Top Priorities for CIOs in 2016: Where Third-Party Support Fits

February 22, 2016 | Bob Harland | Vice President, Oracle Global Support Services

A Chief Information Officer’s job has never been more challenging. Support the business. Keep up with an ever-changing technology landscape. Ensure what you have today is interoperable with what you might have tomorrow. In-house vs. outsource. On budget and on time. Transform. The to-do list is exhaustive.

In his recent article entitled Five top priorities for CIOs in 2016, author Mark Samuels combines survey data, interviews, and analyst research to develop a top five priority list for CIOs in 2016. It might not reflect every CIO’s top priorities, but is a highly informative and thought provoking piece.

As Spinnaker Support’s Oracle Services practice leader, I charter my team to deliver third-party support, application management, and consulting services that help CIOs achieve their highest priorities. Because we now provide these services for hundreds of enterprises that run Oracle products, we understand what keeps CIOs up at night. We help them complete their to-do lists. We assume the daily stress of maintenance (and reduce its cost) so CIOs can focus energy on innovative and strategic projects that move their enterprises forward.

Mr. Samuels’ top five 2016 CIO priority list is overviewed below, then followed by commentary on how my team is helping CIO priorities become reality.

  1. Continue to drive digital transformation so CIOs can develop networks and ecosystems that unite internal leadership, customers, and external vendors. One primary financial objective is to grow digital revenues from 16% to 37% in five years. Success depends on converging cloud technology, agile development, and organizational transformation – during an environment of constant change.
  1. Using cloud platforms to stay agile with an end goal to subsequently replace some legacy and on-premise systems with cloud solutions deemed better to facilitate digital transformation. However, many CIOs are struggling to pull the “on-demand” trigger due to high costs or unclear roadmaps. A recent Barclay’s survey (referenced in Mr. Samuels’ article) found that 81% of workloads were handled on-premise in 2014. This figure is projected to decrease to 65% by 2019.
  2. Finding and managing great IT talent that does not currently reside in-house. According to Gartner, 22% of surveyed CIOs see a continuing skills gap as the key barrier to success. Attracting talent for areas like big data, analytics, and information management is expensive and highly competitive to access. Especially when desiring even a smidgeon of business acumen.
  1. Building personal, higher value skillsets to remain competitive and valuable in an ever-evolving digital age. More IT executives are expanding their value by assuming product development and operational responsibilities. Deloitte is referenced by Mr. Samuels as citing that a majority of IT leaders suffer from a personal skills gap.
  1. Find more time to spend on strategic and exciting stuff which translates to more innovation and less tactical operation. Both Deloitte and Gartner are cited and refer to analytics, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic business as the more innovative and exciting stuff.

Commentary

It’s important for readers to know where I sit before I take a stand. I sit at Spinnaker Support, provider of third-party support, managed services, and consulting for enterprises that run Oracle and SAP applications. We provide an increasingly popular alternative replacing vendor-provided support.

My global teams deliver services for Oracle E-Business Suite, Database, and Siebel. Every team member is highly experienced, hand-picked to bring a specific blend of technical expertise and business acumen from day one of employment. Combined with an ongoing training program to keep them current, my engineers have what it takes to keep customers satisfied and retained at industry-best levels. Our customers are often pleasantly surprised at the incremental benefits they get from Spinnaker Support – much more value than just routine software support and application management.

In order for CIOs to focus more on innovation while they execute digital transformation initiatives, they increasingly seek dependable third-party resources that free up budget and time. To remove tactical items off their plate, i.e., ongoing SAP or Oracle support while assuring that systems will remain stable, interoperable, and secure. Spinnaker Support delivers a premier level of support for a fraction of what software vendors previously charged. This premier level goes beyond bug fixes and tax updates, extending to a range of technology advisement on critical topics like interoperability, virtualization, security, and cloud migration.

Cloud migration is one of the white-hot topics we discuss internally and with clients on a frequent basis. Every CIO we talk to is working their own unique cloud migration roadmap. Unfortunately, cloud’s vision in general is loosely defined and very dynamic. In the article, Mr. Samuels references a Barclay survey suggesting that 81% of workloads are performed/managed within on-premise and legacy IT systems. Even in five years from now, two-thirds of workloads will still reside in these systems and will require ongoing support. Even Oracle’s Larry Ellison predicts a “decade of co-existence” whereby cloud computing continues to work alongside conventional on-premise software systems.

The near-term demise of on-premise SAP and Oracle solutions is greatly exaggerated. Spinnaker Support customers leverage our resources while they await the maturation of cloud solutions. The murkiness of cloud, despite what big software publishers push, has surfaced as a top reason for third-party support’s adoption explosion. Until more of the uncertainty is removed, why not save the money now and negotiate like crazy when cloud is proven ready?

