國(guó)際人才英語教程 高級(jí) U8活動(dòng)策劃與指導(dǎo)-案例1 針對(duì)問題撰寫解決方案

目標(biāo)：針對(duì)問題撰寫解決方案背景：假如你是某跨國(guó)公司的首席信息官(CIO)，經(jīng)調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)公司的IT部門花費(fèi)成本過高，影響公司的實(shí)際效益，因此你準(zhǔn)備向公司高層提議縮減部門成本。任務(wù)：撰寫提案，為縮減成本提供解決方案。使用建議：國(guó)際人才英語教程（高級(jí)）U8閱讀素材素材1：IT部門的5項(xiàng)隱藏成本Despitetherapidriseofcloudtechnologiesinrecentyears,manybusinessesstillopttokeeptheirITin-house.Thereremainsacommonmisconceptionthattheon-premisesapproachiseasiertocontrolandbudgetfor,butthisisrarelythecaseoutsideoflargeenterprises,whichhavededicatedITdepartmentsandclearlydocumentedtechnologystrategies.Whilein-houseITisthetraditionalapproach,there’sneverbeenanyshortageofhiddencosts.1.ContinuousinvestmentBuildinganITinfrastructurefromscratcheasilyrunsintotensofthousandsofdollars,evenforasmallbusiness.Someofthedirectcostsincludenetworkinginfrastructure,serverhardware,workstationsandsoftwarelicenses,nottomentiontheexpertiserequiredtogeteverythingupandrunning.Whiletheseexpensesmightberelativelystraightforwardtobudgetfor,it’stheunexpectedcoststhatcanreallyeatawayatacompany’sbottomline.Giventhedynamicnatureofenterprisetechnology,aninternalITdepartmentrequiresongoingspendingintheformofmaintenance,upgrades,repairs,andremediationforunexpectedthingslikedatabreachesorsystemfailures.Tokeepaheadofthecurve,businessleadersareunderconstantpressuretoinnovate,andthatrequirescontinuousinvestment,aswellastheabilitytoclearlyprioritizetaskstomakethebestpossibleuseoflimitedresources.2.HumanresourcesEnterpriseITisanincrediblycompetitivefieldthatholdssomeofthehighest-paidjobtitles.AccordingtoPayScale,forexample,aChiefInformationOfficer(CIO)intheUSdemandsanaveragesalaryofover$162,000peryear.That’sfarbeyondwhatmanysmallbusinessescanafford,andit’snoteventhewholestory.Otherpayrollfactorsincludepensioncontribution,taxes,bonuses,andmore.In-houseITalsocomeswithunexpectedHRexpenses.Forexample,ifsomethinggoeswrongandit’sbeyondtheabilitiesofyourin-houseteamtoresolve,youmayneedtocallinatechnicianwhowillchargeyoubythehour.Thisbreak/fixapproachtoITsupportpresentsunexpectedcoststhataresimplyimpossibleforsmallbusinessestobudgetfor.Bycontrast,proactivesupportcommandsamonthlyfeethat’salwayspredictable.3.UnsupportedhoursFewcompaniescanaffordtomaintainanin-houseITdepartmentthatworksaroundtheclock.Assuch,problemsmayonlybedealtwithduringworkinghours,whichmeansmoredowntime.Ifemployeescomeintoworkonemorningonlytofindthattheycan’tdotheirjobsbecausesystemsaredown,productivityandmoralewillsuffer.Atthesametime,customersatisfactioncanplummetwheninstantgratificationisexpected.Businesseswithin-houseITdepartmentsmayhavenochoicebuttopaystaffovertimetofixurgentissues,butthisapproachalsopresentstheriskofburnoutandreducedmorale.Makingmattersevenmorecomplicatedisthefactthat,fromasecurityandcomplianceperspective,yourtechnologyinfrastructureneeds24/7/365careanyway.Afterall,hackersdon’texactlyadheretoa9-till-5routine,soneithercanyourIT.4.SoftwarelicensingAlotoforganizationsrunoutdatedoperatingsystemsandothersoftwaresimplybecausetheycan’taffordtoupgrade.Unfortunately,thispresentsanenormousrisk,sinceoutdatedandunsupportedsoftwareisinherentlymorevulnerabletoexploits.We’veallheardaboutthemajorransomwareandothermalwareattacksinrecentyears—manyofthemtargetsuchvulnerabilities.Softwarelicensingcanbeaveritableminefieldtonavigate,particularlyifyouwanttorunprogramsandoperatingsystemsinanin-housedatacenter.Alotofdesktopsoftwarecannotruninavirtualized,server-sideenvironmentwithoutadditionallicensingcosts.Fortunately,thingsarechangingnowthatenterpriseITfavorsthesoftware-as-a-service(SaaS)model,butsoftwarelicensingforin-houseinfrastructuresremainscomplexandcostly.5.CybersecurityfailingsGiventhemultitudeofdigitalthreatsfacingtoday’sbusinesses,cybersecurityshouldbeatoppriorityforanyorganization.Infact,securityandcompliancemustbebuiltinfromtheoutset,ratherthantackedonlater.Maintaininganin-houseITinfrastructurerequiresamplesecurityexpertise,complianceauditing,andongoingstafftraining,andnoneofthesecomecheap.Unfortunately,thecostofadatabreachismuchhigher.Asidefromthemoreimmediatecostsofremediationefforts,therearealsofactorslikebranddamageandpossiblelitigationtothinkabout.Infact,theseindirectcostsofsufferingadatabreacharesometimesenoughtomakebusinessesgointoinsolvency.Assuch,nobusinesscanaffordtoletcybersecuritytakeabackseatinaworldwherethethreatsareconstantlyevolving.