In a conference earlier this year, IBM CEO Virginia Rometty listed three trends which are transforming the IT industry: data, cloud and engagement. With the corporate workforce spending an increasing amount of time online, the enterprise IT game has to change its rules. Traditional Systems of Record- ERP-type systems which manage critical business functions like finances, CRM, HR among others – are slowly giving way to their more evolved brethren. Say hello to the Systems of Engagement.
Originally introduced as a concept by Geoffrey Moore, systems of engagement move away from legacy top-down enterprise systems to a more decentralized approach which harnesses the power of the cloud and encourages employees to communicate with each other. While legacy systems provide only inactive information flow to employees; the new generation of enterprise systems seeks to change all of that.
The move to systems of engagement is only logical. The increasing amount of digitization, collaboration, data and a global outlook by companies calls for more robust enterprise IT systems. Much like the modern consumer technologies, the new breed of enterprise technologies will also actively engage its users – the workforce.
Systems of engagement focus on the following:
- Social Applications - Employers can facilitate the transition from legacy systems to newer systems by encouraging collaboration among the employees
- Connecting the disconnected – Typically, business functions operate in a disjoint fashion. Systems of engagement integrate all the systems together
- Choosing the correct platforms - In order to fulfil the focus areas above, right platforms need to be used. With cloud being the preferred go-to option, companies can choose from SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS
This new evolution of enterprise IT will bring lots of benefits to businesses. For B2B companies, it will aid in faster decision making and improve their response times to consumer issues. For B2C companies, the technology will help them capture the attention of the customers and improve their service. They can also generate valuable customer insights and provide a better user experience. For both B2B and B2C companies, the biggest value will be derived by the data and an empowered workforce, driven by the systems of engagement.
With social business as the way ahead for enterprises, implementation of enabling systems within the enterprise is crucial. Systems of Engagement will allow companies to do just that. It will help businesses become more efficient internally, and improve collaboration both within and outside the enterprise. That is real power. That is the future of Enterprise IT!
