Digital change is the talk of the town. Companies are making it a top priority as new budgets are coming in and goals for 2018 are starting to be made. This shift toward a digital space is shaking things up and the role of the CIO is no exception.
According to Gartner, “CIO’s will be the ‘builders’ of IoT integration platforms”. With a predicted 75% of IoT projects requiring a new digital platform integrated into the enterprise, their role in this is essential. As companies are looking to transform their business processes, the only way to go is up and digital is waiting for them at the top.
Developing the Digital Strategy
Everywhere you look, companies are developing and creating new tools to manage digital landscapes. Keeping your bottom line in mind during this time of rapid expansion is critical. IT strategies are essential and CIO’s are the best option when it comes to creating a strategy that sets the course for innovation in line with digital initiatives. Digital disruption does not have to be disruptive and making that so is a skill every CIO is actively picking up.
Filling in the gaps
Not knowing something is not the end of the world. Buying technology for the sake of buying it is not strategic and every CIO’s worst nightmare when it comes to saving money while still evolving. That’s why creating a strategic plan also involves hiring the right people to help carry it out. CIO’s are crunching down on new terms, trends and technologies so they can make the right hire to get the job done.
Creation and Optimization
One of the major goals in adding digital systems is to improve customer experience. This can mean building the ideal program from the ground up. For Victor Fetter, CDO of Vertiv, that included creating a customer experience center that listened to customer interactions and allowed employees to “optimize workflows, enhance data insights and implement other customer-facing tools”. The big idea here is creating game-changing technologies. CIO’s are the ones who can listen to what their organization needs and find a way to solve that in a program.
C-level partnerships, a major priority
Getting on the same page as the rest of the c-suite is imperative. The landscape is constantly changing and asking for something new is a whole lot easier when the entire team is on board. Keeping everyone up to date on the overall goals, new trends and what that looks like for them will make those “ask” meetings much more successful. As tech gets more and more demanding, the role of the CIO becomes even more essential.
The “modern CIO”, as people are calling it, has many faces, none quite like the other. In a Deloitte survey, they confirmed that the CIO role “will and should vary from business to business” also noting that CIO’s shouldn’t be afraid to “change their position around to fit the times”. Jumping at new opportunities that align with the digital and IT strategy they spent time building is OK and encouraged.