素材來源：/5-hidden-costs-of-maintaining-an-internal-it-department/素材2：縮減IT成本的11種方式ReorientingIT’sbudgettowardfutureopportunitiesisabigreasonwhyCIOsshouldreviewtheirITportfolioswithaneyetowardcurbingunnecessaryspendingandrealizingmaximumvaluefromeveryITinvestment.ITleadershavealwaysneededtoexercisefiscalresponsibilitywhilemeetingbusinessdemandsfortechnology.Butasdigitaltransformationeffortshaveintensifiedinrecentyears,CIOshavehadfeweropportunitiestopauseandreevaluateIT’sfinancialsituation.Today’sCIOisnotjustatechnologyleader,butabusinessexecutive.“Thatmeanstakingalonghardlookatcostsandensuringtheirspendisfocusedonthefutureandnotjustmaintainingthepast,”saysJayUpchurch,EVPandCIOatSAS.TheneedtoreorientIT’sbudgettowardfutureopportunitiesisonebigreasonCIOsarereviewingtheirITportfoliosnow.Butit’snottheonlyone.Economicuncertainty,increasedcompetition,sustainabilityconcerns,shareholderexpectations,andregulatorychallengesarealsotopofmind.FollowingaresomeactionsITleaderscantakenowtosecurethosefundsforthefuture.1.Checkinonthosecloudcosts“Highlyscalabletechnologycombinedwithincreasinguseandincreasingcostsleadstorunawayspending,”saysMarkTroller,CIOattelecomexpensemanagementcompanyTangoe,whichestimatesthatitsclientsoverspendoncloudbyasmuchas40%.WestMonroe’sTanowitzagrees,saying,“There’scloudspendwhereimmaturegovernanceapproacheshaveresultedinexcessconsumptionthatcanbereducedwhenaholisticcloudarchitectureapproachistaken.”Inadditiontocloudconsumption,theremaybedriversatplay.“HyperscalersareraisingtheirpricestorecouptheirinvestmentsincloudandnowgenAI,”saysAnilCheriyan,formerCIOandfounderofPhaseIVVentures,whobelievesITleadersneedtoasksomehardquestionsabouttheircloudcosts,includingwhethercertainpastcloudchoicesarenowmoreexpensivethanon-premisesoptions,aswellaswhatvaluetheyaredeliveringrelativetothatcost.CompaniestakingamulticloudapproachcanexperienceballooningOpExnumbers,saysBarrettSchrader,managingdirectorofthetechnologyconsultinggroupatProtiviti:“Organizationscantakeadvantageofvolumediscountswithreducedcomplexity.Inaddition,thisleadstosimplifiedmanagementandgovernancethatcanfurtherreduceITcosts.”2.RevisittheprojectportfolioStrongdemandmanagementisessentialforsustainableITcostoptimization,saysAnjaAllen,principalinEYAmericas’technologyconsultingpractice.EnsuringallITspendisdirectlytiedtobusinessdemandactsasanautomaticcostoptimizer.CIOsshouldalsoperiodicallyreviewprojectsinplaytoreprioritizethembasedonanticipatedROIandfeasibility,says11:11’sPratt.“Evaluatingiftheprojectwillallowthecompanytoincreaserevenuesorreplaceanagingsystemthatwillultimatelysavecostsovertimeisanecessaryexerciseineliminatingprojectsthatdon’tmovetheneedle,”hesays.“Aleaderalsoneedstofactorintheprobabilityofsuccessofimplementation.Moneywellspentonlycountswhentheprojectcanbeexecutedtocompletion.”Zero-basedbudgetingcanbeagoodapproachfordiscretionaryspending.“Whilejustifyingtechnologyexpenditurecanbetricky,ITleaderscandiscoverwhat’sreallycriticalbyinvestigatingtheirdiscretionaryspendingduringbudgetingandplanningcyclessothattheyonlyincludeareasofbreakthroughvaluecreationanddon’tassumeorgobyhistoricalcontextalone,”saysNitishMittal,partneratEverestGroup.3.RealignsupportlevelsSupportcostsareanotherareawhereITleaderscanrecoupfunding,payingonlyforwhat’srequiredtomeetnecessaryservicelevelsforthebusiness.“Withstorageyoumightalwayswantthebestsupportplantoreplaceanyfailedcomponentswithinafewhoursorless,”saysPratt.“Butlookingatlesscriticalnetworkinfrastructureorcomputewherethereisadequateredundancy,aleadercanoptforamoreconservativesupportplanthatcostsless.”4.Considerconsumption-basedcontractsOneofthebestwaystoalignITcostswithvalue-generatingoutcomesiswithconsumption-basedpricing,althoughitmayseemlikeahigher-costoption.