Attracting and retaining the right talent is always a top five CIO priority. Resources, whether internal or third-party, must be managed effectively to ensure balance. Existing systems must work now while new endeavors are investigated and implemented. Again, why spend more than is required to keep legacy systems stable and interoperable? Especially when experienced, business-savvy resources can do the job for less cost. Spinnaker Support’s world-class SAP and Oracle software engineers act as an extension of our customer’s teams. Each customer is assigned a dedicated account lead who engages the right additional expertise at the right time. Better service for less cost. Hundreds of organizations have already taken advantage of our alternative support and managed services model, diverting current employees to more innovative projects and/or using cost savings to hire new employees. Helping them attain their unique “digital age” IT and business objectives.

Conclusion

CIOs who have made the decision to switch to Spinnaker Support are addressing each referenced top 2016 priority in one positive way or another. Don’t be surprised to see our customers at the forefront of digital transformation!

JD Edwards Consulting: Why Settle for Less than the Best?

February 17, 2016 | Kurt Moydell | Vice President, Sales – Americas

Today I ran into Artie, one of our remarkable JD Edwards (JDE) software consultants. He is a true road warrior who is rarely in the office. It was great to catch up. It’s always great to hear about client issues being resolved by our JD Edwards consulting team.

Artie is but one shining example of Spinnaker Support’s breadth of JD Edwards’ consulting talent. This team helps our clients resolve their application issues, assess process improvement opportunities, and implement new features and functions. They bring new roadmaps to life, advising on interoperability and other key technology concerns along the way. Spinnaker Support consultants enable enterprises around the world with software expertise for the full range of JDE suites. These include financial, project, asset lifecycle, order, manufacturing, and distribution management.

HCM Expertise 

Artie has just rolled off of a couple of successful Human Capital Management (HCM) projects, helping customers move their human resource management and payroll applications forward. He is a senior-level consultant and a certified implementation specialist with more than seventeen years of HR/payroll experience. Customers appreciate his solution knowledge and professionalism. Just as important, Artie has a warm sense of humor. He’s a fun guy.

Artie, like his colleagues, leaves a very positive impression on users of JD Edwards. One recent accolade came from the Director of Applications at Holiday Retirement Corporation, who stated:. “We have worked with Spinnaker Support’s JD Edwards consulting team in the past, and their commitment to us and the entire team throughout the project was unparalleled. The first call I made when I needed help on a new project was Spinnaker Support.”

I am a strong believer in recognizing excellence. Good work does not always get rewarded. Artie and his peers always go above and beyond to drive customer delight. This is best reflected in satisfaction scores that always exceed 98%.

If your organization is looking for world-class JD Edwards consulting expertise and value, contact us about working with Artie or one of his peers. You won’t be disappointed.

Should Midmarket Leaders Switch to Third-Party Support?

فبراير 11, 2016 | لي ماشبورن | Vice President, Marketing

Midmarket image

According to Gartner’s Pat Phelan, midsize enterprises face budgetary and headcount challenges when supporting Oracle and SAP ERP solutions. Gartner is experiencing a steady increase of inquiries from midmarket IT leaders about cancelling maintenance agreements with ERP vendors as they explore alternative support options.

In a recent Gartner webinar entitled Should Midmarket Leaders Switch to Third-Party Support, Pat shared:

  1.  Reasons why increasingly more midsize enterprises that run SAP and Oracle are switching to third-party support
  2.  Alternative support options
  3.  Counsel on how to best understand the impact of cancelling software vendor support

Spinnaker Support is sponsoring Pat’s presentation content for a limited time. Access now.

Spinnaker Support customers range in size from relatively small to very large, with our largest customers accounting for the bulk of revenues.  However, more than two-thirds of our customers represent the midmarket, with revenues ranging from $100 million to $2.5 billion. Midmarket organizations are investigating and adopting third-party support significantly faster than bigger enterprises. Our customers tell us why:

  • The cost to stay current or migrate to the vendor’s cloud solution is prohibitive.
  • Paying fees to support unused licenses creates unnecessary cost pressures.
  • Larger enterprises often drive vendor roadmaps in directions not suitable for the midmarket.
  • Diminishing support attention and response, at higher cost, is no longer the only option.
  • A push to self-service strains internal resources that once received more personalized support from the vendor.
  • Midmarket enterprises are more nimble due to less IT clutter and complexity. Transition to a third-party is straightforward.
  • They value our expert and highly responsive services, delivered by a partner that addresses more of their service needs: software maintenance, managed services, and consulting.

