Selling Your CEO on Legacy Modernization

American Home Products' legacy system, according to its CIO, was readyfor the junk pile. "We were dealing with a system that was weak infunction and antiquated in platform, and to redefine our businessprocesses we had to reconfigure the system. It was that simple," saysFadem.

When multiple, disparate systems begin slowing a company's growth,it's time to take action, no matter the state of the economy. Butfirst the executive board has to give the thumbs-up. And when timesare tough, selling infrastructure projects can beproblematic.

To successfully sell a large-scale migration project to executiveleaders, CIOs must present decisive evidence that the project willsave money and strengthen the business.

"You have to fully understand the benefits of migrating, and discussthose benefits from a business perspective by showing how the projectties in to the company's strategy," says Al Biland, CIO of Snap-On, aKenosha, Wis.-based power tool and equipment manufacturer with $2.1billion in revenues. "That can be by making the company moreoperationally fit, by cutting costs or by generating profitablegrowth."