{"id":43222,"date":"2019-11-11T12:19:14","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T12:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/?p=43222"},"modified":"2019-11-15T14:36:23","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T14:36:23","slug":"ivanti-expert-why-todays-cio-will-be-tomorrows-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/2019\/11\/11\/ivanti-expert-why-todays-cio-will-be-tomorrows-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivanti expert: Why today\u2019s CIO will be tomorrow\u2019s CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CIOs are earning the trust of CEOs and board members by combining their technical expertise with business awareness and strategic thinking. Phil Richards, CSO at <\/em><\/strong>Ivanti<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, argues that CIOs have established themselves as trusted advisors to CEOs and are helping to shape their organisations\u2019 growth strategies. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital transformation is no longer optional \u2013 it\u2019s an\nabsolute necessity for companies who want to implement a sound business\nstrategy that promotes innovation and growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, organisations globally are rushing to revise\ntheir old-school processes and IT legacy systems and implement modern\ntechnologies to support success. However, completing this transition is no easy\ntask. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research, 57% of global executives admitted\nthat they struggle to keep up with the pace of digital change. This is because,\naside from being an incredibly lengthy process which affects all aspects of a\ncompany, it also requires highly skilled employees with technical experience and\nan in-depth understanding of the impact that technology has on driving\nsuccessful business outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, IT was seen as a service function which\nexisted to facilitate other departments\u2019 needs and priorities; businesses would\nthink of IT as a fix-and-replace tool, merely used to get by and simplify\neveryday tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, times have changed, and with technology firmly in\nthe driver\u2019s seat of business evolution, IT is now recognised as a core component\nwithin an organisation that has the capability to drastically improve the way employees\ndo their jobs, bring about customer satisfaction and provide significant\ncompetitive edge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This change in mindset is leading companies to turn to IT to\nnot just solve system errors and implement operational improvements, but to\nleverage technology in ways that support new corporate initiatives and help generate\nnew revenue streams \u2013 and at the heart of such transformation lies the CIO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The need for better IT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to IDG, 88% of today\u2019s CIOs are more involved in\nbusiness transformation than any other individual at their level within their\ncompany. Once mainly reporting to the CFO and boasting a strictly technical\nbackground, the CIO\u2019s role is becoming more influential as technology is placed\nat the heart of business strategy and many organisations have changed the CIO\u2019s\nimmediate report from the traditional CFO to the CEO to ensure that there can\nbe an open dialogue and direct visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, so strategic has the role of the CIO now become,\nthat many\nwell-known innovative businesses have already appointed previous CIOs as CEOs\nincluding NHS Digital, Tesco, Reuters and BT Openreach, and according to\ntechnology officers surveyed a few years ago by Korn\/Ferry, 51% aspire to be\nCEOs at some point in their careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The need for a sharpened focus on IT, and the subsequent\nrise of the CIO, are significantly linked to the \u2018instant gratification world\u2019.\nOrganisations worldwide, across all industries are getting to grips with the\nfact that today\u2019s consumers are more demanding than ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech pioneers such as Amazon may be to blame for this\nphenomenon, offering customers such immediacy to the point that if, for\nexample, a retailer can\u2019t manage same-day delivery, it is promptly disregarded\nfor a competitor. Customers want speed and simplicity so businesses must\nenhance their digital capabilities to deliver on these expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where the CIO comes in \u2013 their job is to ensure the\nbusiness is equipped with the right technology and ensure that this is\nconstantly updated so as to keep up with ever-evolving customer demands. In\norder for this to be possible, CIOs and their teams\nmust increase emphasis on the customer experience and build IT around user\nneeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to develop an environment which grows future\nleaders, CIOs need to reshape the way that an\norganisation \u2018does IT\u2019. Delivering outstanding service for internal and\nexternal stakeholders is impossible without efficient processes and streamlined\noperations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the direction of the CIO, organisations must implement\nthe right tools in order to enhance operational efficiency and improve IT workflows.