ULTIMATELY, OUR CUSTOMERS’ EXPERIENCE with our wireless network and the ease in doing business with us determines their satisfaction level. To achieve these Verizon Wireless business goals, IT works collaboratively with all departments in the organization,” says Roger Gurnani, Vice President and CIO of Verizon Wireless, responsible for the company’s Information Systems portfolio development and operation of its data centers and internal communications facilities.

Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest wireless voice and data network and is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). The company serves over 33.3 million customers today and was created in 2000 through the merger of more than 12 small- to large-sized local wireless companies in the U.S. Bringing all of those companies together could have been a systems integration nightmare, but not to Gurnani and his IT team.

“There were many redundant operations across the companies and our portfolio in 2000 consisted of over 150 major business systems,” recalls Gurnani. Since then, his group has reduced this list to a mere 30. “We’re not all done, but we’ve made significant progress,” he says. Concurrent with that effort has been data center consolidation work and the development of company wide standards for desktops, e-mail and wide-area network services.

Systems consolidation has helped streamline functions across all Verizon Wireless operations and helped reduce cost. “For example, we had eight different payroll systems in the beginning,” recalls Gurnani. “We could not have been anywhere near our current efficiency levels with this kind of duplication.”

While consolidating the company’s business operations and driving out unnecessary costs are important IT objectives, Gurnani notes that it was just as critical for his department to streamline the business delivery process at all of the customer “touch points.”

“The wireless industry is hyper-competitive, fast-paced and dynamic. We are always looking at the future—launching new products or services, exploiting new business opportunities as they emerge, and expanding our sales or distribution capabilities,” he says.

Verizon Wireless, says Gurnani, differentiates itself from the competition in two ways. The first is by ensuring that the infrastructure—the network—is state-of-art. J.D. Powers recently ranked Verizon Wireless as the best wireless network in the country and Gurnani believes this is testimony to the company’s constant push to ensure absolute customer satisfaction.

The second differentiator, Gurnani underlines, is the provision of superior customer service. “We are constantly working on initiatives to improve customer satisfaction. A number of IT-driven initiatives have improved our customer care systems—from the retail store environment to our call centers.”

Having a strong IT organization has enabled Gurnani to keep the outsourcing of his IT development to a minimum. “Our experience hasn’t been very positive, though we have done some domestic outsourcing,” explains Gurnani.

“The competitive nature of wireless requires us to move fast. New products are launched in a matter of weeks or months. Outsourcing typically requires well-defined requirements and resource commitments that tend to slow the business down.

More importantly, the outsourcing companies may know IT very well, but they don’t understand our business. We cannot afford to accommodate those learning curves in our time-to-market business goals.”

Early on, says Gurnani, he and his IT team learned a few important lessons which in turn have helped the company achieve its early market success.. “You have to make sure that there is active participation and alignment with the entire executive team, for whatever IT initiatives you undertake,” he explains. “The need for a cross-functional teams is critical. While the IT group may be the enabler, the business decision maker is the driver of the project. That business focus is key to ensure that the IT projects produce solid business results.”

In order to grow the business skills of his team, Verizon Wireless has launched an in-house MBA program in conjunction with the Stevens Insititute of Technology. “Training is integral to the Verizon Wireless culture—not just in the technical side of the business, but also in the business side of technology,” underlines Gurnani. “We are proud of the fact that our first MBA class graduated last year and the second class is already halfway toward completion of their degrees.”

Prior to his assignment at Verizon Wireless, Gurnani served as vice president and chief information officer at Bell Atlantic Mobile. He was also executive director-broadband systems with Bell Atlantic, where he oversaw the systems development of broadband networks and fast packet data services. In 1996, Gurnani received the company’s Chairman’s recognition award for the implementation of the world’s first ATM-based Switched Digital Video network in Dover Township, New Jersey. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s in systems engineering from Auburn University.

Going forward, the CIO sees exciting possibilities in the wireless space. “New wireless applications are being developed, ranging from mobility services that extend the productivity benefits of wireless to large Enterprise accounts, to fun consumer services like gaming, entertainment, and camera-phones.” Even as the wireless market shifts and turns, the customer experience will decide who the final survivors are, says Gurnani. “We are the largest player today, but the challenges of retaining that position are many,” he says.

“While we are constantly developing new technologies and products, we never for a minute forget that the customer is our ultimate decision maker. If they don’t feel there is value in your service, you will not grow the business long term.”