CIO OPINION
CIOs often have one of the best cross-functional understandings of how a business really works .
Rich Murr , CIO , Epicor
The changing role of the CIO : Is 2023 the year of the Chief Data Officer ?
Rich Murr , CIO , Epicor , says there ’ s a long list of table stake expectations for CIO – but increasingly the role is becoming all about the data .
Today ’ s CIO must be more business focused than ever . Implementing and operating technology systems is foundational , but today ’ s modern CIO now spends most of their time developing deep understandings of business functions across the customer lifecycle and partnering with respective leaders to optimize underlying business processes and systems .
They have an opportunity to offer much more than the technical leadership typically associated with the role . CIOs often have one of the best cross-functional understandings of how a business really works and are well-positioned to lead complex business process optimization efforts and Digital Transformations . While there remains a long list of table stake expectations for CIOs , the priority function is increasingly becoming all about the data .
Practically all investments in business applications are ultimately about collecting , presenting and protecting a company ’ s data as it ’ s imperative to optimizing operations and enhancing real time decision-making .
Given the value of data , protecting the enterprises ’ data is equally as important as leveraging it . Cyberthreats remain a CIO ’ s biggest headache . A successful cyberattack that compromises those systems or data can be an extraordinarily damaging event , and in some cases , even an existential threat .
This begs the question , are today ’ s CIOs also wearing the Chief Data Officer ( CDO ) and Chief Security Officer ( CSO ) hat , too ? They should be . Today , our role is to partner closely with our fellow business leaders to ensure data is accurate , accessible , protected and used effectively .
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