Meet the CIO: CPA Australia

Cathy Bibby, the Australian chief information officer of one of the world’s largest accounting bodies, tells CRN that she appreciates integrators who back up their claims.

Where do you use resellers and system integrators the most?

We have a small internal team, so it’s typical when we buy a product that it usually involves integration with other systems. We also need specialist product or skills-type services. For example, when we bought a new CRM from Microsoft we had multiple SIs involved working on data conversion, configuration and cutomisation. We also use a number of third-party vendors to run digital projects on our website.

What does a reseller or integrator need to do to impress you?

We ask ourselves: can they meet the requirements? What is the cost of the solution? Can they deliver to that price? And of course, what is their overall ability to actually deliver what they say they can, when they say they can?

Sometimes however, what is more telling is how they handle situations when projects go off track and how they work with you to resolve issues.

Will cloud be a big part of your strategy?

We have a fit-for-purpose strategy that absolutely includes a direction around cloud. The looming challenge is whether vendors will continue to offer on premise and cloud products or not. Interoperability is then a big issue to manage.

What are the mistakes that third parties make?

Over-selling and under-delivering, particularly with systems integrators. They go after the contract and worry about trying to find the people to actually deliver once they have won the contract. Then you find the quality of people they are bringing in isn’t where it needs to be. This mistake is compounded should the SI not react to address underperformance in a timely manner.

When was the last time a systems integrator impressed you?

Most recently it was Mexia, who we used as our SI for our decision to go with an integration platform in Azure. They knew their stuff technically, they knew the product, and they worked side-by-side with us and delivered every day. DT Digital also delivered a couple of major websites for us. Another is Seertech, our learning management system provider. It’s the over and above actions and attitudes of a vendor and how they engage with you and the accountability they take in delivering a solution that can really make a difference to the final outcome.

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