'CIOs Should Use Crisis To Demonstrate Agility Of IT'

News reports on the global economic slowdown and the impact of the recession on the Indian economy have been plastered across all forms of the media. Keeping in view the current situation, Biztech2.0 brings its readers a snappy update on what’s happening on the IT front, keeping in mind both sides of the coin.

The recession definitely seems to have set in but this hasn’t deterred Tata Toyo Radiator from going ahead with new IT initiatives keeping in mind its long-term vision and requirements. Manoj Sawant, manager- IT, Tata Toyo Radiator, says, “Tata Toyo has four plants in India, including two in Pune. We are looking at solutions that will help us prevent data de-duplication and archiving. Owing to the challenges we face with regard to storage, Snap storage is a priority for us right now.”

Tata Toyo Radiator, with its IT infrastructure of 14 servers and Windows OS working in tandem with Oracle and SQL database and all its systems integrated with solutions from SAP, emerges enthusiastic about its IT initiatives despite the current crisis. “Around six months ago, we purchased SAN for SAP and NAS for designing. We have made these infrastructure changes keeping in mind our requirements ten years down the line and in this process we have endeavoured to meet the latest standards laid down by the industry. In spite of all the changes and upgradations that we have already implemented, we see the cost of security as a major challenge, in addition to the maintenance cost of servers and data security and management.”

If Tata Toyo represents companies that are not sidetracking their IT projects keeping in mind long-term goals and benefits, there are other companies such as L&T Infotech, which are bearing the brunt of the crisis and are re-evaluating their IT budgets.

Tushar Deshpande, head - Centre IT Infrastructure, L&T Infotech, says, “The recession has definitely impacted us. A lot of our IT initiatives have come to a standstill and the company will not be looking at new projects till this wave passes by.”

Even while waiting for this period to pass, L&T Infotech is considering green IT and power and cooling solutions to improve efficiency.

During these trying times, IT heads are finding it extremely difficult to convince the management or business owners on why certain initiatives must be taken. Instilling confidence in CIOs, Satish Pendse, CIO, HCC, says, “Crisis or no crisis, the fundamental approach of CIOs shouldn’t change much. CIOs need to ensure that IT investments are linked to their potential business value. They should be involved not only in new technology implementations but also in ensuring that the proposed IT investments deliver the desired business value. I think the crisis is a great opportunity for CIOs to demonstrate the agility of IT to their businesses – by aligning with them.”