Brenton Smith, area manager for Asia South, CA, says the top corporate IT challenge in 2007 is still in squeezing efficiency out of increasingly complex systems

Q. What was the top news in 2006?
Smith: The Singapore government's plan to consolidate public sector computers and networks in a standard ICT operating environment (SOE) was and is still grabbing the headlines. This is pending the early-2007 announcement of the winner of the S$2 billion bid. I think this initiative is a wake-up call to firms--both inside and outside Singapore--to start looking at IT consolidation seriously. That can only be a good thing because unification of disparate IT systems will go a long way in bringing down costs and risk, while increasing business flexibility, productivity and service levels.

What do you foresee as the No. 1 corporate IT challenge in 2007?
The top corporate IT challenge in 2007 is still in squeezing efficiency out of increasingly complex systems. Individual IT systems today are already highly efficient, so the way to get your hands on those diminishing returns is to make the various systems work better with one other. The trouble is that many companies are procrastinating on this issue, because they see it as a massive project with astronomical costs. I hope they will come to realize that the exercise can be carried out in small steps, at manageable cost, and over a period of time comfortable to them.

Name one issue that you think the industry should collectively work harder to address.
The industry needs to work harder, and closer together, to promote the adoption of best practices and procedures in companies. One important set of best practices to consider is IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which will enable IT service management (ITSM) and ultimately make IT more attuned with the needs of end-users. I am happy that vendors have rallied together in key markets to promote the best practices through user groups like the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF), and that the tech media is giving prominent coverage to the subject. Now it's time for firms to play their part by adopting the best practices in areas where it makes business sense.

Name the top three software related issues that CIOs in Asia should pay attention to in 2007.
The top three software issues are the breaking down of software silos to manage them centrally, the implementation of best practices like ITIL to revolutionize the end-user experience, and the sustenance of efforts to improve software security. Consolidation is the only way to reap efficiency, ease management, and bring down cost; ITIL and ITSM are becoming important because more firms are coming to realize that end-user satisfaction is the ultimate gauge of a CIO's competence; while software security remains a top concern which firms should address by deploying credible processes and third-party security technologies.