玩偶姐姐

Keith Shaw: Hi everybody, welcome to DEMO, the show where companies come in and show us their latest products and platforms. Today, I’m joined by Rodan Zadeh. He is the Director of Product at Apptio, which is an IBM company. Welcome to the show, Rodan. Rodan Zadeh: Thank you.

Keith: So, I think initially when we set this up, you were not part of IBM, but in the process of scheduling, IBM purchased you.

Tell us a little bit about Apptio, how it relates to the IBM acquisition and integration, and then what you’re going to show us here today. Rodan: Absolutely. First of all, thank you for having me on the show.

Apptio is a recent acquisition by IBM, as you mentioned, and our portfolio of products is focused on technology business management — managing the business of technology. What’s interesting is that it’s a fantastic fit for IBM’s IT automation group.

Our goal is to provide customers the ability to build intelligent applications. Before you build something, you want to understand the investment aspect — where is the business value — and be able to manage that as you go.

So, the investment part is key, but it’s also about building, deploying, and managing. In the portfolio, you see several IBM products that complement what we’re doing. It’s a perfect fit for IBM’s larger portfolio in IT automation. Keith: Right.

And if someone is interested in just the Apptio piece, they don’t have to invest in the other IBM offerings, correct? Rodan: Correct. Absolutely. But if they want to, there are complementary solutions available. Keith: Great. So, what are you showing us today? I believe it’s strategic portfolio management?

Rodan: Yes. This product is typically designed for enterprise program management offices (PMOs), as well as many C-suite executives who are responsible for digital transformation and strategic investment decisions. It helps them understand: Are we investing our money in the right areas?

Do we have the right resources to deploy a certain technology? How do we connect business strategy with the technology being built — from the highest level down to the actual implementation?

Keith: So it helps 玩偶姐姐s, IT leaders, and finance teams understand where their technology spending is going, and what kind of impact it’s having on the company? Rodan: Exactly.

It’s about cost visibility — being able to show costs to other parts of the organization through practices like showback or chargeback. It also helps understand resource allocation, both people and infrastructure, and how that work connects to financial impact.

Keith: Okay, so what exactly is strategic portfolio management showing me? Rodan: It gives a holistic view of what’s taking shape in the technology domain — strategy at the highest level, down to specific initiatives and work being delivered.

For example, we integrate data from systems like Workday, SAP, and Jira, so 玩偶姐姐s and CFOs can see a complete picture of investments, people, and outcomes.

You can understand enterprise spend overall, and put it together for a holistic view from strategy to implementation. Keith: And the primary users are PMOs? Rodan: Yes, PMOs ensure the organization delivers across all projects. They’re responsible for aligning work to strategic goals.

Keith: This sounds like an enterprise-level tool, not something a small business would use? Rodan: Correct. It’s primarily for enterprises with a program management office. Keith: Okay, so show us the SPM side. Rodan: Sure. Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) is about connecting corporate objectives with team-level work.

At the top are the company’s goals, which then cascade into strategic objectives, initiatives, and measurable outcomes. Everyone gains visibility, ensuring alignment from executives to delivery teams. Keith: Is this new for companies, or have they been trying to do this with spreadsheets and PowerPoint?

Rodan: Historically, strategy has been managed with PowerPoint, Excel, and fragmented conversations. Each department tracks KPIs differently, with little cohesion. Our solution replaces that with a single source of truth. Keith: Let’s see the demo. Rodan: Great.

For example, an executive goal might be “Develop AI Solutions.” Under that are objectives like enhancing ML models, boosting AI adoption, or replacing legacy systems. We can drill down into each initiative, track progress with key results, and measure adoption percentages.

Traffic-light indicators (red/yellow/green) show performance, and you can drill further to see causes and bottlenecks.

Initiatives are tied to portfolios, such as Digital Transformation or HR. Leaders can see which organizations are accountable, assess impact, and decide whether to allocate more resources. This isn’t just about dashboards; it’s a real-time system pulling data from multiple tools into one holistic view.

Keith: So instead of gut feelings or static reports, executives get live, standardized data? Rodan: Exactly. It standardizes measurement — whether at a high level (“T-shirt sizing”) or down to hours and costs. Keith: Is there AI built in, or planned?

Rodan: While much of the data today is causal and factual, AI can be used for forecasting and scenario planning — optimizing across financial resources, people, and time.

Executives can model “what-if” scenarios, such as adjusting timelines or reallocating resources, and see the tradeoffs in impact. Keith: How long does this take to implement? Months? Years? Rodan: It doesn’t take years. Typically, integration is three to six months, depending on depth and which systems you connect.

It’s far faster than building an internal tool, which many companies try and then abandon because it becomes too costly to maintain. Keith: So this is SaaS, pay-as-you-go? Rodan: Yes, exactly. Subscription-based, with the flexibility and support enterprises expect. Keith: Where can people go to try this out?

Rodan: Visit apptio.com/targetprocess. You can enter your information, and one of our technical specialists will set up a tailored demo for your environment. Keith: Excellent. Rodan, thanks again for being on the show and for the demo. Rodan: Thank you. Keith: That’s going to do it for this week’s episode.

Be sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and add any thoughts you have below. Join us every week for new episodes of DEMO. I’m Keith Shaw — thanks for watching!