Noel Ward The Convergence of Everything described in the May issue of Digital Asset Directions is bringing companies to recognize how dependent their businesses are on the numerous processes involving the flow of information within the enterprise and how it communicates portions of the information out to its customers. As Oce's Guy Broadhurst noted, "There are several different types of convergence going on. "They are all related in one way or another, but each must also be considered individually to develop the best possible solutions." It is this individual consideration that stymies many firms. Every business has its own core competencies, and in most organizations, managing, coordinating, repurposing, and optimizing the many types of information in new ways are not among most firms' primary skill sets. While most corporate IT/MIS departments can effectively manage data, the range of ways information needs to be handled are straining the limits of many IT departments. While most IT managers and staff can learn and understand the new technologies related to or enabled by the Internet, melding them with established IT practices and workflows can challenging to the point of inaction. The Outsourced IT Department The upshot is that companies are outsourcing their IT work, just as other support functions have gone outside. The shrinking IT departments are becoming project management units with consultants or contract personnel being brought in to deliver specific tasks based on their expertise (hold this thought). The evolution, according to Forrester Research of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is that many outsourced projects will become outsourced services. That is, instead of just buying expertise on production printing, management of the entire production printing process will be outsourced if printing is not the company's core competency. This doesn't just apply to IT specific tasks. Forrester cites how instead of boning up on the latest in accounting software every few years, a company may now hire a consultant to provide the analysis. In the future, companies may outsource their entire accounting function. Forrester sees this as the next phase of the evolution in information processing. In the 1970s Data Processing focused on transaction management with basic printing of bills, statements and accounting data. The 1980s and early '90s focused on Information Technology--providing access to and enabling usage of information. Since the mid-'90s and continuing today is what Forrester terms exT (External) Technology, which extends the processes of a company with outside alliances and suppliers delivering services and capabilities beyond a company's core competencies. This may take the form of completely relinquishing the work to outside suppliers and partners, continuing an internal operation under a facilities management arrangement, or contracting with consultants to provide the expertise to support regular staff. Such options are hardly new, but the impetus to contain costs, focus on core competencies and maximize resources adds a new urgency to managing and controlling digital assets. The Consulting Option Bringing in consultants is increasingly attractive because outsourcing or facilities management may only address part of the problem. Companies are increasingly networked, using intranets and extranets. This makes all types of corporate information accessible to employees scattered around the globe, and it often must be printed and produced in multiple locations. Many workgroup office printers boast features that only a few years ago were limited to high-end production-class machines, and it's entirely feasible for an office in Washington, DC to print documents sent to it from another office in Seattle. Or in Sydney, Australia. Ensuring all that data remains accessible and will print as intended is no small challenge. Add a mix of print engines and PDLs and it can be well beyond the scope of many facilities management (FM) companies. This complexity makes hiring consultants with specific expertise an attractive option for companies with substantial investments in enterprise-wide networks and print production technologies. It provides ways of maximizing their investment and developing new workflows that enable multiple uses of their information. Especially on the production end of the workflow, the full capabilities of modern hardware and software are often lost on many systems managers and staff. As a result, they fail to take advantage of all their equipment has to offer, or worse, outsource work they could do internally if they knew how. Office environments can equally benefit from a specialized approach. Jean-Pierre DuPont, vie president of Technology and Software Support for Oce USA in Chicago, Illinois, describes a typical situation in which a customer with a large number of small workgroup printers may want to reduce office printing costs. "They might have 200 small laser printers," he explains, "but the work could be done more efficiently and at a lower cost using several strategically located high-speed printers." Factors such as the number of users and printers, how many pages are being printed, the size and configuration of the network, and expansion requirements are part of the initial analysis DuPont notes that companies have often tried to develop and implement such a broad network printing integration on their own, but have learned how complicated it can be. "It can entail a printer vendor, a PC guy, a systems integrator, and more," says DuPont. "And when it's done they may find not everything works as planned. With just one company offering all the necessary services and working to deliver the complete solution, the results are going to be a lot better and the customer is going to be much happier." Companies are recognizing that consulting solutions bring the advantage of expertise when it's needed, perhaps without the ongoing costs associated with outsourcing or facilities management. It also helps build expertise internally and provides a resource to call on as needs change over time. Additionally, consulting generally offers a broader skill set and more options than outsourced or FM solutions. Forrester suggests the skills of an exT Technology provider can include: -Custom development -Package implementation (of hardware and software) -Integration support -Application and system hosting -Application management -Process management -Support for business process outsourcing Is Consulting Right For Your Company? To help determine if a consulting approach is right for your company, begin by defining the areas you think you need support. Then, says Tina Key, Manager of Business Development and Consulting Services at Oce Printing Systems in Boca Raton, Florida, answer the following questions: 1. Do you have sufficient staff to do the job in a timely manner and still do the day-to-day work required? 2. Does your existing staff have the necessary expertise and technical skills? 3. If not, are you willing to invest in the necessary training or hire new staff to satisfy a short term need? 4. Do you have time to train new people in your existing operations just so they can make the changes you believe you need? 5. What will you do if a short-term hire is wrong for the job or simply doesn't work out? 6. What are the real costs for each of these options? If you answer "no" to two or more of the first four questions, then hiring a team of consultants may be the best way to address your needs, whether it's an office networking or print production challenge. In selecting the ones you use, be sure they have the ability to provide all the services you need and will work with you to deliver the optimal solution for your enterprise, will guarantee their work and will be there to provide support after the work is done.