In Search of Business Value: Ensuring a Return on Your Technology Investment

by William L. Simon

In today's high-tech business world, few issues are more important than how companies can gain competitive advantage from using new technology, especially information technology (IT). In 'In Search of Business Value', Microsoft vice president Robert McDowell and best-selling business author William L. Simon address that problem head-on, describing the steps every organization must take to get the best bang from each buck spent on IT infrastructure.Drawing on their own personal experience and that of over twenty-five corporate and IT leaders from the worlds of business and government, 'In Search of Business Value' covers in detail such issues as bringing organizational leaders on board in promoting the use of IT, enlisting staff support, using IT to lower costs and improve productivity, integrating the IT and business sides of an organization, and using IT to support best business practices.IT these days is an indispensable tool in defining and achieving corporate goals. 'In Search of Business Value' is an indispensable tool for corporate leaders and managers looking to make IT work successfully for their organizations.

Genres: Business

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

William^L.^Simon

Reviews

[May Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if I'm just getting easier on books, but this one was pretty good, particularly given that it was written prior to all of the things of today. I really wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.

I like how he talks about the early days it was tech for the sake of tech, but much of that is no longer. I think he could have gone further to really talk about why that is, i.e. early tech made things cheaper and better and that allowed you to either shore up balance sheet or just be doing things so fundamentally different that it was better. Still, I think at the time that might not have been well understood anyway and many points suggest Simon is aware of that.

It's worth a quick read to the CTO, CIO or similar who is trying to remember the mindset of those that might not be on the same page.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has some good war stories, but very little helpful information in terms of teachable frameworks, or models of how to create value from IS investments.

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is not teaching beyond what can be deduced with some common sense. Also, the colloquialisms of business speak throughout the book are frankly annoying.