A fresh look can point toward areas of improvement, both in technology infrastructure and in staff training. The idea of "problem solving" is especially seductive, but ultimately frustrating, because the solutions of today will not necessarily serve you well tomorrow. The alternative to problem solving would be "process refinement", which affirms the view that continuous development of tactics and strategy is essential given the changing nature of the competitive environment. Having a flexible technology infrastructure that can be adjusted to suit evolving needs will be increasingly important.

Flexibility and agility link very closely with other capabilities that IDC has examined in previous white papers. In looking at operational excellence, we examined the importance of getting critical information into the hands of key constituents. Improvements in efficiency and effective support of customers can make an important difference in business performance to more than justify investment in information infrastructure. In looking at customer value, we examined the challenge of maintaining strong customer relations even as companies grow. The importance of identifying key customers, current and future, was discussed along with the role oftechnology in providing effective support to growing numbers of customers.