Innovation.  It drives success in your organization.  It makes you consider new ways to become more efficient and effective.  It drives value.  But when considering large multinational organizations, is it beneficial to be on the edge of IT innovation?  How does it impact the organization’s security posture? 

We took this question to two of our experts on SecureThinking and asked their opinion.  Here is what they had to say.  Which side do you agree with?

___________________________________ 

By Sushila Nair, Product Manager, Managed Security Solutions Group, BT Global Services 

It’s quite simple, in my opinion.  Multinationals shouldn’t be on the bleeding edge of technology.  When a multinational considers innovation, they also need to consider costs.  Using the latest technology without doubt is expensive, and the cost of innovation tends to be placed on the shoulders of less established organizations with the hopes that it will provide them with an advantage.

For example, one large multinational described how they were the last in their vertical sector to roll out SAP.  The organization understood the value of ERP and just as clearly understood what badly designed implementations cost. They watched other smaller organizations dive in ahead with the implementation while they sat back and learned from the mistakes. When they finally rolled out SAP, it was one of the finest implementations.  They decried local implementation and in spite of its challenges, rolled out a global design which allowed them, at a touch of a button, to know globally what their inventory was for a particular part — a fantastic achievement that early adopters never made.

IT innovation is like running a marathon — if you’re in it for the long-term, then charge ahead rather than pacing yourself for the long term race and use your strengths and skill to win the race. Innovation in IT, where IT is your business sector, makes perfect sense — but innovation in IT when your core business lies elsewhere is often questionable.

The bottom line is that over the next year or two, my prediction is we will see a continued focus on cost-cutting, doing more with the tools we currently have and a focus on core business – while technology will move itself more and more into the provider space where it is best placed.

********************************************** 

By Jim Tiller, Vice President, Security Professional Services, North America, BT Global Services 

It is simple: Innovation is key to multinational organizations.  And we’re going to see an explosion of IT innovation over the next several years that will in turn demand pioneering security approaches.

Unquestionably, the economic debacle of 2008 resulted in massive cutbacks and forced companies to restructure themselves to focus on their core business.  Very quickly, innovation yielded to stability and for many, survivability.  Investments had to demonstrate immediate value to the bottom line and long-term viability.  Experimentation and innovation in IT became bad words.

However, the world didn’t stop spinning and many realized a stagnant, protective business model was not going to last in the face of fierce, global competition.  Intense cost saving measures and IT conservatism is rapidly giving way to a culture of business enablement, efficiency, and effectiveness, and exposing the opportunity for IT to once again drive the entrepreneurial spirit.

Today, companies are beginning to aggressively push forward on compelling technologies that not only demonstrate convincing cost efficiencies, but are materializing as a foundation to enhance their competitive differentiation and empower employees.  It’s no longer about rolling out SAP, but rather embracing new IT approaches to fully exploit what ERP can mean to the business, its customers, partners, and employees, globally.

Multinational organizations are more than experimenting with new IT models, such as cloud computing, consumerization, unified communications, and mobility that are revealing a broad spectrum of business enablement opportunities in the technical space that will usher in substantial, cutting-edge innovation.

Consequently, traditional security measures will be challenged and innovation in security will blossom to reduce barriers to the business in safely adopting and fully exploiting progressive IT solutions, helping companies to realize their strategic vision.

It’s not a matter of the benefits of innovation in large, multinational organizations, but rather that innovation is required to effectively compete and grow in an increasingly demanding global market.

What side are you on?  Join the debate.  You can post your opinions below in our comment section.