The modern CIO: a strategic leader?
/EINPresswire.com/ Why today's CIO must make the transition from simply overseeing the technical requirements of IT to become more responsible for the company's strategic goals.
Historically, the role of technology has taken a back seat to a business's strategic development. Technology-focused roles such as the CIO or CTO were confined to functional and technical infrastructure planning and implementation - below stairs, back of house, hidden away out of sight.
But now the gap between technology and corporate strategy is closing - and as a result, the numerous benefits of having a strategically focused CIO are being pushed firmly into the spotlight.
"As technology becomes both an enabler of competitive advantage and embedded in every facet of the enterprise, the role of the CIO has never been more essential," says Jeanette Horan, VP and Chief Information Officer at IBM.
Horan believes that as demand for ever-growing amounts of information continues to increase, companies are seeking simple and direct access to data and applications. And this, in turn, is driving CIOs to think more creatively about the delivery models being used to help drive business.
Indeed, a new IBM study of more than 3000 global CIOs shows that 60 percent of organizations are ready to embrace cloud computing over the next five years as a means of growing their businesses and achieving competitive advantage. The study also found that more than four out of five CIOs see business intelligence and analytics as top priorities for their businesses as they seek ways to act upon the growing amounts of data that are now at their disposal.
And as the proliferation of mobile devices with enhanced functionality and mobile applications that support business productivity and new market opportunities continues to grow, mobile computing and mobility solutions are now seen by nearly three-quarters of CIOs as a game-changer for their organizations.
The emergence of such revolutionary technologies therefore challenges CIOs to think about their strategic implementation and how they can benefit the business as a whole - whether the mandate is to refine business processes and enhance collaboration, streamline operations and increase organizational effectiveness, change the industry value chain through improved relationships or radically innovate products, markets or business models.
"The capabilities of IT are aligning perfectly with the aspirations of business leaders," says Horan. "The winners will be those companies that understand the power of technologies like cloud, analytics and mobility, and can harness that power to transform their businesses."
Clearly, there's a lot CIOs can learn from the approaches taken by their peers. Indeed, improving integration of IT into business projects is just one of the topics up for discussion at this year's CIO Summit US 2011, which takes place from 20-22 September in California.
The exclusive closed-door summit, hosted by GDS International, features some of the leading voices in the North American technology sector, including Elizabeth Williams, CIO for Lockheed Martin; Tom Miller, CIO at the Coca-Cola Company; Rich Roseman, CIO of NewsCorp; and Alan Douville, VP of Information Systems and CIO for North America at Whirlpool. Alongside consideration of the key challenges currently facing IT departments, other key topics for discussion include cloud computing, enterprise mobility, data center optimization and how best to grow and manage technology talent.
The CIO Summit US 2011 is an exclusive C-level event reserved for 100 participants that includes expert workshops, facilitated roundtables, peer-to-peer networks and co-ordinated meetings.
For more information, visit http://www.ciosummitus.com
Historically, the role of technology has taken a back seat to a business's strategic development. Technology-focused roles such as the CIO or CTO were confined to functional and technical infrastructure planning and implementation - below stairs, back of house, hidden away out of sight.
But now the gap between technology and corporate strategy is closing - and as a result, the numerous benefits of having a strategically focused CIO are being pushed firmly into the spotlight.
"As technology becomes both an enabler of competitive advantage and embedded in every facet of the enterprise, the role of the CIO has never been more essential," says Jeanette Horan, VP and Chief Information Officer at IBM.
Horan believes that as demand for ever-growing amounts of information continues to increase, companies are seeking simple and direct access to data and applications. And this, in turn, is driving CIOs to think more creatively about the delivery models being used to help drive business.
Indeed, a new IBM study of more than 3000 global CIOs shows that 60 percent of organizations are ready to embrace cloud computing over the next five years as a means of growing their businesses and achieving competitive advantage. The study also found that more than four out of five CIOs see business intelligence and analytics as top priorities for their businesses as they seek ways to act upon the growing amounts of data that are now at their disposal.
And as the proliferation of mobile devices with enhanced functionality and mobile applications that support business productivity and new market opportunities continues to grow, mobile computing and mobility solutions are now seen by nearly three-quarters of CIOs as a game-changer for their organizations.
The emergence of such revolutionary technologies therefore challenges CIOs to think about their strategic implementation and how they can benefit the business as a whole - whether the mandate is to refine business processes and enhance collaboration, streamline operations and increase organizational effectiveness, change the industry value chain through improved relationships or radically innovate products, markets or business models.
"The capabilities of IT are aligning perfectly with the aspirations of business leaders," says Horan. "The winners will be those companies that understand the power of technologies like cloud, analytics and mobility, and can harness that power to transform their businesses."
Clearly, there's a lot CIOs can learn from the approaches taken by their peers. Indeed, improving integration of IT into business projects is just one of the topics up for discussion at this year's CIO Summit US 2011, which takes place from 20-22 September in California.
The exclusive closed-door summit, hosted by GDS International, features some of the leading voices in the North American technology sector, including Elizabeth Williams, CIO for Lockheed Martin; Tom Miller, CIO at the Coca-Cola Company; Rich Roseman, CIO of NewsCorp; and Alan Douville, VP of Information Systems and CIO for North America at Whirlpool. Alongside consideration of the key challenges currently facing IT departments, other key topics for discussion include cloud computing, enterprise mobility, data center optimization and how best to grow and manage technology talent.
The CIO Summit US 2011 is an exclusive C-level event reserved for 100 participants that includes expert workshops, facilitated roundtables, peer-to-peer networks and co-ordinated meetings.
For more information, visit http://www.ciosummitus.com
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