Interviewed by Larry Janis, Managing Partner, Integrated Search Solutions
LJ: Please share with us your role and responsibilities at CSC.
GB: I lead CSC’s Global Infrastructure Services (GIS) business unit comprising more than 25,000 employees worldwide. As Executive Vice President and General Manager, I am responsible for four profit & loss centers including Workplace Services, Data Center Services, Platform Services and Enterprise Service Management. I also oversee the global sales and delivery of CSC’s infrastructure portfolio and managed services while leading key transformation efforts to enhance CSC’s financial performance, operations and competitiveness.
As the focal point for CSC’s global service operations, I manage the global delivery network and workforce optimization strategies with a focus on delivering service innovation, quality and consistency to CSC’s clients. The GIS organization also drives CSC’s Offering Lifecycle Management process to standardize the company’s enterprise-wide portfolio and elevate delivery performance. As a strong client service advocate, I also lead the organization’s service excellence functions, including quality assurance and automation strategies, account start-up and re-engineering, while overseeing GIS’ full program management capabilities.
LJ: You have been in Outsourcing for a number of years initially HRO and then ITO what changes have you seen in the marketplace both from the provider and buyer sides?
GB: We have seen a significant shift in the market that is greatly impacting the managed services industry for both the provider and the consumer. We are seeing greater consolidation within the market as a result of unsuccessful mergers. The structure of ITO deals has changed, with a prevalence of smaller deals and multi-sourcing engagements. As a result, we have seen early exits by some of the weaker players in the market as well increased competition from disruptive business models. All of these factors leave just a few companies with the scale and acumen to adjust to the market transition, leverage their technology leadership and innovation (i.e. cloud, big data) and provide a mature delivery model via low-cost centers.
The experience expectations of the end user- the next generation workers accessing any applications, any data, any social community, on any device, at any time – especially while mobile — have shifted. IT services are becoming commoditized, with margins getting smaller and smaller. Customers are driving as-a-service from a true utility perspective. Mobility, bring your own device, virtualization and such trends are shaping the IT services being offered, driving simplification and standardized offerings.
The selling process has also changed significantly. No longer is our primary customer the CIO of an organization. The need for IT solutions are coming more and more from the business leader, presenting another set of challenges. The traditional IT sales approach just doesn’t work. We have changed our sales approach adopting the Challenger Sales methodology, an insight-led messaging model that changes the dialogue with customers about our offerings.
LJ: In reviewing some information on the CSC site it mentions “Scaling Our Next-Generation Offerings for Proven Results” what changes is the firm making in that regard?
GB: Market trends are driving standardized offerings that deliver business value. At CSC, we are addressing that challenge with the development and adoption of the Offering Lifecycle Management (OLM) framework, which is our company-wide platform to accelerate innovation. All CSC offerings are brought through a disciplined process to consistently incubate, introduce, optimize and retire standardized and configurable offers.
The process is a data-driven and a market-driven approach to ensure we are sales and delivery ready. Before we commit resources, we understand the opportunities in the market, customer needs, how we position offerings to respond to those needs, and how we differentiate ourselves in the market by providing unique value. OLM verifies functionality, user experience, commercial viability and delivery. As part of offering introduction, we collaborate with early adopters – what we call customer 0, 1, and 2. In this instance, customer 0 will typically be CSC. Those early adopters also become valuable references for other clients.
OLM also helps CSC to move up the value chain with clients, driving IT and business transformation. With the future in sight, OLM prompts us to consider which other offerings are most frequently bundled to solve customer requirements. We are also purposefully collaborating across CSC and with key alliance partners to integrate proven technologies into new jointly developed service offerings with targeted go-to-market engagement plans to enable IT transformation, accelerated business innovation and growth, and the next generation client experience.
Improving the client experience is one of our focus areas and OLM helps to differentiate CSC. We are leveraging our partner ecosystem to develop higher value solutions. Through OLM, we generate more consistency enabling a faster time to market, and more robust offerings with reliable, flawless delivery. This platform is a proven model that generates higher revenue, accelerates the development cycle, reduces cost, and adds certainty to the sales and delivery process that all leads to creating an exceptional customer experience.
