Tracing business benefits back to IT systems can be
difficult. But when it comes to professional sports events such as
the
America's Cup, the systems used by sailing teams for navigation
and diagnostics can make the difference between first place and the
long walk home.
According to Eric Ernst, IT manager aboard the
Victory Challenge team at this year's America's Cup, at many
companies where IT is used in a more traditional setting, the
importance of information systems is still not widely understood by
those in power.
"In most companies, the people responsible for making final
decisions on technology are IT illiterate and have a propensity to
maintain the status quo rather than recognising what is going to
move the company forward," said Ernst. "It is a common problem, but
IT has to take a lead in repairing this divide."
In December 2006 at the age of 30, Ernst became the IT manager
aboard the Victory Challenge team. He bears the responsibility for
making sure all IT systems on the boat work correctly.
From checking that navigational, telemetry and
weather-monitoring systems are up around the clock, to managing the
50 workstations that handle administration, the pressure never lets
up. He is first on board in the morning and is usually the last one
out at night, but he would not have it any other way.
Before joining the Victory team, Ernst spent six years managing
IT security at Swiss banks and investment houses. But he grew weary
of the politics involved with carrying out IT projects in the
corporate environment.
Shouldering accountability for the success of projects and
sharing that responsibility with people who did not understand the
technology made it difficult, Ernst said. It was his lifelong love
of sailing that eventually drove him to apply for his current
role.
Getting things done is the order of the day in his new position.
The job has also shaped his view on how IT departments should be
more proactive, especially when it comes to promoting technology at
board level.
"IT managers need to refine their approach to selling technology
in the business. Simply pointing out that the business will be in
trouble if it does not buy a £200,000 piece of software is not
enough. You have to get sponsorship and back-up from management,
and take the time to educate them about how new technology can help
the business," he said.
For him, the answer to the divide between IT and business is for
IT departments to get beyond asking for more money. Ernst also
feels that businesses cannot continue asking for more functionality
from IT systems at a lower cost. Businesses need to show IT
departments more respect, and IT departments need to learn that
this respect must be earned.
Ernst said that IT managers need to gain a wider understanding
of the business and how technology affects business processes if
they are to establish a dialogue with senior management and wish to
be seen as credible business assets.
Having an understanding of the business is especially important
for young IT practitioners so that they do not get shoe-boxed in
their careers as some of their contemporaries may have done in the
past.
"Older IT managers tend to be more stuck in technology and have
a poorer understanding of the business. Simply saying you have got
20-plus years' industry experience in technology is meaningless
nowadays, as technology evolves so fast. A far more valuable skill
is being able to present how new technology can deliver bottom-line
benefits to non-IT managers."
Having more than just technical skills is something that he
feels managers should look for when hiring IT staff. The
candidate's technical skills should come second to their attitude
to work. "If I was hiring, I would be quite prepared to take the
time to teach someone who did not know how to build a server,
provided they had a willingness to learn."
He said that building an IT team with the right attitude to the
job is much harder than simply recruiting people with relevant
technical abilities. Employers who complain that IT graduates do
not have the right skills fail to realise they are in the best
position to do something about the problem by offering them
training, he said.
At the same time, he said that young IT professionals should
begin developing an eye for what areas they intend to specialise in
early on in their careers. "There are lots of avenues open, such as
programming, networking and consulting. The key is deciding what
you enjoy doing. A lot of this can be trial and error, so it is
important that IT graduates make themselves available to work on a
variety of different projects at the start."
With the 32nd America's Cup over, preparation for the 33rd has
already begun on a longer 90-foot boat weighing more than 24
tonnes. Working with a team he trusts, Ernst is certain it is a
responsibility he can shoulder.
CIOs winning business value battle >>