Rapid business change combined with the increasing importance of technology across all aspects of business operations have raised the profile of the CIO role—as well as the challenges.
And with close to half of all current CIOs now in their 50s and 60s, the coming decade will see not just significant changes to this role, but also to the backgrounds and perspectives of the people coming into those jobs.
Those are among the conclusions from the Society for Information Management‘s (SIM) IT Trends Study 2015.
Summarizing the report’s findings for InformationWeek, Jessica Davis writes that the report provides a “snapshot of (today’s) CIOs…(along with) insights into the technologies their organizations regard as essential today” and offers a close “look at what’s on the minds of these key executives.”
Meanwhile, this blog has been covering topics that are top-of-mind for CIOs, particularly in relation to enterprise request management, service delivery, and business process automation, since its inception.
Here then are eight top IT management concerns for 2016 per the SIM IT Trends Study, along with links to top posts about those subjects on Kinetic Vision during the past year.
Alignment of IT With the Business
Should We Stop Calling it IT? The Case for Business Technology (April 28)
With the consumerization of tech and transition to the digital enterprise, is the term “IT” still accurate – or does this function need a new name?
Three Practical Strategies for CIOs in the Digital Enterprise (March 3)
The tsunami of change washing over CIOs is best summed up by the phrase “digital enterprise.” But these dramatic changes still require an evolutionary approach.
Cloud Computing and Legacy Applications: Why an Evolutionary Approach Works Best (January 13)
While today’s generational change in technology is challenging CIOs and IT to adapt on several fronts simultaneously, there’s no need to panic. Here’s why.
Security and Privacy
Where Data Security Fits in Two-Speed IT (December 1)
Security must be a core element, but needn’t affect the speed of IT. Here are three key considerations when determining where security fits in IT functions.
Data Breaches and Enterprise Information Security: A Better Response (September 22)
Proactive approaches to enterprise information security are vital – but so is having a plan and tools in place to react quickly if a breach does occur.
Five Ways to Use Process Automation to Prevent Corporate Data Breaches (June 9)
Relatively simple and inexpensive process automation can often significantly reduce an organization’s risk of a data breach due to common sources and causes.
IT’s Speed of Delivery
Agile, DevOps Feed the Need for (Business) Speed (October 20)
Even large enterprises can achieve significant increases in business process speed by deploying the right tools and embracing Agile software development models.
How to Provision a Virtual Private Cloud in 45 Seconds (October 12)
A customer wanted a way to provision a Virtual Private Cloud incorporating their business rules—something they’ve struggled with using other tools. The result?
Legacy Stability, Mobile Speed: How to Bridge the Technology Generation Gap (January 27)
Creating and connecting user-friendly, mobile-enabled applications that solve today’s business problems to yesterday’s legacy software systems is challenging.
Innovation
How Service Catalogs Help Enterprise IT Innovation (November 17)
IT is no longer just about cutting costs. Across enterprises, business leaders are looking to IT to help increase agility and improve the customer experience.
Happy Employees, Happy Customers, Higher Profit: How to Get It All With Proactive IT (August 4)
The link between employee happiness and business results is clear. While numerous factors have an impact, a proactive IT support strategy can play a key role.
Agility and Flexibility
8 Things We DON’T Hate About IT (July 16)
Inside many enterprises, IT is viewed as an impediment rather than an enabler in embracing digital change. We want to make IT people heroes. Here’s how.
Six Ways to Deal With the “Crisis” in IT Communications (July 7)
According to the CEO Executive Council, IT-business communication is in “crisis.” Here are six practical ways enterprises can improve that communication.
The Enterprise Service Catalog: Expanding Beyond IT’s Origins (April 7)
Many institutions have a labyrinth of methods for acquiring services. Here’s how a unified service catalog provides a simpler, one-stop shopping approach.
How to Avoid 10 Common Project Management Mistakes (March 24)
Project glitches are unfortunately common but by no means inevitable. Here are 10 common project management problems along with guidance on how to avoid each.
Cost Reduction and Cost Control
How to Fix Costly Data Center Outages Fast (August 12)
Data center downtime is horrendously expensive – restoring operations as quickly as possible is the top priority. Here are five things you need to know.
The Benefits of Focusing on Technology ROI (Return on Incrementalism) (February 17)
Huge, multi-year implementations are no longer the only option to leverage better technology. Here’s a faster, less costly and more productive approach.
IT Credibility
Six Ways to Make Enterprise Collaboration Work Better (November 3)
Everyone agrees collaboration is vital, yet enterprise collaboration tools remain a tough sell for CIOs. But recent research shows that tide may be shifting.
Why High “Flow” Companies Will Win – And How to Become One (August 17)
Ever found yourself so totally immersed in an activity you lose track of time? If so, you’ve experienced “flow,” the highest state of human performance.
How the Role of IT is Changing in the Enterprise: Research (June 16)
The traditional enterprise IT model is under pressure to deliver more flexible technology approaches. Recent research puts some numbers behind those words.
How IT Will Change by 2020 – Research From HDI (March 31)
HDI Research looks ahead at where the technical service and support industry will be by the year 2020. Here are five key predictions.
The CIO Leadership Role
The CIO’s Role in Stellar Customer Experience – Hunter Muller (November 10)
Here are five ways CIOs can take a more strategic leadership role within their organizations generally and impact the customer experience specifically.
New CIO Role: Eight Ways to be a Chief Integration Officer (October 6)
New research from Deloitte suggests a new twist on the title of CIO as “chief integration officer,” combining technology, ideas, and processes across functions.
Best wishes for success with all of your IT and business challenges in 2016, and beyond!
What’s Next?
- Download the white paper, Enterprise Request Management: An Overview.
- Join the Enterprise Request Management Group on LinkedIn.
- Contact us to discuss your service management and process automation challenges.
Cassy Lueneburg