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Event Overview
With the Bank of England describing the current economic environment as the most challenging it has seen for a decade, investment decisions will only get harder to justify. But despite the tough times, directors cannot afford to switch off the investment tap entirely – especially when it comes to ensuring business systems remain effective.
Historically, IT spending has been one of the first areas to be hit in troubled times – but leading-edge businesses are increasingly realising that prudent technology investment is one of the best ways to survive any financial slowdown.
The key to success is to focus on the quick wins – breaking IT initiatives into manageable chunks that deliver rapid payback, and making sure that even long-term strategic projects are achieving short-term return on investment.
In this second Computing and Accountancy Age web seminar on managing business performance, we examine the best practice approach to investing in technology in a cautious economic world. Delegates will hear real-life case studies from business leaders in finance and IT – and have the opportunity to put questions to managers from both functions. The event will provide delegates with the tools and techniques to help convince the board to continue investing in strategic IT despite the economic challenges they face.
Who should attend?
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IT managers, IT directors or CIOs
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IT project / programme managers
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IT budget-holdersIT decision-makers
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IT strategy and planning managers
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Chief financial officers, Finance directors
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Financial controllers Partners, directors and managers responsible for IT budgets
Why you should attend?
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Find out how to justify IT investment in a cautious financial environment
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Hear the real-life experiences of an IT leader
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Learn what the finance department expects of IT during these cautious economic times
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Gain best practice tips on how to convince your finance director to invest in IT
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Find out how to identify and measure the business value and performance benefits of IT investments
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Hear real-life experiences of those who have made a success of technology spend
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Learn how the best finance and IT departments work together to deliver value
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Understand the importance of project and performance management
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Put your questions to our panel of finance and IT experts
Speakers
Martin Atherton - Research Director, Freeform Dynamics Ltd
In his capacity as Research Director, Martin is a member of the Freeform Dynamics management team, and is responsible for defining areas of coverage and managing the company’s research agenda. As an active analyst, Martin is also responsible for covering the rapidly evolving areas of Business Service Management (BSM), IT Service Management (ITSM), and application delivery. This includes intelligence gathering from vendors and users of solutions in this space.
One area Martin is particularly interested in is the relationship between industry-specific drivers and dynamics, and ITrelated strategies and requirements. The reality is that this area remains a challenge for many suppliers, often hampering their ability to tune into the requirements of their customers, and Martin is committed to helping close this gap and drive better alignment between the two camps. As part of this, he has accumulated significant research and project experience in the Manufacturing, Financial Services, Energy, Utilities and Retail sectors during his career.
Martin has been an industry analyst since 1997, and prior to joining Freeform Dynamics, held a variety of positions within Datamonitor, running research teams exploring industrial automation, enterprise applications, mobility, security, integration and IT service delivery.
Current Areas of Focus Business/IT Service Management, Application Delivery.
Chris Harry Edwards - Associate Partner, Financial Management Consulting Practice, IBM
Chris Harry Edwards leads the Business Performance Management Group in the UK, Ireland and South Africa. He is a qualified accountant and holds and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Chris has over 15 years of consulting experience during which he has designed and delivered enterprise wide BPM solutions for a number of blue chip clients in the UK and overseas.
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