Comdex: Where's The ROI From Systems?
By Ara C. Trembly, Technology Editor
NU Online News Service, Nov. 20, 10:59 a.m. EST, Las Vegas?The languishing economy has led insurers and other technology customers to delay purchases and demand more value and return on investment, said speakers at the Comdex Fall 2002 technology exposition here.
At an event that has traditionally focused on the latest and greatest technology innovations, the message was clear that business customers want to see a clear link between technology investments and their bottom lines?a sentiment that also seems to have taken hold in insurance and financial services.
In a pre-conference panel discussion, Joe Levy, founder of CIO magazine, asserted that in many cases it costs a company 10 times the purchase price of a software package to get it up and running. "Customers are sitting on their wallets," he said. "The [technology] industry must respond."
One major problem facing large organizations, he noted, is data fragmentation. "There are just too many databases," he explained. "The average Global 500 company has between 350 and 450 different customer databases. The interesting thing about it is none of them can talk to each other."
To read Mr. Trembly's full report see National Underwriter's Nov. 25 print edition.
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