration and personal commitment for success.Along with discussing this strategy, Gath shares her leadership styles, the tech industry topic she’s most interested in and how IT is evolving in its business capabilities.Key takeaways:The five-step playbook works with startups, medium and large teamsBy focusing on team collaboration and personal commitments to success, turnaround can transform members from order takers to strategic thinkersThe playbook allows teams to know what type of innovation to go after as well as learn their goalsThe fives steps: listen, validate, co-create, align and operate can help other

If blockchain technology excites you, then you want to listen to this episode of State of the CIO with Feng Hou, Chief Digital Transformation Evangelist at Maryville University. Feng has probably got the best title out of any guest on the show, but it’s a title he’s earned - he’s said to be the leading blockchain expert in higher education, and for good reason. Feng is working tirelessly to champion the implementation of blockchain technology into students’ everyday lives, to make certain processes much quicker, easier and more cost effective for all involved. In fact, one of the reasons he was brought into his current role as Chief Digital Transformation Evangelist at Maryville University was not to help transform the IT system, but to transform the student experience. Feng is working towards achieving this goal by leveraging advanced technology (blockchain) to help build overall efficiency into the higher education system. He and Dan talk at length about how blockchain technology can enhance the degree tran

Today’s guest on State of the CIO is Chris Hahn, Chief Financial Officer at Shippers Supply. Chris has been with Shippers Supply since 2010, first as an Accounting Manager, moving his way up through the company to the role of Controller, then Interim Director of Operations, Director of Finance, and now CFO. As a highly experienced leader in all financial and financially-related areas, Chris has complete overview of the company leadership and is involved in navigating strategic planning initiatives, as well as scaling operations to adjust for both market driven and internal growth dynamics. Essentially, Chris’s role is to shift internal mindsets away from expenditure and toward investing in the company’s future. The company’s current focus is on their growth plan for the next 5-10 years, knowing this needs to be heavily digitized. Chris talks to us about trends in the supply industry that are potential challenges for B2B companies, why creating a digital footprint is so important to Shippers Supply and how the

Jessica Miller is the IT Director for Booster Enterprises. She’s only been in post for a short while, but already Jessica is making waves in the business that she has steadily worked her way up. Booster has, for the last 16 years, been trusted by schools in over 47 states to help them raise funds and inspire students through their fitness and character programs. To date, Booster has helped raise $220m+ which in turn has helped 7.1m students. Jessica started at Booster as a Salesforce Administrator before moving to Salesforce Director and then finally to IT Director. Her current role is a far cry from the actual degree she completed, Recreation and Leisure Studies, at the University of Georgia. After graduating, Jessica quickly realized there were few jobs available in that field, and so cut her teeth using the tech systems at Shane Company, the largest privately owned jeweler in the US. As IT director, Jessica’s days are filled with creating digital solutions to existing problems, building the company culture

Today’s guest on State of the CIO is Ben Davis, EVP/Chief Digital Officer at Cambria. Ben began his career over 25 years ago and in that time he’s been Operations Executive for multiple “born in the cloud” based businesses and has delivered data and content systems to customers on 6 continents. According to Ben there is a cliche that there are three types of business: those about to start their digital transformation, those going through a digital transformation and those going out of business. And while Cambria is part way through its digital transformation, Ben has come to realize that in order for a company to transform digitally, while you are reliant on technology, you are more reliant on the people in the company itself. It is insights like this that make this episode unmissable as Ben shows us behind the curtain of his company and divulges the secrets of how Cambria is so successful. Listen to discover: What Ben’s priorities for his organization are Why digital transformation is key to future success

In this episode, we take you through the negotiation process with a specific focus on finalizing the deal. We give our listeners specifics questions to ask, requests to make, and tactics to achieving the most value from your Salesforce relationship.

Based on popular demand, this episode is a deep dive focus on developing and leveraging the 7th step of your Negotiation Plan: Communication. We give you an inside look on how we create a Communication Plan that will drive the most beneficial results for your organization. Within this episode you’ll learn the following:We reveal our Communication Plan process and how it is particularly useful when engaging Salesforce;We provide insight into our standard process of establishing time-based communication approaches;We discuss the importance of engaging multiple levels of your organization;We give real world examples and tactical takeaways that can be used immediately.

This episode focuses on developing your Negotiation Plan to best prepare and align your organization. Specifically, we discuss the following points:We reveal our Negotiation Plan and how it is particularly useful when engaging Salesforce.We provide an overview of each of the seven steps in our Negotiation Plan:InterestsAlternativesOptionsLegitimacy and talking pointsActivities that you will do to end goalRelationship, behavior you are trying to portrayCommunicationWe discuss the secret sauce behind our success; how the proper creation and execution of a “Communication Plan” achieves the greatest relationship potential with Salesforce. (More details in future episodes)