Pim Schouten

Shadow IT appears unstoppable, how do you deal with it?

Shadow IT is defined as the IT within an organization that does not fall under the responsibility and management of the organization's central IT department. There is an increasing presence of shadow IT in organizations, especially due to the wide range of cloud services available and the increasingly adopted bring-your-own-device policy. It seems to be an ever-growing challenge for IT departments to manage shadow IT. IT departments will need to let go of some responsibilities while setting clear boundaries for shadow IT.

Is Agile working the end of ITIL?

No more long queues at the town hall, you can simply arrange your parking permit from your couch. Or send a payment request via WhatsApp after a night out. Nowadays, we consider these things normal. Services are available everywhere and anytime. Additionally, customers and citizens are becoming increasingly central. This requires continuous innovation on the one hand and services that are always available everywhere on the other. Many organizations find themselves in a dilemma between quickly responding to changing needs and offering 24/7 services. Organizations are looking for ways to meet these demands, and sometimes it seems like these demands conflict with each other. Below, we look at two examples of common frameworks for continuous innovation and 24/7 services. We also explore how these frameworks can contribute to delivering business value.

5 principles for making ecosystem collaboration work

Shifting from thinking in silos to thinking in ecosystems is essential for the transition to a digital world. Five principles characterize collaboration in ecosystems and help organizations move beyond their own boundaries to make the most of available resources.

Why thinking in ecosystems pays off

Silo thinking is out, and "ecosystem" is the new buzzword. It encapsulates the essence of transition thinking, the transition to a digital society. The importance of this shift, the principles that drive success, and steps you can take in this direction are explored in three parts. This first part explains why thinking in ecosystems pays off.

Polysourcing demands radically different IT governance (2)

IT decentralization requires organizations to reshape their IT governance.

Polysourcing demands radically different IT governance (1)

IT is becoming increasingly decentralized. This leads to fragmentation of IT activities. To ensure that IT still contributes maximally to the organization's strategic objectives, you will also need to decentralize parts of your IT governance. The cause of decentralization, its impact on outsourcing, and how organizations should restructure their IT governance are explored here. This first section focuses on the cause of decentralization and introduces polysourcing, a new sourcing form that goes beyond multisourcing.

IT Governance, can it be more decentralized?

Departmental applications have been replaced by large, cross-departmental applications. Registrations are reused. Underlying infrastructure has been standardized or moved to the cloud. The control of this IT is detailed and mostly centralized. This way, the current stability can be ensured, and changes can be controlled (and compliance checkboxes can be ticked!). But are the primary processes still adequately supported? Do we still know centrally for whom and why we do things? Or do we let things slide?

Tender for omnichannel results in omnilessons

The headline grabbers and Twitter users have been busy again in recent weeks. "IT project already 85% more expensive before start" sums it up well, and even the judge finds it 'difficult to understand' why the municipality opts for a bid that is so much more expensive.

Preferably no cloud competence center (of excellence)?!

The opportunities that the cloud offers to organizations have a tremendous appeal. However, implementing this new technology is not straightforward and requires clear governance. To fulfill this governance, various frameworks have been devised by AWS, Google, and OACA. Highberg has also developed a cloud governance framework. Often, these frameworks are implemented in a cloud competence center or under the fancier name of cloud center of excellence. But is that an effective solution for cloud adoption? Cloud adoption is challenging. Uncertainty about and thus resistance to the cloud exists at every level. Is it safe and compliant with laws and regulations? Will my job be taken away? Are we underestimating the complexity of our landscape? Will we be able to control costs when everyone can create virtual servers? And then there's the knowledge issue. Because which of our administrators has sufficient knowledge?

Optimal infrastructure for Holland’s largest online store

Online sales are growing phenomenally. In the past ten years, sales have more than quadrupled. Still, turnover increases every year with about 8 to 9 per cent (source: Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor). For market leader Bol.com, this growth would not be possible without an optimally functioning ICT infrastructure. Optimal in this case means that the ICT just has to work all the time. An online customer is not very loyal and clicks through to another webshop, especially in the crucial peak season around the holidays. This requires a state-of-the-art infrastructure that anticipates continuous growth.

Implementation of new application and digital pass system

For Amsterdam residents with lower incomes, activities like going to a dance class, the library, a birdwatching group, a debate, a theater performance or a museum aren’t always accessible. Based on the idea that everyone should be able to participate, the municipality of Amsterdam created the Stadspas over 25 years ago – a pass that offers all residents of the city the opportunity to enjoy the beauty that the city has to offer. "With the Stadspas, Amsterdam residents with a small wallet receive all kinds of financial benefits when undertaking activities or purchasing products in the areas of culture, recreation, exercise and health," says Harro Hoogerwerf, who has been working as head of the Poverty Reduction Department at the City of Amsterdam for the past year. "It's a product we are proud of, because through the Stadspas we are creating more equal opportunities"

Support for outsourcing the IT environment to the cloud

Changes in ICT are rapid and the complexity of ICT is increasing. How do you keep a grip on ICT while innovation is accelerating and more and more work needs to be done to keep up? How do you ensure that employees can keep up with these developments? For SRK Rechtsbijstand, a foundation that provides independent legal aid on behalf of insurers, these were the challenges it faced. SRK expects more and more from its ICT: higher quality, lower costs and more innovation. In addition, the organization, and therefore its ICT, must meet strict standards in the areas of information security and privacy. From these challenges came the question: realize a sourcing strategy so that SRK can bring its ICT to the market in phases based on well-considered choices.

DNB: Greater clout through ICT outsourcing

In 2017, the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) decided to outsource its workplace services, data center, network services, application development and application management. DNB's goal with the outsourcing was to increase the flexibility and agility of the ICT organization, achieve a relevant digital transformation and a more sustainable support of ICT services. In addition, the aim was to make the ICT more efficient. This should become possible, among other things, through the deployment of cloud technology.