In the collective imagination of businesses, the IT department has often been viewed as a cost center, a necessary evil to ensure computers and networks run smoothly. A “belief” that now seems to belong to the past. Today, IT is invited to the table of the business development strategy. For Thomas Ciezar, Marketing Director of Zoho France, this shift in status is palpable: “IT and the IT department are reclaiming their prestige. In recent years, with the arrival of AI, we see IT taking back control of data and of decision-making, which lies at the heart of the company’s business strategy.”
The Challenge of Technological Fragmentation
This reconquest of strategic influence does not come without obstacles. The first challenge is omnichannel. Being present everywhere, across all customer communication channels, has become imperative. However, this omnipresence carries a hidden technical cost. Today, each channel usually means one or more technologies that will be deployed. This multiplication of interfaces fragments information, making the big picture unclear for decision-makers.
The issue for the IT department, therefore, is to transform this technological cacophony into a coherent melody. In other words, it’s not only about improving data quality and making it reliable but, above all, about giving it context. It is only under this condition that the company can hope to make better decisions, thanks to a holistic view of its application ecosystem.
The chokehold of “SaaS Sprawl”
A particularly troubling phenomenon hinders this fluidity: the “SaaS Sprawl,” or the anarchic multiplication of software tools within the same organization. According to a 2022 study, a mid-sized enterprise (ETI) or a large account uses on average 350 different tools. A figure that is “gigantic” and illustrative of a reality that is often inefficient. Often, these applications are siloed, either by department or by their actual utility. This siloed organization prevents data from circulating. Zoho’s approach is to break these silos. The aim is to streamline the current setup, either by placing integration modules at the center of the ecosystem or by replacing redundant tools to gain efficiency.
A progressive integration for business use
Rather than championing a “grand tech void” where everything existing would be swept away, Zoho bets on an open platform and a strategy of “bite-sized steps.” Our objective isn’t to replace or disrupt everything in a company. We prefer to start with one entry point, then expand usage based on satisfaction,” explains the Marketing Director.
The CRM often remains the spearhead of this approach. Yet the strategic value truly shows when tools begin to talk to one another. Thomas Ciezar cites a concrete use case: connecting the CRM to the marketing automation tool and to the customer support (Zoho Desk). If we can see in the CRM that a client has an active support ticket, we understand it may not be the right moment to reach out for a contract renewal. It’s here that IT accelerates the strategy by providing contextual information that prevents commercial missteps.
Independence as a Growth Model
Beyond the technology itself, Zoho’s business model stands out in the global tech landscape. A company in its thirties, it distinguishes itself by complete independence. 100% owned by its co-founders, without pressure from external investors, it has crossed the symbolic milestone of one million client companies worldwide. This long-term vision, far from the immediate profitability pressures of venture capital funds, seems to be bearing fruit. Despite some media discretion, Zoho shows steady growth, driven by businesses that seek stability and genuine integration to transform their data into concrete decisions.
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