Shaun Mundy has put IT at the cutting edge of strategy and cost benefits at toolmaker Oxford Instruments. His internet of things proof of concept working solution is now being deployed to a wider demo community globally while the board debates how to monetise it most effectively. And his social pilot for a global service team has connected otherwise disparate engineers, rapidly resolving problems that previously required intervention from head office. When did you start your current role as CIO of Oxford Instruments?November 2013. What is your reporting line?CFO. Do you meet with and discuss business strategy with the CEO every week?No, the frequency varies. Operational discussions occur with CFO. Are you a member of the board of directors?No. What other executive boards do you sit on?None, no such structure exists with OI, other than the change groups listed below. Does your organisation have a CDO?No. What non-technology responsibilities do you have in the organisation?Steering of digital, ERP, CRM and PLM change – this is wider than technology change. I'm a member of the group business change leaders team. How many employees does your organisation have?2,500. Does your organisation carry out significant trade in the EU?Yes. What number of users does your department supply services to?2,500. How do you ensure that you have a good understanding of your business and how your customers use your business's products?Head office briefings, frequent business visits, engagement in an integrated IT strategy and collaboration. The internet of things (IoT) strategy is driving this too. Emphasis for me in this role is less to understand all our customer interactions now, but how it will be with IoT. Oxford Instruments technology strategy and agenda Is your organisation being disrupted by the internet, mobility or technology-oriented start-ups?No. Are you empowered by your organisation to disrupt from the inside?Yes. Describe a disruptive measure you’ve led or played a major part inIoT proof of concept has been led and built as part of a closed beta with a working solution, which has been shared internally and with Microsoft using its ISS system. This solution was built in a small lab environment within one business and is being deployed to a wider demo community globally. The proof of concept has been successful enough to lead to an active management board debate on our IoT strategy and how to monetise this opportunity with IT. The potential benefits to customers and Oxford Instruments are strong. A social pilot for a global service team has connected otherwise disparate engineers, with soft and hard benefits such as reduced international travel time and cost. This has been shown to rapidly resolve problems that previously required intervention from head office – a clear removal of a potential bottleneck to customer satisfaction. The pilot of online collaboration tools allows co-development across multiple businesses in a way not achieved before at Oxford Instruments. What major transformation project has been recently completed or is under way at your organisation?Our ERP project has been refocused, and transformed through three significant interventions:1. Agile as a delivery method, realigning OI and Infor roles on the project to simplify delivery2. Adoption of the Infor deployment method as a consistent framework for delivery3. Strong programme governance across Oxford Instruments and our supplier (Infor) to drive towards core processes which have been redesigned We are also consolidating multiple CRMs from multiple companies (growth has been organic and acquisitive) and the standardisation of sales and marketing processes (where necessary) to drive meaningful data plus improved performance. What impact will the above transformation have on your organisation?It will give a single view of the customer, as well as a consistent and more efficient set of processes (and not a 'process lift' from one system to another, but a drive for consistency and increased efficiency). It will also remove application sprawl and create a strong core system on which to develop our businesses. How has your leadership style contributed to the outcomes of the transformation project?In digital, my approach is partnering and facilitative rather than owning. Digital is a trend that will impact all businesses and so cannot be owned only by IT, but must be engaged with by all business leaders. I am acting to ensure each business will own its own digital agenda. In ERP/CRM, my role has been more formal to gain focus for the team and to re-organise governance to ensure better conditions for success for all. Classic programme management and leadership skills have been engaged to clarify roles and programme structure for IT and the business stakeholders, and to drive communications globally on the programme. What key technologies do you consider enable transformation?IoT and big data forge much stronger links to the customer and potentially a new core competence through big data in terms of revenue generation and customer benefit. ERP drives strong discipline and rigour in core business processes. Social tech is connecting widely dispersed global communities of both practice and interest to enhance the whole value chain. Mobile, via iOS in deployment with MDM, is a platform for consistent access to systems and data. And cloud will drive IT to be able to focus on business core competence rather than core IT. Are you increasing the number of cloud applications or infrastructure in use at your organisation?Yes. What is your information and data analytics vision for the organisation?While an initial vision of a single view of the customer can be achieved, it is recognised that this is not radical. The potential of the IoT and a resulting big data opportunity is to be resolved with our digital steering group such that we can evaluate for all or some of the federated businesses that we have within Oxford Instruments. How is mobile and social networking impacting operations and customer experience?A social networking push on a global and distributed service team for one business within the global OI team is our live proof of concept, which is under review with our OI businesses. Lync is also under deployment after a successful trial and is now being extended into the mobile environment to enhance our communications within a fixed and mobile environment. Describe your strategic vision towards shadow IT and BYOD. How do you influence and engage executives and employees around choice?BYOD will be our next phase after completion of our iOS roll-out, and the MDM is in place as an enabler of this. We are partnering with HR on its introduction. Many of our products ship with our own software built within each individual company, so shadow IT is effectively live and active as an internal partnership. Also, on ERP, we have developed a far-reaching extended team to engage and test business-designed processes for acceptability – we are mindful not to restrict innovation. iOS as a corporate device was selected through a series of questionnaires and compatibility reviews to future toolsets. BYOD choice is likely to be addressed through local workshops hosted by the distributed IT and HR teams. What strategic technology deals have been struck and with whom?Infor for ERP completion. O2 for UK mobile migration. Who are your main suppliers?Infor, BT, Microsoft, VMWare, IBM. Oxford Instruments IT security and budget Has your organisation detected a cyber intrusion in the last 12 months?No. Has cyber-security risen up your management agenda?Yes. Does your organisation understand the potential cyber-security threats it faces?Yes. Has this led to an increase in your security budget?Yes. What is the IT budget?£5.5m. How much is the IT operational spend compared to the revenue as a percentage?1%. What is the strategic aim of the CIO and IT operations for the next financial year?The CIO aim is to deliver the first live ERP sites and establish a clear IoT strategy with the management board. The IT operations aim is to globalise service for all our distributed companies. Are you finding it difficult to recruit the talent you need to drive transformation?Yes. Has recruitment and retention risen up your agenda as a CIO?Yes. Are you looking for recruits in the EU to fill the skills shortage you have?No. Does your IT organisation operate an apprenticeship scheme?Yes. Oxford Instruments technology department How would you describe your leadership style?Energetic, driving, facilitative, consistent, challenging. Explain how you’ve supported and developed your senior leadership team to support your overall objectives and vision• Co-development of the detailed strategy.• Clear lines of delegation and responsibility (operationally and by project).• Clear governance and consistency in planning.• Allowed distributed leadership (and delivery) to allow local innovation and engagement.• Engaging vendors and internal staff at our annual IT management team planning conference to inspire our strategy, especially in the emerging IoT space (not necessarily seen by all senior IT management staff).• Individual coaching. How many employees are in your IT team?40. What is the split between in-house/outsourced staff?40/7. Does your team include key skilled workers from the EU?Yes.