Technology•May 05, 2011
Making Your Organization Ready for an Enterprise-Wide CRM: Consider This When Upgrading Your Infrastructure
In a number of blogs, we have addressed issues around preparing for an enterprise-wide CRM. We will now focus our attention on Technology Readiness. In a series of three blog entries, we will provide guidance on key issues such as infrastructure, SaaS vs. on premise, and master data.
We know you’re willing to upgrade your infrastructure, but is your CFO?
Most sales organizations are highly decentralized. Users can reside in several different locations (e.g., corporate, branch, home office, road warrior, etc.) each of which presents its own unique set of infrastructure challenges. Regardless of functionality, response time is considered the universal key performance indicator when measuring success. This is nothing new. In fact, you probably know the locations that currently suffer from poor performance. Of course, you’re willing to spend the capital to make the necessary improvements (e.g., increase bandwidth, add more servers, hire additional staff, etc.), but is your CFO? CFOs are by design corporate stewards. Want to get your CFO on board? Become an IT steward. IT departments are notoriously poor at explaining consequences and alternatives. Instead, outline various approaches and their associated risks and benefits. Show the CFO you intend to spend the money as if it was your own.