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June - 2013 - issue > View Point
Incorporate the FUD principle to succeed in IT- Focus, Urgency and Discipline
Paul Czarnik
CTO-Compuware
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Detroit based Compuware(NASDAQ: CPWR), is a provider of integrated solutions for enterprise IT including IT portfolio management, application development, quality assurance and IT service management. Founded in 1973, the company holds a market cap of $2.41 billion.

Technology drives the pace of transformation for the world today. However, technology has far outpaced the ability for most companies to exploit it and has created massive opportunities for organizations that understand its functioning. The companies that are willing to take risks and invest for the future are going to turn out to be the successors.
Looking at technology from a programmers view, it is important to wear the "programmer hat" at all times, even if sometimes the technological approach conflicts with the business interests of the partner. Deciphering a company's technical assets gives more insight into the corporation rather by reading through a balance sheet or marketing material. A positive mentality can consistently contribute to positive outcomes that the entire organization can rally behind.

Big Data will Transform Businesses

Although the widely talked about technological term has been co-opted in different contexts by different individuals, the single biggest foreseeable trend in technology is "Big Data". In the true sense of real time analytics, Big Data is calculated from the abundant data sources that companies and third parties have amassed. The potential of this technology to transform business operations, sales and customer support is such that it is anticipated to prove devastating to those organizations that ignore this phenomenon.

For instance, how Big Data can help a healthcare company. Let's imagine a situation of an epidemiologist, who is responsible for identifying flare-ups of infectious diseases as early as possible in an attempt to avert an epidemic or in a worst case scenario, a pandemic. In previous years, combating this problem used to involve relying on infectious disease specialists at the point of care reporting to national governing bodies that in turn contribute to a global database that would require queries to identify new outbreaks. Big data will sound the death knell to this cumbersome process. Big Data can permit a form of collective intelligence wherein all of the information, from the point of care and the labs and pharmacies, is fed in real time with standing queries and visualization tools to flag incidents as they occur in real time. With enough data from one model to the other, it is possible for the epidemiologist to move past identifying the trend in progress and skip right to predicting where the next outbreak is likely to emerge. This insight enables critical resources and caregivers to convene on the scene and perhaps inoculate the populace before they come in contact with the vector.

Entrepreneurs will "leapfrog" Current Business Models

Leveraging Big Data is one of the methods by which healthcare will benefit greatly from technology in the coming years; the current healthcare model will change drastically as entrepreneurs will "leapfrog" current business models and government regulations and take solutions directly to patients. The healthcare industry is antiquated and outdated and it will take a new generation of caregiver entrepreneurs to disrupt the current systems. 35 years ago, work on a universal medical-record format was abandoned after discovering that doctors and hospitals considered medical records their intellectual property. This is one scenario that is quickly changing.
With regards to the initiatives to keep the team technologically abreast of the competitors, it is important for a leader to be enthusiastic so as to wake up every morning at 5 a.m. and read, research and most importantly program. The only way to stay abreast of emerging technology and the competition is to stay involved in the technology. This includes running personalized products in the company's internal production environment and to give the value that is promised to customers.
Technology has far outpaced the ability for most companies to exploit it, and that has created massive opportunity for the companies that "get it" and are willing to take the risks and invest for the future.

Effort and Initiative matter more than an Educational Qualification

The biggest pain point seen at Compuware and specifically across the industry and around the world is in a deficiency of a skilled workforce development. To combat the same, young individuals have to be trained to take on the technology jobs that are currently unfilled. However, one major drawback is that students are not very well informed about the growing market opportunities. This information gap will lead to many students not finding their true job where they will excel. In the current decade, effort and initiative matter a lot more than just a plain degree. The best way to overcome the shortfall is to begin teaching students coding techniques at a young age. It is the current generation's responsibility to plant the seeds of pragmatism in the tender minds.

Hence what a company can do to succeed in its endeavor is to replace the traditional acronym of FUD-Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt prevalent in certain areas of industrial lingo, with that of Focus, Urgency and Discipline. These are the principles that have guided my principles, my team and Compuware as a whole. (As told to Vignesh.A)
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