Garcia shared that he also had to deal with contending priorities and potential distractions, much like in any other business. 'I think the keys to success, aside from ensuring that the IT team is aware of the need to be consistent with business priorities, are focus and disciplined execution,' he said. Having to deal with limited resources -- especially more significant because his group has to ensure efficient and high-quality delivery to a very large base of subscribers -- Garcia makes sure that those resources are used in areas where they could provide the most value.

Garcia said that technological headaches would come and go but there are always solutions for these. What is a constant challenge, however, is operating in an industry characterized by a constant influx of new technology that requires sizable investments, intense competition -- which puts pressure on revenues -- and the need to maintain quality of service that meets or exceeds customer expectations. 'Addressing these areas would require the whole company, and not just one or two groups, to work together towards a common set of goals,' he said.

Another key challenge is in ensuring that the IT strategy is aligned with business strategy and directions, said Garcia. The IT group needed to be a credible partner of the business which, he said, can only be achieved by transparency in its plans and directions. This required constant communication with the rest of the organization and fulfilling delivery promises. An added pressure on CIOs and IT professionals is the reality that IT knowledge is no longer exclusive to the technical group. This puts greater responsibilities on the IT group to know more than the rest of the users and be able to live up to everybody's expectations.

Garcia tries to look at this last issue positively. 'If more people speak IT's language, then it is easier for IT to be understood, and consequently, it will be easier for IT to work with the rest of the organization, and vice-versa,' he said. He said he also feels very positive about the support they are getting from government agencies. Two areas where the Globe IT group and its counterparts on the business side have been receiving significant support from government agencies are on the regulatory front and in partnerships.

'For our G-cash product, we work with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bangko Sentral to make sure that the service and its variants are compliant with government requirements,' he said, adding that these government organizations have been very receptive in their various discussions with them. In terms of partnerships, Garcia said that when they launched the implementation of tax payments and business permits via SMS early this year, it was made possible through partnerships with the BIR and the Land Bank of the Philippines.