SROgroup Volume 1 Issue 1  Contributing Author:  Larry Shoup, CEO and President of Silver Tree Solutions  Cover Story Strategic Relationship Optimization Overview   Overview Businesses today face unprecedented pressure to respond to change. The pace of globalization, escalating customer expectations, and competition in an “always on” marketplace is intense. It demands that companies find new ways to be flexible, innovative, and responsive if they want to continue to compete and grow. Company leaders increasingly are deciding that the best way to meet this challenge is to seek help from the outside. Entering into strategic relationships with other companies helps them develop the capabilities necessary for pursuing new opportunities and retaining valuable market share.  Read More... Feature Article Relationship Management IT Asset Management (ITAM) is often a highly satisfying pursuit and, at the same time, a frustrating career path for the professionals who engage in it.  It produces tangible benefits to organizations that are committed to it as a core competency. The significant hard dollar savings and risk reduction it generates can earn ITAM professionals credit for direct bottom-line improvements.    Read More... The ROI from Strategic Relationship Optimization Overview To compete effectively in today’s fast paced markets, businesses build relationships with other companies to increase the pace of innovation, enter new markets, or take advantage of each other’s strengths in existing markets. Unfortunately, as the need for synergistic business relationships continues to grow, the ROI of business relationships is at best non-optimized, and at worst, it is a negative percentage of the total investment.  The ROI of strategic relationships suffers because companies: 1. Waste money on forming relationships that have a low chance of success. 2. Allow poor execution and management of relationships to prevent anticipated returns from the relationship from being fully realized. 3. Throw large amounts of money at problem relationships in a futile attempt to save them. Read More... Maximizing Relationship ROI IT Asset Management (ITAM) is often a highly satisfying pursuit and, at the same time, a frustrating career path for the professionals who engage in it.  It produces tangible benefits to organizations that are committed to it as a core competency. The significant hard dollar savings and risk reduction it generates can earn ITAM professionals credit for direct bottom-line improvements.   Read More... The Strategic Relationship Model In my previous articles, I discussed the ROI from Strategic Relationship Optimization™ (SRO) and the exciting new career opportunity for ITAM professionals to manage external relationships as corporate assets.  We now turn our attention to defining what it means to manage external relationship as corporate assets.  We will start by examining the Strategic Relationship Model™ shown below.   Read More... Prospering During Slow Economic Times It is no secret that we appear to be heading into a period of slower economic growth. Polls indicate an increasing skepticism for the short-term future, and workers are feeling less secure about their jobs.  ITAM professionals share these same concerns and worries. So what can we do about this as ITAM professionals?  Do we have to be resigned to “toughing it out,” or is there an opportunity to employ our unique skill set in helping our organizations through this difficult time? I believe the opportunity to help exists, and ITAM professionals who seize it can prosper during this slow economic time.   Read More...