Fidelity Investments: Investing in IT for Greater Strategic Impact

In 2013 Fidelity Investments’ Asset Management business had a long history of heavy investment in—and reliance on—information technology. But years of rapidly developed, locally specialized systems were leading to growing costs while increasingly outdated technologies were seen as an obstacle to business change. IT leaders responded to business concerns by proposing a more shared technology environment and a more disciplined approach to IT investment decisions. This case describes how the Asset Management business created new governance, roles, and relationships that generated IT costs savings and faster delivery of new business capabilities. We describe how IT leaders learned to “shape” demand for IT services making IT a more strategic tool for the business.