CIO OPINION
To take your IT team to the next level of support , it ’ s important to analyze their work both qualitatively and quantitatively .
On the qualitative side , it is important to have a repeatable process in place to assess how effectively your department is partnering with other business critical functions and business colleagues .
This is a very important measure , as a strong partnership facilitates the ideation and execution of technology projects and initiatives that improve how the business operates . Take a look at the end-to-end process from the perspective of your business partners and ensure that it makes sense for them – as well as for your team .
On the quantitative side , ensure the team is periodically benchmarking operational performance , including cost effectiveness , against industry standard metrics . And perhaps most crucially , measure the performance of your cloud strategy – specifically its stability , scalability and security .
As it ’ s imperative that CIOs work cross functionally , today ’ s IT leaders need to also be as much a student of leadership as they are of technology . Leadership is a skillset that needs to be learned , developed and maintained .
Industry polls and surveys show that CIOs now view themselves as digital evangelists , strategic advisors and business leaders ; it ’ s not just about implementing tech these days . CIOs are expected to not only deliver big plays using technology , but also use those technologies to build agility and resilience .
Using technology to reshape customer and employee experience will require a great deal of a CIO ’ s attention in 2023 . They must think about the total experience that technology and digital gives employees and customers as they build their strategies and devise product roadmaps .
CIOs must enable business unit leaders and workers to produce and use tech efficiently , effectively and securely . Think intuitive self-service options along with easy-to-follow , and even automated , governance policies .
CIOs are equal part implementor and guide and they must support business groups in figuring out how to help themselves .
Overall , the role of the CIO is evolving today more than ever before . The democratization of data , automation , and AI is forcing CIOs to become ever more concerned with the security of their information and leadership surrounding how best to use data .
The best IT teams have a CIO who can direct them towards both priorities and partner across the business for maximum scalability . p
46 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com