IT Globalization Examples — Drivers, Hurdles, And Opportunities

CIOs are increasingly pursuing globalization in support of their firms' efforts to attack new markets and achieve greater efficiencies. But globalization is both an emerging and complicated change, and there are no signposts to tell firms which way to turn. Forrester has previously characterized the types of changes CIOs should pursue in their efforts to globalize — balancing global and local needs through IT structures and processes, especially around applications and IT's strategic functions. This report provides examples of how firms are globalizing — what works and what doesn't. To achieve successful globalization, IT must move in parallel with the business — incrementally adopting structures and processes that enable the global-local balance.