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SIAM: Delivering value in multisource environment

Sudhendu Chaturvedi / September 07, 2021

Service Integration and management (SIAM), often referred to as Multi-Sourcing Service Integration (MSI), introduces a way of working which is both comprehensive and collaborative, designed to bring the services provisioned by multiple suppliers together in a way that these services are seamless and appear as one.

This enables the business to have a clear line of sight and extract value that it wishes to from the provisioned services.

However, the question on how the value can be derived from a complex chain of services and suppliers remains for the business. The outcome generally is a perception wrought with confusions and IT is seen as inhibitor for the business, which lacks both proper governance and end to end visibility. Bypassing of IT by different Lines of Business becomes the norm of the day which results in an incomplete picture of services, hard to measure service levels and provide performance visibility.

SIAM plays a major role in ensuring business objectives are aligned and achieved. Henceforth, we explore how SIAM helps different stakeholders achieve the desired outcomes.

 

Value for Business IT

The Business IT has a demand for answers to specific questions. Some of these are:

  • How can the demands of the business be met in today's digital world froth with immense complexities?
  • How can business reduce operational risk and cost?
  • How can business prepare for tomorrow and manage rapid changes in the digital environment?

SIAM answers these with providing a management methodology that in turn provides a robust approach helping in sourcing, integrating and managing specialist services, applications & support form external service providers. It allows for a flexible sourcing and service provider models which help reduce operational risk and cost, improve the ability to meet the demands of the business with an integrated and seamless approach. The integrated approach thus achieved from SIAM, helps in realizing a single business facing IT service organization for the End users. Further to the above:

  • SIAM introduces service integrator as a capability which provides overall Governance, metrics and management for better handling of supplier ecosystem.
  • It provides guidance at Strategic, Tactical and Operational level which allows the Customer to manage and visualize the supplier ecosystem in a better and cohesive fashion
  • It has the mandate to introduce standardization of processes, tools and technologies which translates to improved overall performance, better operational and financial discipline and improved satisfaction of business users

 

Value for Centralized IT

The centralized IT, owing to its specific nature of responsibilities, also looks for a way of working that alleviates its pain points. Some of which are:

  • What is the performance of service providers and how can it be improved?
  • How can the performance of suppliers be reported and measured?
  • How can providers and their contracts be aligned towards larger business objectives?

SIAM, through its operating model, provides a template for the IT to easily put in place best practices and achieve its objectives that further align with greater business demands. SIAM, through its Governance at operational, tactical and strategic levels, helps bring standardized metrics for the supplier ecosystem. It helps provide an integrated performance management system to help customer understand and manage the overall service provisioned by their partners / suppliers. SIAM thus helps the IT to have a robust structure in place and a clear oversight of the performance of the environment.

 

Value for Partners / Suppliers

In the current multi sourced environment, Suppliers play a crucial role where they now help co-create value with their customers. In such an environment, Suppliers must not only understand and align with their customers’ strategic objectives but also work with other suppliers to provision services that are seamless.

However, most of the times this alignment is not realized as Partners work in silos with less to no sight of strategic objectives. Some of the questions that arise from such way of working are:

  • Why should I care what other vendors do, if I deliver activities in my scope?
  • Why should I connect with SIAM when I can enjoy direct relationship with Customer?
  • Why should I share data with the SIAM provider?

SIAM, through its Service Integrator capability, provides platforms for Partners / Suppliers to integrate and understand the overall service provisioning for the customer. This helps demolish the silos and create an environment of true collaboration. It also helps institute Forums and Workgroups where Partners / Suppliers can engage and coordinate with each other to better achieve the said collaboration. The collaborative approach thus achieved helps the Supplier ecosystem to both understand and achieve desired business outcomes.

 

Value for End User

At the end of the day, it’s the End user who consumes the services and therefore wants the concerns addressed. The demand for consistent customer experience is default and hence some of the questions arising from the community are:

  • My request takes so long because of multiple providers
  • When there is an issue, whom to approach and how?
  • How to ensure my workstation has necessary applications, always connected and secured?

SIAM helps standardize processes and tools which enable a single window of service for Business User. The business user thus feels empowered to manage his resources and issues in an effective manner which in turn improves overall satisfaction for the Services being delivered. While the business user experiences ease of use, IT gets enabled to maintain better control of such services and keep things secured by their ability to enforce standards and policies. There are no wasted hours or lost budget dollars.

SIAM, thus helps put in place an environment which is flexible, controlled and provides a complete view of the services under provision. It helps achieve seamless provisioning of services from best in class suppliers with a clear view of the service level agreements and value derived from such services.

Learn more by visiting the SIAM website.

Sudhendu Chaturvedi
Business Consultant, SIAM

Author

Sudhendu Chaturvedi

Business Consultant, SIAM

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