“To grow effectively we knew we needed a solid technology base,” Gass recalls. “Simply layering new capabilities on our existing systems wasn’t going to work anymore.”
For example, when Dell wanted to implement a common electronic payment type for all of its online and offline sales properties around the world, the IT department estimated that it would take 18 to 24 months to develop this service and deploy it globally. IT leaders realized that having 12 different order management systems, 27 different interfaces for product and customer data, and disparate data representations in the data warehouse, was inhibiting Dell’s ability to transform.
“This was a call to action for management, not only within IT, but among the business leaders,” continues Gass. “It was a joint problem that necessitated a top-down approach. We needed to embrace globalization, consolidation, and standardization to make headway. Disparities in our information systems was inhibiting our ability to transform.”