GEC NEWS WIREIn his new role as an IT Director for the Qatar based Jaidah Group, Mr. Saji Oommen brings with him two decades of experience in pioneering the introduction of transformative technology implementations. He has a good track record of bringing about signification transition from legacy applications and making the organization reach newer pinnacles of success by extracting maximum value from IT investments. In an exclusive interview with Sonal Lunawat from ECMEA, he talks about IT in the region, future partner roadmap, CIO’s changing role, and much more.
How do you anticipate the regional market trends in terms of IT?
I haven’t seen a slowdown in IT, companies continue investing in IT since it is long term and not short term. I don’t see that changing irrespective of whatever happens in the market. I think ERP solutions and mobility solutions are widely adopted in the region. There are a number of technology innovation solutions being implemented in this area. Enterprises will continue to consider Cloud and Big Data solutions for mission critical applications. Many companies have exploited business opportunities created by new technology platforms. Business implications of Social Media is also changing at a fast pace.
What are the current IT implementations done by your organization?
Currently we going through ERP implementations, which will definitely help in our business operations. Along with that we are also implementing CRM solutions, digital marketing tools.
What are the IT implementation challenges in the Middle East?
The first challenge I see is the kind of support which most of the international technology providers provide in this region are limited. Even if you want to deploy a leading edge technology solution, the solution providers are always not ready enough to provide those solutions. Secondly, finding a right partner in this region is a major challenge and sometimes we may have to bring in partners from outside the region which obviously leads to increase in the overall cost. Thirdly the skills shortage is a problem, we do not have right resources available to hire. Today, business people are more demanding in terms of technology solutions than ever before which is a challenge on its own.
What are the qualities your organization looks for while having new partners on-board?
The partner should have proper skill sets available, the right resources and should have right experience in areas we have chosen them for. They should have the right processes to support their client. Partners work closely with us which make them an extension of our in-house team. I’ve experienced that some partners are technologically very strong however fail deliver because of lack of skills to understand our business.
How should a CIO resume look like?
The role of CIO has gone through a considerable transformation over the years and CIO has a critical role to play for the growth and survival of modern enterprises. CIOs play a role of business transformation agents and they need to be more aligned with business than ever before. CIOs need to understand the emerging technology innovations and well their implications on business. A lot of choices are available for technology solutions and CIOs need to identify the most appropriate technology for their business context. Today, enterprises work with multiple technology partners and managing the cost effective outsourcing model without compromising on innovation and security is a big challenge to CIOs. As businesses grow and transform at a faster pace, rapid implementation of technology solutions is critical. Moreover, increased empowerment of end users on technology decisions thanks to new technologies like cloud, create more avenues for shadow technology which is also a serious challenge for new CIOs.
