Let’s be honest. Often times the corporate IT department just can’t get it done. Therefore, it’s up to you and it might as well be right? Your the profit center. Your the business unit truly on the cutting edge where it counts, in dollars that is.
In today’s world, many business units don’t engage their corporate IT counterparts because they have learned that lesson the hard way. Their needs didn’t get fulfilled, their ideas never grew to fruition, their performance suffered and in the end they’re held responsible.
Let’s get straight to the dirty stuff. How do you cheat on your IT department? We’re being honest right? That’s really what your doing. The need for IT doesn’t disappear. Your simply getting your needs met elsewhere.* In a time where internet statistics are measured in the trillions, you can guarantee the demand for IT isn’t going anywhere. In fact if your reading this and your not in an IT department, believe it or not, your likely already becoming IT. Yep, your being indoctrinated into the ways of the geek and no, we can’t talk about star wars right now. So what does it mean? Well your demand and lack of supply compel you to look elsewhere.
Let’s look at a common example. You are in a marketing department, your customer is a young tech savvy knowledge worker and you need to stimulate viral demand for your products. Utilize a micro-blogging service such as Twitter to inform your market of upcoming sales or last minute deals, which incentivize your potential customers to engage in a new channel specifically tailored to their interests.
As you can see the demand still exists and the needs are simply met by a third party IT, in this case Twitter. But what do you do when the IT or IT service doesn’t exist and therefore can’t be leveraged? Easy, engage those that really want to build it or do it and ultimately partner with you to meet your needs, the vendors.
There are numerous reasons why engaging a vendor makes sense. The most important being that they are ingrained with necessity to deliver. They also typically have deep experience, considerable drive, third party or competitive perspectives, industry best practices and the talent to succeed.
Wait a minute, did we just go to commercial break? Here’s the caveat.
I won’t pretend to have worked with all IT service vendors, but I’ve heard from those that do (yes pretend), most vendors have good intentions but fail to deliver or worse deliver later with a few more pretty zeros added on to the price tag. How nice of them. :(
Selecting the right vendor is absolutely crucial because there could be much more than the first need at stake. In reality the first need is the honeymoon of the marriage or should be considered so. In selecting a vendor, you are entrusting quite a bit.
Now let’s take it full circle and get back to the root of the problem. The IT department still has a role to play when vendors are engaged. A good vendor includes the IT department in their strategy because they know they will need them and at some point the IT department will support the solution thereby allowing you and the vendor to move on to your next idea.
I know what your thinking, I just brought you full circle and your forced to depend on the IT department again. 
Well this turn of the carousel is different. This time the carousel is being built by trained professionals instead of a tribe of carnies trying to throw something together and the operator has a manual instead of a death wish.
Now if your unsure which vendor you should go with bring in someone you trust or a really revered consulting firm to conduct a vendor selection for you. They will provide a third party perspective and help guide you through the process of selecting the right vendor for the job as well as all future jobs.
This may sound like merely a marketing piece especially coming from a consultant, but how do you think your competitors are gaining your market share and getting ahead of you? How are their ideas coming to fruition and how so fast? Why is it you always seem to end up playing follow the leader when you already have the ideas that could have led the pack?
If you can’t get it done internally, don’t accept defeat. You can’t afford not to look elsewhere. Carpe Diem!
*Don’t read too much into this style of writing. I’m in no way shape or form encouraging cheating on your wife or husband. I’m a strong believer in Jesus Christ and in Deuteronomy 5:18 God commands us to not commit adultery. I strongly encourage you to heed this command for the penalty of sin is death.
