For many CIOs, success with hybrid work initiatives is only the most recent hint of their transformative impact. Having earned more visibility into and across organizations, many are now transitioning into bigger conversations and responsibilities.
Over the years, pundits have recognized the value CIOs bring. They combine business and technology expertise to provide insight into how, where, and why enterprises can use IT solutions. By focusing on business value, not whiz-bang tech features, CIOs can lead transformative change.
They use innovations like the cloud, edge computing, SD-WAN, and IoT in conversations that may have begun around today’s newly designed offices. But these discussions are going much further.
Beyond return to work
Hybrid work remains important to corporate executives, with the C-suite being perceived as placing a high priority on enabling a hybrid workforce at 78% of organizations, according to research conducted for Cisco Meraki by IDG.
But organizations also saw how CIOs and their teams rapidly developed new tools or quickly scaled existing tools for online accessibility. Government agencies, for example, began offering web-based versions of services once restricted to in-person visits. Retailers embraced curbside pickup and medical providers’ use of telehealth surged.
Time and again, IT departments demonstrated their ability to partner with business units and the C-suite, not only to solve traditional technical issues, but also to overcome broader business challenges and discover new ways of doing business. In the case of curbside pickup, it’s become a staple of retail and restaurant life that’s expected to continue.
Working with numerous stakeholders, CIOs are better equipped to future-proof, ensuring the enterprise can adapt based on what is happening internally and in the broader marketplace.
It’s one reason about 50% of boards of directors view the CIO as a partner, wrote Partha Iyengar, Research vice president and fellow at Gartner, in CIO Dive. This means the CIO and IT organization collaborate regularly with senior business leaders and give expert input to the board.
Gartner research found 85% of IT leaders spend time on transformational activities—most significantly on modernizing infrastructure and applications (40%), followed by aligning IT initiatives with business goals (38%) and cultivating the IT/business partnership (30%).
Built cloud tough
For many CIOs, the cloud is the foundation for effecting and managing change. Designed for scalability, flexibility, and agility, cloud infrastructure equips organizations to act quickly in a rapid-fire world. Fortunately for many IT leaders looking to accelerate conversations around cloud adoption, numerous stakeholders today use the cloud personally for storing and sharing music, photos, and movies. This gives them a familiarity with the power of the cloud—facilitating the discussion about cloud concepts and business realities.
Many in the C-suite are seeing how the cloud can be a powerful tool for realizing business efficiencies, paths to more profitability, and new markets or offerings. Already, deploying the cloud delivered four-times more return on investment compared with on-premises deployments, according to Nucleus Research, which analyzed 101 ROI case studies from January 2018 to November 2020. It also enables organizations to recoup the cost of their initial investment 2.5 times faster than for on-premises deployments.
Managing an organization’s cloud and on-premises technologies often falls on the CIO’s shoulders. CIOs seek tools to create great experiences for remote and hybrid teams, customers, and partners. IT team members often want cloud-first solutions that also grant them the flexibility to work from anywhere while continuing to provide unparalleled support. A dashboard for on-premises and the cloud helps address both needs.
Security for all
Protecting people, places, and things can fall to many individuals across multiple departments, but a holistic view can streamline processes and ultimately enhance the approach and technologies. Smart cameras and sensors that leverage a cloud-based network get the same agility, flexibility, and scalability associated with the cloud, a dashboard for centralized management and touch-free updates, plus the ability to isolate and locate footage quickly as needed.
Eliminating time-consuming, costly manual updates and on-site visits cuts expenses. It also increases safety by alerting security staff to outages or issues based on the organization’s preferences. Employee satisfaction increases as IT team members escape dull and onerous updating tasks in favor of more rewarding projects like smart workspace design, Wi-Fi 6E rollouts, or app development.
Although more and more line-of-business leaders use their budgets to purchase technology, they still typically depend on the CIO’s team for maintenance and support. In fact, 74% of technology purchases are at least partially funded by business units outside IT, according to Gartner. The IT department fully funds 26%, and IT provides at least partial funding in 70% of the purchases studies, Gartner said.
Perhaps one reason for this steady decentralization of IT purchasing is the drumbeat of change. Indeed, 70% of executives reported high disruption to their organization compared with 59% in 2021, according to the 2022 AlixPartners Disruption Index. Interestingly, 57% are concerned their company is not adapting quickly enough.
Technology can help organizations address disruptors like climate change, staffing challenges, the need for personalization, and regulations. CIOs extend their organization’s infrastructure and value by combining technological and business savvy, and working with C-suite and departmental colleagues to resolve challenges and discover new possibilities.
That’s something everyone across the organization can get behind. Get started today.
