Relying on Cloud to Make Enterprise Utilization Effective

Tim Platt, VP-Information Systems/Information Security, Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA)

Challenges in technology to meet enterprise needs in 2014 and expectations

A number of the cloud providers are struggling to do so effectively and are having trouble delivering to the promises and the potential. I look forward to improved hybrid capabilities where multiple locations of processing power are not an issue for integration. Also, Software as Service providers could be more closely aligned with an “Always the Latest Version” operation. More maturing in cloud capability will make enterprise utilization more effective and efficient.

Areas in business environment where solutions do not yet exist

One of the greatest pain points that I see is the difficulty in integrating products, even when from the same vendor. There are too many dependencies on having certain browsers levels with certain middleware levels on certain networking configurations. Each piece of software only works with a limited set of pre-requisites. It would be great if we could upgrade components without having to upgrade the entire stack. There is simply too much complexity, so capabilities or tools that ease the integration would be ideal focus areas for the vendors.

"It would be great if we could upgrade components without having to upgrade the entire stack"

Trends impacting enterprise business environment

Two of the greatest opportunities for us in the manufacturing space are plant visualization and mobile capabilities. The ability to capture data from factory equipment and conveyors and to integrate with other information systems for real-time decision making and alerts on the factory floor is tremendously valuable. To then be able to expand that visualization and the associated transactions onto mobile devices to allow members to move freely multiplies the opportunity.

The role of CIOs today

The IT organization was primarily focused on being a service provider accepting requests and delivering against them. Today, with greater capability in business leadership and business architecture and the much more complex business environment, the IT organization must operate proactively as a business partner to achieve the objectives of the organization and to proactively bring new opportunities. Being a CIO means not only being a technologist, but also a business leader.

My word for a CIO

While not necessarily unique, relationship power and communication skills are paramount. Opportunities and achievements are extremely limited without these skills being developed throughout the IT organization. It is necessary to understand the business and to partner with them to identify the greatest opportunities for contribution. To additionally ensure that all IT members are plugged into sources of information from which they can understand the latest advances in technology and best practices and you have a powerful combination positioned well to deliver business value.

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