AUGUST 2023CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19could make the difference that the other big name consulting companies could not. Lawson's diverse heritage as an African American and West Indian, his time spent living in various red and blue states, as well as living and working in Asia, has reinforced his belief in the importance of listening and appreciating organizational and civic cultures while absorbing a diverse range of opinions when approaching any project or collaboration. These are all deep-rooted beliefs rooted in the Jamaican motto, "out of many we are one." Lawson's consistent ability to work across the government agency, creative use of technology, and personal authenticity turned nay-sayers into advocates for the project and for Lawson. The project was completed on time.Lawson shares that his aim is to always focus and prepare the client for what comes next, both internally, for the company, and for the industry at large. This involves being prepared for the continued advancements of cloud systems, which he believes hold a host of benefits for clients. These benefits include eliminating the need for companies to house their own infrastructure which ultimately reduces maintenance costs of these systems. More importantly cloud systems better position companies to accept new functionality as they are deployed.Yet some companies have learned the painful lesson that they cannot simply take a lift-and- shift approach and assume existing processes will work the same in cloud-based systems. Cloud based systems offer so many configurable options that, for a project to be successful, great care must be taken in understanding the pros and cons of each option and the impact to associated business processes. Lawson adds, "It may appear to be daunting that a single configurable checkbox could have significant unintended consequences, but there are tremendous benefits for clients to implement cloud-based systems."While the government agency was not ready for the cloud given complexities around payroll processes, Lawson believes they will be in a few years. However, thinking ahead, he ensured the client was positioned to migrate to the cloud by eliminating the need for many custom processes and adopting standard ones wherever possible. This, he believes, has positioned them to be shifted easily when the agency is ready.Lawson elaborated, "This level of flexibility is essential as clients, now more than ever, are demanding more from their IT consultants. The role of a consultant has changed.Historically, the consultant focused on `clicking the buttons.' But, with more and more businesses moving their ERP/Finance systems to the Cloud, clients now look for consultants to be coaches capable of speaking to their culture, their business processes, and industry best practices. Concurrently, clients are also seeking consultants who are experts in the systems being implemented who can speak to and align these processes to the intricacies of the technology being implemented. When consultants come in prepared with an open mind and a willingness to listen that they make themselves indispensable."We are sure that Lawson will continue to meet that challenge and provide cutting edge technology, with a keen eye to company culture, client success, and the future. Lawson's dedication and commitment to client success will continue to serve his clients well as he progresses in his career. If you would like to reach Lawson, you can do so on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/lloydlawsonjames/ Having knowledge and experience in both technical and leadership space, puts me in a unique position and allows me to communicate effectively with people from different departments
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