The shift to the “as a service” consumption model where you pay for what you use is one example where we are leveraging our partner ecosystem to drive results. With our Storage as a Service offering, we have partnered with EMC and HDS to provide our clients with a utility model solution. With traditional storage solutions, clients purchase storage in incremental blocks or steps. In each step, clients are locking in the cost for several years when storage costs are declining year-to-year. In the end, clients end up buying more than they need. With a utility model, clients only pay for what they consume, when they need it. It can be rapidly provisioned with different tiers of storage that can scale up and down as business needs change.
LJ: One of the other mentions on the site is “Modernizing Our Delivery Network for Cost-Effective Consistency” is part of that focus looking for new locations for the delivery of services and as part of that exercise is on shoring services part of that process?
GB: To respond to market changes, we are currently undergoing a transformation within GIS. Our goal is to be a leader in next-generation infrastructure services, which requires a modernized delivery network that drives consistency and provides cost-effective solutions. The focus is ensuring we have the delivery capability – both from a location and a technical resource perspective – to deliver on the promise of our next generation infrastructure services. We are driving standards in process, security, infrastructure to drive consistency in delivery excellence. We have also established Global Delivery Networks aligned to our four Offering Portfolios – Workplace, Platform, Data Center and Service Management, which enables us to effectively leverage resources across accounts, drive efficiency and effectiveness. With an identified set of centers to each offering portfolio, we can provide onshore, offshore and near shore options for our clients and their requirements.
LJ: As CSC looks to acquire talent, what do you look for when evaluating a perspective candidate?
GB: When evaluating a perspective candidate, you can pretty easily assess someone’s technical abilities and core competencies. I find that the key is to identify those intangible qualities – qualities that drive leadership and success. You want to strive to identify individuals that bring a blend of both that can support the culture of the company.
For GIS, our vision is to be the leader in next generation infrastructure services. As such, we are aligning and evaluating candidates against the skills required to deliver on that aspiration – what we are defining as the next generation service professionals. Along with the technical skills and expertise, we are also looking at qualities and attributes such as the right mindset, innovation, creativity, a drive for excellence, etc. – as those traits are necessary for our vision.
LJ: Final question, what has made you successful?
GB: During my career, I have been fortune to have leadership roles on several, large-scale transformations and turnarounds – both within the market and for customers. These were shifts that had a significant impact in the marketplace. And that was one of the reasons I came to CSC – the opportunity to be part of another transformation. To be successful on such projects, you need the support from your CEO, the Board, and senior management. Without that, you can’t do what needs to be done and succeed.
Throughout my career, I have applied a standard set of principles and attributes for success to each role – such as asking for help as a sign of strength, a collaborative spirit, adopting the right mindset, and continual learning. The goal of which is to develop a framework for success, providing direction and focus for behavior.
Understanding that no man is an island is key. Success comes from the team, with each individual understanding their role and how it contributes to attaining the end result. In each role, I have tried to build the best team possible, tapping into their collective experiences and fostering diversity – diversity of thought and approaches to a challenge. At the core, it is all about engagement, connecting the pieces and the people together. Because at the end of the day it is about results and driving actions that make a difference – for the company, for the employee, for the customer, and for the shareholder.
Gary Budzinski leads CSC’s Global Infrastructure Services (GIS) business unit comprising more than 25,000 employees worldwide. As Executive Vice President and General Manager, he is responsible for four profit & loss centers including Workplace Services, Data Center Services, Platform Services and Enterprise Service Management. He also oversees the global sales and delivery of CSC’s infrastructure portfolio and managed services while leading key transformation efforts to enhance CSC’s financial performance, operations and competitiveness.
Larry Janis is the Managing Partner of Integrated Search Solutions Group. Hehas more than twenty years of experience in the recruitment of senior level business professionals. His area of expertise and focus is outsourcing, specifically IT & BPO, Shared Services and Consulting. His executive search portfolio includes: information technology users and providers; management consulting; financial services; and, healthcare