How the Sourcing Diagnostic is used in the Retail Motor Industry

1. MIM Information Technology Advertisement Feature
hosted model might be the right model different options and device and support services by
route for them. It also assesses have confidence that the output focusing on the overall IT service
the right direction for desktop gives you that guide that would provision, not just the DMS sale.”
software and PC purchasing, help you go out into the market Smith added: “We use the
data network operation and and say ‘I think I can outsource, Clarity IT Sourcing Diagnostic
staffing dependencies. Risk and these are the things I would tool from Procertis as it gives a
profiles for each area are need to be covering’.” fast, reliable and independent
developed and a diagnosis given Opting for a hosted service assessment of the business IT
for the most suitable direction in also doesn’t necessarily mean position. All DMS and service
each IT investment area – ready being dependent entirely on a providers should use this
Diagnosis:
This profile would indicate a marginal benefit towards looking
to third party businesses to provide client devices on a leased,
asset-managed basis. However your score position is not
Hosted Systems?
conclusive. Owning the client assets could still provide some
benefit but this depends on staffing and licensing profile.
Advisory notes:
A number of factors could have contributed to this final position
so it is important to check the amber line on your score to see
if there are a large number of contending factors operating in
your business that have moved your overall score more towards
this central position. Key factor drivers for client device decisions
are complexity of support and diversity of device types, volatility
in user profiles and management, specialist use and their role in
How to avoid ‘clouding’ the issues!
end user contribution to business performance. Your scenario
responses have balanced these drivers to this position.
The Scenario Results Analysis and Business Disconnect
tabs provide the detailed breakdown to the responses
and resulting relationship rules which have influenced
T
this position outcome. Review these to manage your key
he June issue of MIM business flexibility as well as Assessing the right direction risks and in forming action plans to obtain the desired
With all the IT systems sourcing arrangement.
featured an article providing greater flexibility in for your business can be made
now available to
(Does ‘the host’ have other areas. Bear in mind also easier and clearer by using a new
dealerships – from on the most?) focusing that if you can’t remove local software tool designed with
site systems to ‘Cloud’ on the trend for inter- support and integration costs over 20 years of automotive
computing – what net hosted services from dealer ‘the host’ can be an expensive systems and IT sourcing
should the decision management systems provid- option. Equally if IT is mainly expertise built into it. Through for the business to engage the DMS supplier. RDS Global Ltd is approach, so you know the way
process be? Tony ers. It compared the benefits of confined to ‘back office’ or is a simple Q&A process, the supplier market. one provider of hosted DMS and a business is being advised is for
Feeney FIMI provides lower internal costs and cen- fairly standard in the way that Clarity ™ IT Sourcing Diagnostic Above is an example of support services to a number the customer’s benefit and not Tony Feeney FIMI is chief
tralised support against on-site your franchisor prescribes it, allows managers to profile their output. of franchised and aftermarket just to suit a delivery model.” executive officer of The
a guide to making the
servers, specialist support and there are savings to be made. business and see whether a One of the early users of the businesses. Chief executive So what’s the bottom line? Integration Executive Ltd,
correct choices. other maintenance overheads. tool is John Hendy, IT and HR officer Chris Smith says: “Our l A decision to host your which provides tools and
Although a key system director at Hendy Group, who customers include some of the systems has a lot of business resources customised to
decision, most dealerships says: “I thought it was incredibly largest, independently owned dependencies outside a DMS deliver return on investment
have to manage other specialist efficient in the way it handled franchised retailers in the UK, software choice. from organisation
software, ranging from things. I used it to checkpoint ranging from the Shetland Isles l Assess the profile of your IT improvement programmes.
manufacturer and parts on-line where we as a group were and to to Southampton. Having ‘grown use and demands against the To acquire or run the
systems to CD installations put some structure behind what up’ in the motor retail sector, drivers of cost and efficiencies diagnostic for your
and local spreadsheets. So the we’d already done and future we know that we have to match before investing in your own IT business or for further
DMS will be only one feature of options planning. The volume of our style of service to style of equipment or resources. information please contact
the IT environment on top of analysis that comes out the back business and one size definitely l Consider the flexibility you tony@integexec.com or
the required infrastructure and of it was quite impressive, and it does not fit all! We can host the will need in the business and david.brown@rds-global.com
other IT costs. was good to sit down and read it major DMS provider software acceptable risks for IT and data Clarity is a registered
Hosted DMS systems all and re run it. and then tailor our network before deciding on a delivery trademark of Procertis Ltd.
can put some constraints on “By using the tool, you can provisioning, computing model. www.procertis.com
24 MOTOR INDUSTRY M A G A Z I N E S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 W W W . MOTOR.ORG.UK WWW.MOTOR.ORG.UK SEPTEMBER 2010 MOTOR INDUSTRY MAGAZINE 25