BlueSoft Pulse: Where Business Meets Technology — 16/2024
Welcome to the 16th edition of BlueSoft Pulse – your trusted resource for IT leaders navigating today’s tech landscape.
In this issue, we’re offering valuable insights and strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. From driving digital transformation and scaling with cloud solutions to harnessing AI for business growth, we’re here to empower you with the tools to lead innovation and optimize operations.?
At BlueSoft, we believe that knowledge is just the beginning—it's about creating real value. So join the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with a network of professionals and experts shaping technology's future.?
Stay informed, stay competitive, and let’s innovate together. Dive in!?
Road to Cloud webinar series on-demand! ?
After four inspiring live webinar sessions titled “Road to Cloud,” we have decided to record them so that you can watch them on-demand! Our goal is to help your business understand the benefits of migration and how transitioning to cloud solutions can support your growth.
Webinars topics:?
Register for free here:
*The webinar is held in Polish.?
Dive deep into the world of digital transformation and discover how it can revolutionize your organization's processes, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. We'll also share case studies to illustrate real-world success stories.?
Are You Aligning Your Tech Success With Metrics That Matter? ?
Are your technologies being used, architecture designs, and systems… aligned with strategic business goals? If not, you are losing a lot of profit. “According to Forrester, companies with high alignment experience nearly twice as much revenue growth compared to those without it”. In Forrester's article, you will find three common misalignments. And in BlueSoft, we have a managed service to address it. ?
Expert's Voice:?
The gap between IT and business metrics often reveals a deeper issue: misalignment in goals, understanding, and even the mentality and structure of IT. The most flexible and well-organized I saw put an effort to reflect business value streams within IT organization. And they did it at all levels: team structure, architecture, operating model, responsibility boundaries, and business skills & understanding within engineers. Such companies thrived, and technology was their competitive advantage, not a struggle or cost to handle. ?
In BlueSoft, we are engineers by heart and business experts in domains by experience — and within the last few years, we have developed a managed service to improve this business-IT alignment. We discover your IT structure, architecture, and practices together with business value streams — and help you implement the recommendations, so IT becomes closer to business: at the strategic and execution levels. We are not just a software house, waiting for requirements to be implemented. We are your technology partner, enhancing your business strategy with the right technology and its utilization.
— Krzysztof Ha?asa , Management Advisor at BlueSoft?
Gartner Survey Reveals Only 48% of Digital Initiatives Are Successful?
According to Gartner’s 2025 survey, only 48% of digital initiatives meet business targets. However, a group called the “Digital Vanguard” achieves a higher success rate of 71% by fostering strong, collaborative partnerships between CIOs and CxOs. In this group, CIOs and CxOs work together closely, sharing responsibility for digital initiatives and engaging teams across the organization. This cooperative approach moves beyond traditional IT project models and plays a vital role in achieving successful digital outcomes. For CIOs and CxOs alike, working in partnership is increasingly essential for driving impactful, future-focused digital achievements.?
Top Investment Priorities of EMEA CIOs:?
Expert’s Voice:?
Technology initiatives can often be costly and time-consuming. In line with the article’s conclusions on the importance of close collaboration between business and IT, we at BlueSoft developed the Minimum Awesome Product (MAP) process to support seamless software delivery. MAP brings key stakeholders together from the start, enabling quicker adaptation to business needs and delivering reliable results in less time.?
— Marek ?unkiewicz , Senior Developer at BlueSoft?
Dive into the world of Platform Engineering, where we discuss the importance of a solid foundation for IT solutions. Gain insights into designing and building robust, scalable platforms that can drive your business forward.?
Platform Engineer vs. Platform Manager — what's the difference??
We delivered our first Internal Developer Platform in the banking sector in 2018. Being pioneers in the Platform Engineering area, besides all technical & organizational challenges, we encountered one which is still a challenge - how to select the right person to become Platform Manager? Should we just promote best DevOps Engineer? Or maybe a former developer? Or maybe somebody totally outside of the DevOps world? Answering this question is tough, so to simplify it a little bit - Krzysztof Ha?asa , our Management Advisor, created a short article about the difference in skills between Platform/DevOps Engineer & Manager. ?
Expert's Voice:?
There is not an easy answer if it comes to hiring the right people to do the job. And it's even harder with Platforms because the area is relatively young, and the general narrative is occupied with technologies discussions — which is a mistake in my opinion, because Platform done well is mostly an organizational change. I dedicated my last five years of experience to being a Platform Manager and then, helping people who want to become one - and my answer to "Is the best DevOps Engineer the best candidate?" is: maybe... as long as this person accepts, that manager's focus should not be only on technical resources, but actually on capabilities creation. What is the difference between those two areas, I've described in my article.
— Krzysztof Ha?asa , Management Advisor at BlueSoft?
Embrace the cloud era with insights on cloud migration, security, and the benefits of adopting cloud services. Learn how BlueSoft's cloud solutions can help you stay agile and secure in an ever-changing landscape.?
Cloud Exodus: Steps to Achieve Independence?
An article from Information Week?discusses the case of 37signals, whose CTO decided to leave the cloud due to overpriced enterprise service contracts. The article outlines several critical steps to consider when leaving the cloud:?
1. Contracts with Cloud Providers – Many companies are unaware of termination clauses in their agreements. Review these carefully to avoid surprises.?
2. Data and Application Ownership – Ensure your company fully owns its data and the applications developed with cloud service provider (CSP) tools.?
3. Impact and Risk of Migration – Conduct a risk assessment to evaluate the potential loss and disruptions of migrating off the cloud.?
4. Vendor Support – Cooperation between the outgoing and incoming vendors ensures a smoother migration.?
5. Migration Testing and Fallback Strategy – Conduct migration tests and have a fallback plan in case of failures to ensure continued operations.?
6. SLAs for Termination Support – Negotiate strong Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee assistance during the migration process.?
In 37signals’ case, they chose to build their tools, gaining the benefit of long-term independence and reducing costs. However, this approach is often possible only for large enterprises that can afford to develop and integrate their systems. What is more, the transformation of business operations has succeeded and most probably, they already optimized the workflows and do not face any major issues. ?
Expert’s Voice:?
While these steps are essential, I suggest starting with the review and negotiation of SLAs and termination clauses. This is a clear indicator for the CSP that you are considering the leave and if you are big enough customer, the cloud service provider may offer discounts, potentially making you reconsider the move. The good practice says that companies should never migrate all applications at the same time, so for those seeking a middle ground, a hybrid approach—migrating selected applications—can be a cost-effective alternative. Contrary to the cost of the maintenance of the cloud repatriation project. Be mindful, though, of new vendor lock-in risks after migration.?
— Bartosz Pietroń , IT Architect at BlueSoft?
Stay tuned for our next issue, where we'll delve into the exciting world of Digital Transformation.
Newsletter edited by Aleksandra Dejnarowicz, Social Media and Content Manager at BlueSoft