Is GMACCMs IT culture leading-edge or bleeding-edge?
Patel: We have a good culture in adopting emerging technology. When Microsoft came out with Windows XP, we did a joint test with them; it provided access to Microsoft’s best and brightest. We have a heterogeneous environment; the key issue is standardization. We’re involved in MISMO, a standard-setting body within the mortgage industry that’s trying to foster e-commerce. Our industry is less mature than others in that regard; it’s a business-to-business industry, so it’s been slow to get standardized. BS&T: How do you coordinate IT strategy with the parent company? Patel: I report on a dotted line to Cherri Musser, CIO of General Motors Acceptance Corp. [Editor’s Note: The CIOs of GMAC’s auto financing and insurance divisions report directly to Musser.] We adhere to corporate IT standards. BS&T: How large is GMACCM’s IT department? Patel: It’s about 200 IT people internally – slightly more than half work on application development, and the remainder on maintenance and support. We don’t
