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Summary: As business technology goes through a fundamental shift, the role of the CIO is changing. In the coming years, CIOs will face new challenges and take on new roles. The most successful CIOs are those that recognize and adapt to these changes. In this article, we explore 5 such challenges that CIOs must face in the near future.
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5 big challenges facing CIOs and IT leaders in 2015 (part 1)Read More »
Summary: As businesses rely more on data and technology, the barrier between IT departments and the business must come down. If businesses are to succeed in a data driven world, the business must better align itself with the IT department, and eliminate some common practices that frustrate IT.
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6 common user practices that drive IT departments crazyRead More »
Every new tech trend comes with varying levels of acceptance among IT departments. When the web first rolled around, some recognized its value and jumped on board. Others sat back and waited. I’ve noticed similar responses to the recent major trends, like mobile and cloud computing.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you which trends to adopt and which to ignore. After all, every company has different needs.
However, I’d like to take a step beyond the recent trends, and focus instead on the new “realities” brought about by these trends. What’s the difference between a trend and a reality? While you can choose whether or not to adopt a trend, realities aren’t up for debate. They’re happening, whether you like it or not. You can’t sit back and see what others are doing. You must adapt.
So, what are these new realities? While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are 5 realities to which IT departments must adapt:
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As technology plays an increasingly important role in the business, IT departments are evolving. They’re moving from a back-office function that supports the business to a true business driver.
The problem is, many of these CIOs and IT leaders are still stuck working with limited budgets. IT budgets took a beating in the recession a few years back, and many still haven’t recovered. In fact, according to Computerworld’s yearly report, 64% of IT leaders report either a flat or smaller budget this year over last.
The question is, how can CIOs and IT leaders make the most out of their budgets? While being called upon to play a larger role in the business, many must do so with limited resources. How can they succeed?
Today, I’d like to answer that question and explore a few ways CIOs and IT leaders can save money. Now, when I say “save money,” I’m referring to long-term savings. I’m not interested in short-term cut-backs with long-term consequences. I’m interested in money-saving methods that will not only reduce costs, but prepare your company for future success.
These tips aren’t easy, but will produce significant savings if followed. All that being said, here you go: Five money-saving tips for CIOs and IT leaders:
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5 money-saving strategies for IT Leaders and CIOsRead More »
The death of the IT department has been greatly exaggerated. I remember seeing predictions back in 2007 that the cloud would eliminate IT departments by 2012. Over the last several years, I can’t even count how many similar predictions I’ve seen.
The fact is, much has been written regarding the effect of mobile usage and cloud computing on the IT department. Many say the IT department will disappear. Others say it will shrink.
Will any of that happen? I doubt it. We’re living in an era where technology plays a larger role in business than ever before, and it’s only growing. Is this the time to scale back on the department that best understands technology? Not for businesses that hope to succeed.
However, while I don’t see the IT department disappearing, I do see it evolving. As consumer-owned mobile devices and third-party cloud applications work their way into the business, the IT department’s role is changing.
Today, let’s focus on that evolution. How is the IT department changing? What will it look like in 5 years? We’ve queried some experts in the area and have compiled their advice, along with some of my own below. Here are 5 ways the IT department will change in the next 5 years:
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In a past article, we explored the growing need for IT evolution and outlined 6 keys to a high-performing IT department. The fact is, keeping the lights on is no longer good enough. Modern IT organizations must move quickly, and drive the business forward.
However, I noticed a problem. While all of the keys outlined in that article will help IT departments improve performance, it ignores a critical issue: common IT practices that kill productivity and waste precious resources.
The fact is, you could follow each one of those points perfectly…yet still struggle. If your IT staff focuses its energy on time-wasting and resource-draining tasks, you’ll never drive the business forward. You’ll be caught in a never-ending cycle of being busy, yet ultimately unproductive.
So, what are these common time-wasting and resource-draining IT practices that must be eliminated? We posed that question to a few experts in the area, and have compiled their responses (as well as some of my own thoughts) below. Without further ado, here are 6 common IT practices that should be eliminated.
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What’s the biggest tech trend facing businesses right now? Is it the rise of mobile? BYOD? Cloud computing? Consumerization?
The fact is, you could make a case for any one of them…which highlights the most important point: We’re currently going through a fundamental shift in technology. We’re seeing a number of disruptive technologies converging on businesses at the same time. When combined, these changes create a unique set of challenges for CIOs and IT leaders going into 2014.
So, what are the biggest challenges facing CIOs and IT leaders in the coming year? Perhaps a better question: How can they address these challenges? We asked these questions to other CIOs and IT leaders, and have listed these responses below. I’ve also included a brief tip on how to address each challenge. So, without further ado, here are the biggest challenges facing CIOs and IT leaders in the coming year:
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8 big challenges facing CIOs and IT leaders in 2014Read More »
Do you want to hear a shocking statistic? According to Forrester Research, 70% of the companies listed on the Fortune 1,000 list ten years ago have now vanished. The reason: an inability to adapt to change.
As modern technology evolves, we’re seeing a shift in the business world. In the age of the web, business agility trumps size. More and more, the ability to adapt to change is critical to a company’s success.
From a technology perspective, this means that IT departments must evolve. Keeping the lights on is no longer good enough. These days, IT must innovate. They must move quickly. They must drive business forward.
However, this is impossible with slow or inefficient IT departments. The question is…how can IT departments become more efficient? What’s needed to create a high-performance IT department that actually pushes the business forward?
We posed those questions to a few successful IT leaders, who delivered some great advice that you can find below. If you want to create a high-performing IT department, you must:
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