Intelligent CIO North America Issue 05 | Page 45

CIO OPINION time of can-do attitude and CIOs should run with this – see how it can persuade the rest of the organization to embrace technology and think differently .
Ultimately , CIOs should be able to reflect on the actions they took during this trying time and say , ‘ remember that time we saved the company ?’ That might mean different things in different organizations , but CIOs should use this moment to take a bigger seat at the table .
Shifting the strategic outlook
The pandemic has demonstrated how fast an organization ’ s strategic outlook can change . Business priorities and changing IT measures need to go hand in hand . When the pandemic hit , organizations around the globe dusted off their Business Continuity plans and found themselves in differing levels of suitability . Some had pushed them to the back burner until suddenly it was a priority . Regardless , this has been an important lesson in mobilising quickly . We ’ ve all had to make some decisions on the fly because we hadn ’ t played through all of the situations in our pandemic plan .
Never again will CIOs have the luxury of not paying attention to Business Continuity plans . They can no longer shy away from the impact they make on corporate strategy , now is the time to lean in . The focus on technology and its impact on how businesses can stay afloat has been essential , IT teams have been thrust into positions of leadership and their strategic insight has been valued more than ever before .
As we move into new phases of the pandemic ’ s impact on our day-to-day lives , it is clear that organizations are reviewing workplace policies , CIOs need to be part of this conversation . They need to provide input and insight around what they had to piece together this year and what needs attention if this is a long-term adjustment .
They need to come with ideas and solutions , not that just solve the problem , but actually enhance the way the company works . Monitoring and management need to evolve to ensure problems can be handled remotely , quickly .
Technology is now the heartbeat of an organization ; it connects and empowers teams to work from anywhere . CIOs need to start thinking one step ahead of employee ’ s needs , be prepared for what comes next and challenge the organization to embrace their outlook .
Maintaining security
Despite security always being at the forefront of a CIOs mind , there is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the game on this as well . Managing remote systems
Never again will CIOs have the luxury of not paying attention to Business Continuity plans .
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA 45