Check out Gartner’s Should Midmarket Leaders Switch to Third-Party Support” and then contact Spinnaker Support. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Sometimes You Can Get Back the “Good Old Days”

February 5, 2016 | Jeanne Sipich | Senior Application Support Analyst

20 years ago, I started a new job at a privately-owned software company here in Denver, Colorado.  Its’ founders were three guys: Jack, Dan, and Ed.  My friend, who worked for the JD Edwards Support organization, figured I was smart enough to be trained, so she got me an interview.  I remember how excited I was to be hired and what a great vibe I felt just being there.  It was super hard work, but I really felt like I was part of a special place. What a fantastic culture! Everyone was happy to be there.  We got our jobs done, prided ourselves in excellent, personalized customer service, and as they used to say “had fun along the way”.

As the years passed, as with all things, there were changes.  We went public, which meant changes, good and bad.  But it makes sense, I suppose- who starts a business without wanting to make a buck?  The tech bust happened and times got more difficult.  We were bought by a competitor.  It happens…then one hostile takeover later and I found myself working for a ginormous software company.

Maybe it is working at such a large scale, but the personal touch with our customers we’d all prided ourselves in seemed to be vanishing.  The focus became self-service for JD Edwards support:  push whitepapers, force the customer through a guided resolution, which more often than not, pushed them – you guessed it- to a whitepaper before they were allowed to enter a ticket and speak to someone to assist them with their problem.  This was the approach that was considered proactive in addressing customer needs.

So I made the decision to start over at a company, which reminded me of the “old job” I started 20 years ago.  Spinnaker Support brought me back to the good old days. I’m still working with the same software, which runs through my veins – but now I have my own set of customers that I get to open my bank of knowledge to and offer my personalized service.  We are proactive in that I call them every month to review their tickets, explore projects that we can assist with, offer tips on how to leverage their investment to get the most benefit, and generally just remind them that I am here for them.  My colleagues are similar. Everyone is a “senior” resource as combined, we offer an average of 18.5 years of JD Edwards support experience and the teamwork is phenomenal. Together, we can work to understand all the system integrations needed to offer our customers the support they need. At my old job, if words like “custom” or “modifications” were mentioned, support ended.  At Spinnaker Support, we not only assist in making custom modifications, we support it after we are done.

We’re solid and growing and offer world-class JD Edwards support in addition to E-Business Suite, SAP, Siebel, and Oracle Database support at a fraction of the cost of vendor support.

Spinnaker Support is an exciting place to be…just like in the good old days.

SQL Server 2005 End of Support – To Migrate or Not to Migrate?

On April 12, 2016, Microsoft will totally stop supporting the SQL Server 2005. This is not a new or unexpected development, as it has been on the “extended support” phase of its lifecycle since early 2011. Microsoft is encouraging existing users of this database to migrate to newer versions within the SQL family or to make the switch to Azure.

What will happen now that this version is not being supported? There will be no more security patches for hotfixes for companies that do not already have special arrangements set up with a Microsoft Premier Support. End-of-support can prove to be a real headache for tech departments, as it means the replacement or upgrading of hardware and software, and can also cause a disruption to business.

There is good news though: if you have been upgrading your Windows Server 2003, you have most likely already replaced SQL Server 2005 already. This process has forced many businesses and firms to take a hard look at everything they have and the opportunity for system-wide upgrades. As the old Windows Server 2003 instances were retired, so were the installs of SQL Server 2005. On the other hand, there is a huge amount of both Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005 still out there – it has been estimated that one in six of the existing 13-15 million estimated Windows Server 2003 installations have SQL Server 2005 on them as well.

What Are the Benefits of Upgrading From SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2014?

There has never been a better time for an upgrade. Users will benefit from the dramatic performance gains, higher availability and scalability, and rich BI capabilities.

  • High Availability – The 9’s you need with availability and disaster recovery with Always On
  • Incredible In-Memory Performance – Proven 13x higher OLTP performance than SQL Server 2005 plus additional in-memory OLTP delivering up to 30x more performance
  • Scalability – Scalable across compute, networking, and storage with Windows Server 2012 R2 and up to 640 logical processors
  • Security – Supported and compliant database platform
  • Easier access to both big and small data for insights
  • Powerful insights with already familiar tools, such as Microsoft Office and the cloud
  • Modernized data platform and infrastructure for maximum performance at low TCO
  • Hybrid cloud scenarios for on-premises and cloud usage
  • Fast development, management, and deployment of on-ramp to cloud

A Potentially Pain-Free Migration

There are two steps that must be taken when making a SQL Server migration – the database itself, followed by the apps that are built on the database. If it is only a database upgrade, the process is obviously a lot faster than a full server upgrade; the lion share of efforts are within the applications, as there might be code changes required. You can read more about upgrading on the Microsoft website.

The best option when dealing with and meeting the challenges of these older databases is to use a company that is experienced in all versions of SQL Server and can guide you in your decision process. At Spinnaker Support, our seasoned professionals are experienced in both older and the most updated versions of Microsoft SQL Server. Contact us today to get started on upgrading your server!