\nWhile there is certainly a need for innovative solutions to business problems,\nthese simply cannot be implemented without agile IT systems and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a CIO focuses exclusively on ideating and leaves the \u2018IT\nplumbing\u2019 to others, they risk taking the express elevator to the top floor of\nthe Ivory Tower, where grandiose ideas are out of touch with business reality\nand cannot be realised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this transformation challenging is the fact that\nIT is currently scattered across siloed departments and lacks uniformity,\nthereby hindering innovation. The right approach to IT is a unified one \u2013 this\nwould enable business agility, facilitate the introduction of new emerging\ntechnologies and, not to be overlooked, allow the upskilling of the workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CIOs must also create an environment\nof consistent learning and development, by hiring new talented\nindividuals and also training existing staff. New job titles and a compensation\nstructure need to be put into place to encourage professionals to enable\nbusiness efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, establishing revenue targets will turbo-boost\nteams and prepare them for future leadership roles. After all, Digital Transformation\nis not a one-off project \u2013 it should be a mindset, a continuous effort to\nconstantly keep up with the evolution of technology and consumer trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All aboard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As businesses and their priorities change, so should boards\nof directors. With technology playing such a crucial role in driving business growth,\nit seems obvious that board members should have a thorough understanding of it.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, boards still lack leaders with technical\nbackgrounds and sufficient knowledge to ensure the organisation continues to\neffectively evolve from a digital standpoint. That\u2019s why board directors who\nare growing more and more interested in the role of technology, are turning to\nCIOs to help analyse latest trends and recommend key developments in this field.\nIn fact, IDG found that 78% of CIOs are communicating with the board of\ndirectors more than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s certainly positive for CIOs to have an open\ndialogue with CEOs and board members, not having individuals who understand the\nimminent need of digital innovation, and the intricacies of what is needed to\nachieve it, sitting on the actual board is a huge disadvantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CIOs have the perfect technical skills and knowledge to complement  the current management, financial and\noperational expertise of  CEOs, CFOs and\nCOOs, and lead companies into the digital future. Additionally, they also have\na thorough understanding of the cybersecurity threatscape, one of the most\ncommon issues currently plaguing businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While having a CIO on the board will positively transform a business, CIOs themselves can also benefit from such an opportunity \u2013 they can use the experience as a learning curve, refine their ability to step away from day-to-day technical aspects and look at the bigger business picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new CIO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s undeniable, then, that CIOs are undergoing an interesting transformation. In light of this newly gained authority and the widespread acknowledgment of the expertise a CIO can provide, research has revealed that 62% of CIOs are now members of executive committees, compared with only 38% in 2005; and over 75% of CIOs attended a board meeting in the last 12 months, proving that they are trusted advisors to CEOs and are shaping their organisations\u2019 growth strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while many businesses have gone a long way to shift the mindset regarding a CIO\u2019s position and authority, more needs to be done within the industry for a successful Digital Transformation to take place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT is surrounded by a number of out-dated stereotypes that\ndo not accurately reflect the current industry. CIOs must consistently strive\nto redevelop and expand their team to make it into an environment that fosters\nleaders and encourages new forms of IT professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CIOs must also continue to earn the trust of CEOs and board members by combining their technical expertise with business awareness and strategic thinking; as well as constantly communicating their progress and achievements to the rest of the organisation to cement the value that the CIO brings to the team, as well as reinforcing the CIO\u2019s suitability to improve and grow the company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CIOs are earning the trust of CEOs and board members by combining their technical expertise with business awareness and strategic thinking. Phil Richards, CSO at Ivanti, argues that CIOs have established themselves as trusted advisors to CEOs and are helping to shape their organisations\u2019 growth strategies. Digital transformation is no longer optional \u2013 it\u2019s an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":43223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3629,9961,13,79],"tags":[1155,2575,318,155,2636,908,10641,10348,10640],"class_list":["post-43222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","category-newsletter","category-thought-leadership","category-top-stories","category-used","tag-amazon","tag-ceo","tag-cfo","tag-cio","tag-coo","tag-digital-transformation","tag-idg","tag-ivanti","tag-phil-richards"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43222"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43296,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43222\/revisions\/43296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}