Is your MFT ready for Formula 1?

UPDATED 11/20/18

In 2015, the Formula 1 auto racing season kicked off at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. The start of the F1 season got me thinking: there is a lot about an F1 team that is similar to corporate organization.

For each to perform at its peak, they need to ensure that teams support each other and the technology meets the demands. After all, technology is a huge component of an F1 team, as it is to companies of any size. And this started me thinking how MFT would fit into this analogy. Are you MFT ready?

So here are “The Top Five Ways Your Company is Like an F1 Team (… and Where MFT Fits in!)”

MFT ready

1. All other F1 teams are your competition: To beat your competition your team needs to work together. Your team is not just the car and driver; it includes everybody involved in the operation. In an F1 team, there are the mechanics (the equivalent of an organization’s development team), the pit crew (sales support) and hospitality, marketing and logistics teams (which is true for both F1 and organizations). Everybody needs to be working to a common goal to be successful.
2. The race season is your critical season: To excel during your organization’s “season” you need to know that your car (sales) can perform. And they need to have the equipment, expertise and training to perform. As a result, they need the support of the organization and they need to perform no matter the conditions that are thrown at them. F1 cars race rain or shine, and likewise, your organization needs to perform rain or shine.
3. Your business processes are your car’s engine: The applications that support your business process are the engine of your car. The applications power your business and ensure that you can move forward, and they are the power to your sales force. Meanwhile, the external facing websites and social media are your aerodynamics. How smoothly they communicate your message is akin to the way an F1 car cuts through the air on the race track.
4. Managed File Transfer is the fuel line of your company: If MFT is the way fuel reaches the engine (applications) of your company, then files are the fuel. They hold the information that gives your application the power to support your business process. As a result, your MFT technology needs to be reliable, efficient and responsive to demands of the applications.
5. F1 offseason testing is your business development: Offseason testing is a critical part of the F1 season. During this time, F1 teams will look at their race strategies and evaluate and improve their cars. They look at the new rules (just like organizations do with compliance) and take advantage of technology innovations. They even evaluate their legacy technology to ensure it still meets the needs of today and tomorrow. So, if your company is like an F1 team, when do you do your off-season testing? Do you take the time to evolve and innovate? Do you look at your legacy technology … including your fuel system (Managed File Transfer)?