| Working in an internal IT department has its | | | | compete with; |
| benefits. If a company has one at all, it is an | | | | 1. They'll be cheaper |
| indication of its revenue, after all IT staff aren't | | | | Your skills are generic IT skills, they are not |
| cheap. One could take this a step further and | | | | location specific. So, let's go somewhere in the |
| make the assumption that the package is likely to | | | | world where labour is cheaper and source your |
| be competitive, relative to the market, and include | | | | skills. |
| such things as car allowance, interest free loans | | | | 2. They will only charge for work that they do |
| and medical cover for you and the family. Sounds | | | | You cost money every day, regardless of |
| pretty good doesn't it(?). What I think is missing | | | | whether you actually do anything productive or |
| though is the client to service provider relationship. | | | | not. |
| The IT department is part of the furniture of the | | | | 3. They will offer guarantees. No delivery, no pay |
| organisation, it has a monopoly on IT services | | | | - simple as that You don't offer any. If is doesn't |
| within the company. Let's explore this a little. | | | | work, you'll carry on clocking up time until it does. |
| Having an internal monopoly is bad for all parties. | | | | 4. They will offer fixed price projects. You |
| Think of the employee, almost without realising it | | | | specify, they deliver, you pay. You won't do this, |
| he/she has limited their exposure to technology | | | | many can't do this. It's too much pressure for |
| and the application of it. Of course they have, | | | | many. |
| they are only going to be implementing within this | | | | So there's just four reasons why your job is on |
| single company which, presumably, only works | | | | the line. I know you're probably thinking that your |
| within a particular market sector, offering | | | | IT department is so huge, it couldn't possibly |
| particular products. Now I'm not saying that this | | | | undergo such a massive transformation. Be |
| means people will have experience so narrow that | | | | careful jumping to conclusions. For many |
| it's worthless, but it will be narrow. What about | | | | companies what you are thinking is true - at the |
| the business itself then. They can only go to one | | | | moment. But it only takes one early adopter to |
| source for advice and implementation. No option | | | | be the first domino and the rest will either fall into |
| to use the RFI, RFP approach, conduct supplier | | | | line or fall out of business. |
| interviews or perform commercial negotiations. | | | | Consider this. A retail bank, millions of customers, |
| There are no negotiations here, you have a fixed | | | | hundreds working in IT. If a proportion, let's say |
| internal rate and that's the end of it. | | | | only half, where replaced by a service provider |
| When you work for the supplier (particularly a | | | | millions could be saved. If the bank passed on |
| small one), chargeable utilisation is paramount and | | | | these savings to the customers by way of an |
| measured constantly. Apply this with rates and | | | | interest rate rise, what's going to happen? |
| you know exactly what's going on in the bank | | | | Exactly, customers are going to flock over to the |
| account. Senior staff don't all have their own PA's, | | | | bank. What happens next? Well the customers |
| fixed overheads are minimised down to flowers in | | | | haven't just been magic'd from thin air, they are |
| reception and coffee beans for the techies. If | | | | someone else's ex-customers so now they need |
| utilisation or rate decreases, there is cash burn. | | | | to react. Here's where they decide whether to fall |
| Eventually heads need to roll, literally out of the | | | | in line or fall over. |
| door, so that the company can survive. | | | | So now that you know all of this you need to |
| If that isn't motivation for folk to deliver projects | | | | decide whether you are doing the right thing now |
| on time, to budget I don't know what is. | | | | to secure your future. What makes you different |
| Furthermore, this is fairly good motivation to | | | | to the many thousands of other people around |
| establish a good working relationship with your | | | | the globe that hold the same job title as you? Still |
| clients so that [a] there is repeat business and [b] | | | | feeling cosy? |
| you've got references and the potential for case | | | | My final thoughts on this are that there is going to |
| studies. So where does all of this sit when you're | | | | be a complete reversal in the way the experience |
| an internal IT department? It doesn't. So what, I | | | | on our resumes is judged. In the past, and to a |
| hear you say - none of this affects me in my | | | | degree in the present, you can "get a foot in the |
| cosy cubicle in my centralised office for my Big | | | | door" of Bank A if you've worked in Bank B. But |
| Brand company. Well, be careful...you might be | | | | remember, IT departments are dying so when |
| wrong. | | | | you step out of Bank A you'll need to go over to |
| Think of this, your company can afford you and | | | | the "light side", the services side. All of a sudden |
| you're not cheap. You want a car, a bonus, a | | | | you are in a far more commercial environment. |
| travel allowance, medical benefits, 30 days holiday, | | | | Over on this side, people take risks, people make |
| 2 weeks a year training, you want to get paid | | | | guarantees, people lose their jobs. So when you |
| even when you're not working because you're | | | | say, with an air of confidence, "I have X years |
| "sick" - you are expensive. | | | | experience as the manager of this that and the |
| Stating the obvious now, this means that your | | | | other for Bank A", expect to be hear in response, |
| employer ahs money, money to spend on IT. | | | | "I'm sorry to hear that, what part of this |
| The question is, do you now what this means...? | | | | experience makes you think you're suitable |
| OK, I'll let you in on a secret. It means that other | | | | working in our commercial organisation"? |
| people would like that money. They would like to | | | | Good luck out there. Take the initiative now, the |
| earn the money that currently gets paid to you. | | | | light side beckons. A moment paused is a |
| The rest is simple. You see what happens is that | | | | moment wasted. Look to your creative side, find |
| someone forms a company to provide IT | | | | people to collaborate with, seek clients globally and |
| services. These services include your exact job, | | | | build your company. If you don't like this idea, find |
| the exact job description. But there's are some | | | | some who has already done this and work for |
| differences, ones that are pretty hard for you to | | | | them! |