Gessica Chies, Manager, Solution Consulting, EMEA for Infor, discusses how the evolving role of CIOs in adopting Intelligent Technologies like generative AI is reshaping business strategy and driving Digital Transformation.
In the past 15 years, the role of a CIO has experienced a deep transformation. The days when managing monolithic on-premise systems was at the top of CIOs’ priorities are gone.
Today, we find ourselves standing at the front of a revolution, where generative AI and other new technologies are reshaping the way we do business. It’s time to embrace this change and more than ever, the responsibility is on CIOs to bridge the gap between technology and business.
The journey from on-premise monolith to Intelligent Tech
Our journey starts with the era of on-premise monolithic systems, characterized by large, rigid structures with challenges in terms of adaptability and scalability. Then, with the advent of the private cloud, there was a transition to single tenant clouds, which marked a significant improvement, introducing greater flexibility, scalability and security levels.
The narrative continued with the era of virtualisation, when new big public clouds started to lead the market, presenting organisations with an opportunity to optimise efficiency and costs by sharing IT resources in multi-tenant environments. In the latest years, we have seen more and more companies evolving towards microservices architectures, powered by containers, introducing a more flexible structure that divides applications into modular units, setting the stage for agile and responsive IT solutions.
Today, as we speak, generative AI creates a new era, leveraging self-generating applications and algorithms that re-define the orchestration of data and technology, promising advanced levels of automation and decision-making capabilities.
The importance of data and a value-driven approach
Considering the latest progresses in technology where finally generative AI is all about the ‘prompt’ (or, in other words, defining which outcomes you are searching for), the focus is now shifting from being technology-centric to outcome-centric. Adopting a value-driven approach becomes a cultural transformation, where IT refines raw data into a strategic asset.
A huge attention needs to be addressed on how we collect data and how we transform them into key information for each business user. Therefore, the change is not just technological but a profound transformation of how organisations perceive, manage and derive value from their data.
For CIOs, it’s essential to formulate a clear data management strategy, to understand which data the business needs, at all levels and then how to collect, transform, visualise or use this data for advanced purposes, for example to feed AI/ML applications.
Through data and intelligent technology, CIOs become value storytellers that can create narratives to guide strategic decisions, for example unlocking new revenue streams and strengthening the organisation competitiveness.
Bridging the gap between technology and business
The more CIOs navigate this transformative landscape, the more bridging the gap between technology and business becomes essential. An effective value-driven communication is key to translate the language of technology into a business-centric vocabulary.
CIOs must be able to articulate the tangible impact of innovations, ensuring alignment with strategic business goals. Another key factor in this innovation journey is the CIOs’ industry knowledge: a deep understanding of the organisation’s specific industry ensures that any technological advancement aligns seamlessly with both the company requirements and the market challenges.
This industry-focused approach not only reinforces the competitive advantage but also establishes a foundation for sustainable growth. By doing so, the CIO must act as a strategic business partner, able to translate complex technological concepts into a language that resonates with the C-levels and stakeholders and ensuring that technological initiatives align with (and drive) business objectives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this quote by Gartner becomes more than ever real: “Changing mindsets lead to new practices, which are amplified by technology, leading to new capabilities and yielding new results.” CIOs must unleash their imagination to envision the future and commit to drive change by innovating.
If we look back at the fantastic journey we experienced, from monoliths to generative AI in less than two decades, we can affirm that the speed of evolution is increasing and that there is limitless potential for those who dare to imagine.
As the barrier between technology and business blurs, the CIO’s role has to expand beyond technical acumen. It requires a holistic perspective, where technology is not just a tool but a strategic enabler. The CIOs with both technical expertise and business insight will then become Chief Change Management Strategists, the architects of transformation, capable to lead the organisation into a future where imagination has no limits.
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