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CIOs are today faced with lots of challenges and in this new era, the successful CIOs are those who can innovate with technology and bring a difference to the business of the organisation. Going forward, CIO can expect to face numerous roadblocks in achieving success and we at CIO&Leader thought of asking some of the CIOs what are the roadblocks do they expect in this calender year.
According to Tridib Bordoloi, CIO, PTI, “We stay in a connected world where information is power and the access to information is phenomenal. In the emerging economic scenario business priorities are changing rapidly. While we have moved over to a digital era where technology has been consumerised, how relevant is the CIO.”
Tridib Bordoloi, CIO, PTI Aligning technology with business
Bordoloi feels that a CIO should ask himself if he aligned to business? If a CIO has to successfully move into future mode, then there has to be a paradigm shift in their thought process. IT leaders tend to be perfectionists who are highly detail-oriented. It’s what has made so many of them good at their job. “But in the fast paced world, CIOs need to move beyond perfectionism and embrace risk. Doing things differently and challenging traditions.”
In terms of roadblocks Bordoloi says that a CIO has to find different ways to make money from technology and startegy plays a key role here.
“The reality facing CIOs is to find new ways to make money from technology, rather than spending money on running it. That means the skills that helped build the old IT organization are very different to the ones that CIOs will need in the future. Being strategic is important than tactical.”
Ashvin Vellody, Partner, KPMG According to Ashvin Vellody, Partner, KPMG India, CIO’s can expect different roadblocks in 2014 in terms of their roles, the challenges that lie ahead and the measures that would help firms stay abreast of competition and add greater value to their enterprise and its working community.
Roadblocks highlighted by KPMG
Cloud security: public and private cloud: If your firm’s operations are not on the cloud yet, it’s probably on the cards as it should be. There really is no escaping it and firms would increasingly have to work towards embracing the concept while moulding their implementation approach to suit their business and needs. The CIO would have to effectively equip the firm, to deal with the bulk of sensitive data on the cloud. Right from the decision on choosing public or private cloud, the CIO should understand the challenges, capital expenses, operation expenses and security concerns surrounding the two choices. The planning to implementation process, approvals and funding from the firm, along with security and maintenance are all challenges the CIO should face, to fully leverage the cloud phenomenon.
According to Puneet Kaur Kohli, Group Executive Vice President, IT & Operations, Bajaj Capital, India, “Tackling cloud technology is going to be one of the major roadblocks for a CIO in 2014. He has to decide on which model of cloud he wants to be and that has to be in sync with the organisation's priorities. He has to be very close with the management and make them understand the benefits of cloud and he has to also ensure that security doesn't get compromised.”
Mobility challenges: Enabling an organization to go mobile brings about its own challenges; from device loss and theft to data security concerns. Firstly, a key challenge is the proliferation of multiple platforms supporting various applications. Companies would have to focus on establishing a common platform that can be used across applications and can be extended to support novel ideas and applications. Secondly, once devices start supporting multiple applications, especially if they are on the cloud, private and corporate data and its safety becomes a matter of concern. Applications and devices would have to be configured and monitored to safeguard users and the firm against malicious activity.
“With mobility, social-media, big data, cloud services there will be an entirely different set of challenges for CIO – deal with digital security. While for the last couple of decades, the CIO's job has been to build and manage the internal technology infrastructure that a business requires to operate. Mostly that entailed creating a well-staffed and well-funded IT department to go with it,” says Bordoloi.
Making organisation a social workplace: Breaking the silo syndrome and introducing an enterprise social platform is the beginning of a new enterprise wide challenge; the actual adoption. There are several challenges CIO’s must deal with, in order to help ensure that the social platform helps the business, while building personal and professional ties. Enterprise social platforms can greatly enhance productivity by allowing for faster decision making, problem solving and approvals. The goal is to cultivate a culture that engages teams through conversations, rewards new users and makes the platform, intuitive and user friendly.
“Social media is gaining a lot of momentum and a CIO now has to be more innovative and be aware of digital rights and act accordingly. This area is also going to be a roadblock for a CIO in 2014,” feels Kohli.
Enabling faster, decentralised decision making: For an increasingly mobile workforce, strategies that support decentralized decision making, need to be coupled with technology solutions. Identifying key decision points, supporting requirements and integrating mobility, cloud, social technologies and a comprehensive strategy on decentralized decision making would aid decisions on-the-go.
Walking the extra mile, personally: The changing role of technology in business and its increased requirement in making business decisions indicates that the role of the CIO is and could continue to undergo transformation. The skill set needed to fully contribute to the firm and the role itself are in a state of metamorphosis with information, leadership and the smarter decision-making holding the key to competitive advantage. CIOs would need to enable better understanding of business literacy for the IT professionals at the workplace, as the lines demarcating IT and business steadily blur. This knowledge could become a key advantage for IT leaders charging ahead with a vision to secure a seat at the table.
Staff management
Talent availability and staff management is also one of the key factors that a CIO has to look for in 2014.
“Successive waves of change over last few years have undermined the old certainties for the CIO. Building capability with less spend and managing. Talent availability and retention of staff whose profile (skill set) has also undergone change viz. from pure play techie to someone who also understands the dynamics of business. CIOs who try to resist changes risk ending up as ineffectual figures, overwhelmed by the inexorable tide, adds Bordoloi.
Engaging with business
While engaging with business, a CIO has to reduce complexity. In their quest to drive business through innovation, game changer CIO has to engage fully with the rest of the organisation. This will ensure a perfect balance between business innovation and operational excellence.
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