For a long time, IT systems were a background facilitator of business. The IT department, for the most part, existed to protect the company from hackers and manage the solutions employees needed to get the job done. Within this environment, IT was defined by corporate necessity. If the business needed a better database application to keep up with the competition, the IT department would put a few months of effort into deploying a solution and make that happen. These roles are changing, however, and many IT departments can no longer afford to play a reactionary part. Business process management (BPM) software can help organizations adjust to this change.
Evaluating IT's new role
Technology has begun changing and evolving so quickly that it is starting to dictate how companies develop their business strategies. This is, in some ways, a reaction to new economic realities in a post-recession world. Economies are growing slowly, but still facing pressure.Few companies can afford to waste resources or neglect opportunities to get ahead of the competition. As a result, businesses can no longer sit back while niche organizations in their industry act as early adopters. Many mainstream companies are becoming more dependent on both specialized enterprise technologies and consumer-based solutions to meet operational needs. This changes how many IT departments function.
Instead of playing the background part, IT leaders are often tasked with staying ahead of the market by helping business leaders understand the technologies emerging in their operating space and figuring out the best strategies for deploying such solutions effectively. In response, the average worker often has his or her routine disrupted by technological change. This can lead to major productivity and employee engagement declines. BPM solutions are often the answer, as they help integrate processes within the broad technological frameworks, alleviating challenges employees face when becoming accustomed to new ways to complete work-related tasks.
Responding to corporate change through BPM tools
The problem with a rapidly-changing IT setup is that not every employee can smoothly adjust day-to-day processes based on new applications and services. However, businesses depend on frequent innovation to maintain profitability. This creates a gap between technology and processes that must be bridged to help workers handle change with minimal disruption. BPM can be the bridge in this situation by automating many processes and simplifying the background technological capabilities in a user-friendly interface that focuses on the data and tasks that need to be addressed.
Ben Farrell
Director of Corporate Communications
