Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 45 | Page 35

FEATURE : STATE OF FEATURE THE CIO:
Anas Abu Ghoush , Head of Information Services , Heriot-Watt University Dubai , agreed with Amin on the catalyst role CIOs play to bring business value and said for some years now , there has been a growing recognition of the fact that the CIO has a role to play that extends well beyond optimising IT infrastructure . Increasingly added Ghoush , CIOs are being tasked with driving revenue growth and innovation .
“ A study carried out by IDC states that as part of their increasingly business-directed charter , 44 % of CIOs surveyed spend most of their time aligning IT initiatives with business goals . Much of 2020 has been overshadowed by COVID-19 and its impact on all aspects of people ’ s lives . Among other things , it has changed the way people work and the CIO has been the key driver of Business Continuity under the current circumstances ,” he said .
Emile Abou Saleh , Regional Director , Middle East and Africa , Proofpoint , said the CIO is becoming a focal role in organisations and is seen as a crucial business function due to
Ahmed Auda , Managing Director , Middle East , Turkey and North Africa , VMware www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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