Meet a Technology Black Belt: Tim Boehm |
Deloitte’s Technology Black Belt (TBB) program identifies knowledge leaders on topics and technologies ranging from widely-deployed capabilities like ERP and Supply Chain Management, to emerging technologies like mobile and cloud computing. Our black belts are part of a dynamic, growing, collaborative community of practice and we want to share their stories through a new series - “Meet a Technology Black Belt”.
In the first of the series, meet Tim Boehm, our resident authority on Application Management. We caught up with him recently to see what he’s been up to.
What do you do at Deloitte?
I am a Principal in Deloitte’s Application Management Services Service Line (AMS), and the AMS Energy Sector Champion. I am also the champion for the service line methodology, Enterprise Value Delivery (EVD) for AMS.
What gadgets do you travel with?
Smartphone with a wireless headset and laptop (I had a tablet, accidently left it on a plane, and don’t miss it). The phone and headset are important. A success factor in AMS is being highly responsive to critical client issues whenever they occur.
What do you feel are some of the significant AMS challenges that CIOs face today?
CIO’s are challenged to innovate and play a strategic role in the business, yet application management services (the operate phase of software and systems) consumes much of their budget and often much of their attention. The trick is to reduce non-value-added work and replace it with work that can enhance system performance and facilitate incremental innovation. That is our goal on our engagements.
In addition, CIO’s should enable and support technology evolution (BYOD, Cloud, SaaS, Big Data, etc.). Their challenge, and our challenge, is to evolve our services to address technology evolution.
Rapid-Fire:
- East or west coast? East Coast. Friendliness is overrated.
- Favorite uses for your mobile? E-mail and phone calls. In AMS, productivity is a priority
- Favorite dish? Steak salad (apologies to my vegetarian friends)
- Must-watch movie? Apollo 13 (the epitome of solving a complex problem under pressure)
- Coffee or Tea? Coffee
App you wish someone made?
One with no bugs/defects (on the other hand, the more bugs, the more work for us).
Remember when we all thought we’d be in flying cars by now? Well, describe to us your “flying car future” prediction on the future of application management:
Application Management as we know it disappears. The need for fixing system defects or supporting system users either becomes obsolete or is automated. AMS evolves to “Continuous Systems Innovation,” and the line between improving the old and creating the new is indistinguishable.
Best invention ever made?
Generators and Batteries. Without power many of the other “best inventions” are the equivalent of bricks and boat anchors.