“Consumption-basedcontractsareself-optimizing,”saysGartner’sBuchanan.“Variablecostsmaybealittlehigherperunitthanfixedcosts,buttheycostlessintotalifyourbusinessneedstousethemless.”5.RethinksourcingdecisionsIt’salwaysworthwhiletorevisitagreementswithoutsourcersandotherthird-partyserviceproviders,whichareoftenamongIT’sbiggestexpenses.“Contractorsandvendorsshouldbetreatedlikeyourcarinsurance,”saysPratt.“Whenitisrenewaltime,makesuretoscrutinizeandshoparound.”Whenitcomestocontingentlaborinparticular,CIOsareoftenpayingabove-marketratesorengagingwithamoreexpensiveclassofcontractorthannecessary,saysWestMonroe’sTanowitz,whoseanalysishasrevealedopportunitiestosavebetween6%and30%.SeveralmethodscanhelpITleadersscourforvalueleakageinITservicesdeals.EYAmericas’Allensuggestsperformingvendortailspendanalysis,toidentifyunnecessaryproliferationofproviders;vendorspendParetoanalysis,toidentifyopportunitiestoconsolidatevendors;benchmarking,torealignpricingwithmarketconditions;andmarketskillsetanalysis,toidentifywhatskillsmightbepurchasedatlowerrates.AllenhasseenITleadersshavebetween15%and30%offtheirITservicesspendusingthesetechniques.ITleadersmayalsofindthatsomeworkcanbeinsourcedmorecheaply.JonasHansson,CIOatAxisCommunications,isaproponentofinternalsourcing.“Outsourcingisalwaysmuchmoreexpensiveandlessflexibleunlessyoucanpredictthefutureandareaverygoodprocurer,”hesays.“Thebestwaytoreducecostsoverthelongtermistocultivateinternalskillsandexperience.”6.ImplementagilesourcingEventheprocessofsourcingandmakingprocurementdecisionscanendupcostingITorganizationsmorethantheybargainedfor.SomeprogressiveITleadersareadoptinganagileapproachtosourcing,breakingdowntheprocessintoshorter,iterativechunkstomitigatecostoverruns,delays,andmisalignedoutcomes.Inaddition,engagingfinanceandprocurementstakeholdersearliercanhelpstreamlinethedecision-makingprocess,saysEverestGroup’sMittal.“Italsohelpsincross-pollinatingideastomakethetechnologyselectionprocessmoreefficientintermsofnegotiations,marketbestpractices,andwhatotherfunctionsaredoingintheorganization,”headds.7.TakeoutthetechtrashNowisthetimeforCIOstosettletheirtechnologydebtstoreducecostsandinvestinnewwaystogeneratevalue,Gartner’sBuchanansays.“Extendedsupportisanexpensivewaytopayforalowerlevelofserviceandsecurity,”hesays,adding,“Organizationscanonlysafelyspendlessiftheyreducetheircostbasebyrestructuringit.Thatmeanstakingoutthetrash,deprioritizingtechnologiesthatarepasttheiruse-bydateandreplacingthembeforethey’renolongersafe,secure,andfitforpurpose.”CIOscanbereluctanttorevisitspendingdecisionsmadedecadesago,andbusinessleadersareoftenindenialbecausethere’snoeasyROItowritingitoff.Butonewaytoapproachthisistoput“abigscarynumber”onthetechnologydebtandtakethattotheboard,Buchanansays.8.AuditallcontractsITorganizationsalmostalwayspayformorethanthebusinessactuallyneedsforhardware,software,andnetworking.“PeriodicchecksonyourITspendingcanunearthhiddencostsyoumightnotbeawareof,fromunusedsoftwarelicensestoredundantservices.These‘small’expenditurescanadduptoasignificantsum,”saysVineetArora,CTOatITservicesfirmWinWire.Networkspendingisoneofthemostcommonareasofoverspendingascompaniescontinuetopayforcircuitsnolongerinuse,saysWestMonroe’sTanowitz.Billingerrors,overprovisioningoflicenses,andchangesincapacityareotherthingstolookfor.“Oftentimes,ITexpensesbecomealmostaroutinespendand[there’sless]scrutinyovertime,”saysJoeMcMorris,CIOandCISOatPlanview.“ITleadersmustbeopen-mindedandtakeafreshlookatallareasofthebusiness.”9.RationalizeapplicationsWhenitcomestosoftware,it’snotjustlicensesorseatsthatneedtoberationalized,buttheapplicationsthemselves.Companieshaveseena71%increaseinthenumberofapplicationsthey’reusingoverthepastyear,accordingtoaFreshworkssurveyofITprofessionals.“ITteamscan’tgomuchlongerwithoutrelentlesslycuttingwhatisn’tdrivingefficiency,”saysFreshworksCIOPrasadRamakrishnan.“CIOsmustsystematicallyreviewtheirtechstackwithinsightfromfrontlineworkers,”saysErikBailey,CIOofIPmanagementsoftwaremakerAnaqua,whoregularlyassessesthec