Guest Lecture by Mr. Ramesh Subramanian, CEO Thirdware Solutions on
   ‘Aligning IT Strategy with Business Strategy’
October 26, 2007

ConsultCom - the Consulting Committee of SPJIMR, arranged a guest lecture by Mr. Ramesh Subramanian, CEO, Thirdware Solutions Ltd, on 'Aligning IT Strategy with Business Strategy.’ Mr. Ramesh opened the session by tracing India's journey in the IT sector. By citing several examples of companies like American Airlines and Wal-Mart, he substantiated the fact that IT has become an integral part of any business strategy.

He pointed out that today’s IT departments in companies don't struggle to simply keep the e-mail working and to deliver narrowly scoped projects but in fact direct their efforts to champion investments in innovation.

He warned about companies that design their IT strategies around what they 'are' currently doing (existing assets, programs and capabilities). Such companies miss out gravely on what they 'could' be doing. He proposed the following step-by-step approach for aligning IT strategy with business strategy:

• Develop a competitive e-business strategy
• Identify, develop and act on ebusiness opportunities
• Establish, improve and sustain your competitive advantage by not only implementing current IT functions but also by championing innovation and integrating it in your business strategy
• Implement the processes organization and IT for your total transformation strategy

On a concluding note, Mr. Ramesh gave some insights on the various roles and career paths prevalent today for an IT consultant. The lecture helped the participants in recognizing how IT can be a potent formidable business tool.

Mr. Ramesh Subramanian is a Graduate in Technology from IITBombay and a Post Graduate in Management from IIM-Bangalore. He has over two decades of experience in Management & IT Consulting, Corporate IT Strategies, Product Development and System Integration Services across a wide spectrum of Businesses in India and Overseas. Prior to joining Thirdware , he has worked with Big 5 Consulting and System Integration companies like Accenture, Unisys, CGEY, Prism etc. in varied capacities such as Head, Senior Manager, Partner, Director.