Wikibon Analyst Jeff Kelly Talks Transformations In Business

CIOs are always under fire, that is just a fact of life, writes Consultant, former CIO, and Wikibon Analyst Scott Lowe in “Four Sobering Facts that CIOs Must Face in 2014”. The latest evidence of that is the new position of chief digital officer (CDO) that some companies are creating, even as they continue to cut IT budgets as the economy finally recovers. To keep ahead of the game and keep their jobs, CIOs must focus on transformational business activities, maintain a laser focus on strategic business outcomes, and ensure that the IT department is a business enabler, not a drag.

As business executives and employees become more tech-savvy, ITOs are under increasing scrutiny and need to focus on becoming strategic multipliers rather than cost centers. The good news in this is that tech-savvy execs will recognize good work.

Another result of more tech-savvy execs is that they know they can create their own mini-clouds with a credit card. Chief marketing officers (CMOs) are particularly known for this, but other business units also may buy their own IT support in the public cloud rather than waiting for IT to build it.

This can create problems as islands of automation develop. To counter this, CIOs need to shift focus from building new systems and keeping the lights on to making sure these fractured services are well implemented and integrated into the existing environment. This requires strong governance to ensure that interface and other standards are maintained. It also requires an IT staff that is well-versed in application and platform integration technologies and techniques.

Finally, CIOs need to constantly keep pace with the very high rate of technology change and the implications of those changes for business strategy to stay relevant. Scott writes that when a company creates a CDO role either senior management sees the CIO role as too broad or the CIO has not met expectations and management wants a different emphasis on data-based activities. Either way, he writes, management is looking for something.

As with all Wikibon research, Scott’s entire analysis is available without charge on the Wikibon Web site. IT professionals are invited to register for free membership in the Wikibon community. This allows you to comment on published research and publish your own questions, tips, Professional Alerts and white papers and to participate in Wikibon research.