FEATURE: STATE OF THE CIO
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There is no doubt that
the role of the CIO has
changed in recent times.
Traditional perceptions
of the role no longer hold
true thanks to Digital
Transformation which has
placed IT at the centre of
businesses. Intelligent CIO
spoke to three industry
experts who give their
views about the current
state of the CIO.
“It’s clear that IT is now a vital enabler for
modern businesses to:
• Deliver innovation and gain a critical
advantage in hyper-competitive markets
• Improve the customer experience which,
in many industries, is the only remaining
competitive differentiator
• Increase business agility to respond quickly
to new business opportunities and threats
• Generate revenue and power the efficient
business processes that translate that
revenue into profit
• Maximise availability and deliver at least
99% uptime to meet enterprise needs
and service-level agreements
“Now that IT is seen as a strategic enabler and
a revenue generator – not just an operational
cost – there’s never been a better time for
CIOs to take their p lace as an essential, and
influential, member in the c-suite.
“If it is so important to modern businesses,
surely CIOs should be at the heart of
business strategy – so why aren’t they?
T
raditionally, there’s been a
perception of CIOs simply as being
executors of an IT agenda devised
by the board and IT is a mere
support function, not as a strategic driver.
However, Claude Schuck, Regional Manager,
Middle East and Central Africa, Veeam, says
‘traditional’ doesn’t cut it any more.
The digital revolution – driven by disruptive
technologies, innovative new business
models, newly empowered customers, and
the growing influence of shadow IT in the
enterprise – has placed technology firmly at
the heart of the business, said Schuck.
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“Often, CIOs struggle to build effective
working relationships with other CXOs, which
makes it difficult to align IT with business
strategy. When strong relationships are
formed, CIOs will know what leaders from
across the business are planning next – and
they’ll be in a position to have a hand in
steering that planning process.
“It’s also important for CIOs to be able to
communicate the benefits of technology
investments, instead of getting bogged
down in technical specifics rather than
business value. After all, line-of-business
leaders don’t care how the infrastructure fits
together – they just want it to work.”
The CIO position was introduced over 30
years ago and, according to Schuck, there is
Central to the
core business
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