Ever since the computer became ubiquitous and evolved into what is known today as information systems and information technology, businesses have been dependent on them to improve productivity and streamline operations. Automated and productivity tools also facilitated faster processing of business transactions and enabled process owners and users to consolidate and present reports in a more expeditious means. Sometimes though, businesses tend to forget that information technology is a business driver, not the other way around. Like the human resources, logistics or accounting functions of businesses, information technology is a function that exists to support business processes. It does not exist to lord over the core competency of the business but to assist in making the primary business functions perform at its optimum. There have been cases wherein businesses fell prey to information technology vendors and service providers and bought a technology that either (1) they did not need at all; (2) did not totally meet their needs; or (3) paid too much for too little features. The consequence hence was an information technology solution that ended up being a white elephant.
             In this regard, it is always important that implementing information technology must and should first and foremost consider the business needs and the business processes. The bases for these are the strategic, tactical and operational business goals and objectives. Thus, J.P. Morgan Partners' information technology implementation – specifically its Secure Extranet Project – is a study on how to do it right the first time when implementing IT. They not only took the business needs as the primary consideration but procured IT solutions and services that meet these requirements. As what J.P. Morgan Partners CFO Bateson and Managing Director Stein announced, they built a business case first for the project by starting out with the company's busi...