Leadership in the Digital Age
The recent Information Technology Alliance (ITA) Fall Collaborative was yet another proof point of the ITA providing tools for leadership in the digital age. The collaborative was held in Indian Wells California at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa from November 3-5, 2024. Featuring keynotes by Cheral Cran on “The Future of Leadership” and Stephen Attenborough on “Leadership Lessons from Virgin Galactic’s Journey to Space.”
The ITA is a pre-eminent and highly regarded community of owners and senior leaders of top CPA, technology and consulting firms that provide business solutions to small and medium sized businesses. Its semi-annual collaboratives provide education, networking and sharing of best practices.
Partnerships and Leadership
Collaboration within your company, with your customers and between organizations are key in a networked world. Sessions fostering these ideals included:
- 100 Uears of Leadership Study: How Far Have We Come?
- Bridging Generational Gaps to Build Company Consensus
- Navigating the ERP Selection Consultant Landscape
- The Talent Magnet: Creating a Culture that Attracts and Retains Top Performers
- Stewardship in Action: A Leadership Case Study
- Optimizing Partner Relationships to Win Business and Drive Success
Unlike large enterprises with seemingly limitless resources, small and mid-sized companies often need to collaborate to provide the breadth and/or depth of service customers require. The ITA provides the platform for members to develop the relationships necessary to build the trust and form the partnership.
Technology Leadership
What would a technology conference be without sessions on leading edge technology? The Fall Collaborative continued to build the knowledge on hot topics including:
- Applied AI – Shifting of Internal Tasks
- Evolving IT Organization Structures: Beyond the Traditional Org Chart
- Enhancing Cyber Resiliency in the Face of Evolving Threat Landscapes
- AI in Our Profession – Practical Use Cases Today and a Look at the Future
- Data Classification & Implementing Effective Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
- Transforming your Client Outcomes with Generative AI
- Workflow Management Software: From Selection to Success
The breadth of content is evident, but what is more impressive is the depth and practicality of the learning. For example, we attended several of the Artificial Intelligence sessions to learn how the emerging technology is being applied in small and mid-sized businesses. Although much of current application is not true AI, we saw exciting application in accounts payable anomaly detection, financial reporting, and data analytics.
Key Learnings and Next Steps
The value of any conference is derived from the action taken and lessons learned and applied. Even confirmation of direction creates value. For example, the conference confirmed our perceptions of the demand for, and value created by our “client side” consulting such as our Steering Committee Services. The experience and independence of our team provides a unique opportunity to streamline implementation of business management systems, especially when we have provided a System Selection service.
The biggest change we will implement is the improved packaging and more transparent pricing for our services. Although we shunned time and materials billing for its confrontational nature a long time ago, we are “sharpening the saw” to better serve our customers. For example, Integration Service packages will be introduced in 2025 for developing strategy, architecting solutions, and middleware selection. These services are a key component of Cloud Optimization.
The conference also confirmed our commitment to our communities. We believe:
- in the ITA motto the “Knowledge Increases in Value When Shared” and are committed to transferring knowledge to our community members, clients and partners.
- in member driven communities like ITA and 90 Minds.
- in our mission to improve our client’s productivity and effectiveness using technology to create a competitive advantage.
For more information about our community or on our products, services Contact Us. Our initial, no obligation consultations are always free of charge!