Message from Taos CEO and Founder, Ric Urrutia, and Co-Founder, Alexis Tatarsky

As 2004 gives way to 2005, our thoughts naturally turn to the backlog of projects our user communities have been demanding we complete. Along with economic recovery, workload recovery is in full swing – but unlike the go-go 90’s, we’re now expected to deliver more for less – and often with less staff as well. Outsourcing, in its various forms, is now a key tool for many IT leaders. In this issue of IT Intelligence we discuss one specific sort of outsourcing: Project Outsourcing to a Professional Services group.

Outsourcing projects is a lot less threatening than outsourcing (or off-shoring!) whole departments, but nonetheless there are a number of criteria which will determine whether you are ready to effectively engage a Professional Services (or “PS”) firm, and if you do so there are best practices which will help you avoid disappointment and failed engagements. Professional Services are one of the three legs of Taos’s business (the other two being supplemental staffing and infrastructure support outsourcing).

We are pleased to share with you two perspectives on effective utilization of Professional Services. The first is from our own PS group, which last year completed 80 such projects, ranging from Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) preparation, to Security Assessments, to Single Sign-on implementation, for a variety of clients. In their article, “Making PS Work” Coco Brown and Brandon Nutter comment on these experiences, and offer a number of useful suggestions for making use of PS groups. They discuss internal issues that need to be addressed before engaging an outside group; where accountability must lie (and it’s not just with the outsourcer!); key factors in structuring a PS engagement; and a taxonomy of the various forms of PS firms, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Second, we offer an interview with John Koenig – most recently the CIO of Lucasfilm, and previously with Silicon Graphics. Mr. Koenig has extensive experience completing projects – both with his own staff of over 100, and by utilizing a variety of PS organizations. He offers useful perspective and advice for anyone with a full plate who is considering their options as to how best to leverage their resources.

Taos believes strongly in a holistic partnership between our Professional Services group and the CIO’s and IT Leaders who are our clients. Experience shows us that engaging openly, with a shared purpose and a passionate dedication to success leads not only to successful projects, but to lasting relationships. If you would like to discuss how you might leverage our experience and expertise, please feel free to contact me, Ric Urrutia, directly at (408) 588-1200, or at ric@taos.com.

Sincerely,

Ric Urrutia
CEO & Founder

Alexis Tatarsky
Co-Founder

"delivering excellence in IT”