With technology playing a much more integral part in the enterprise, the role of the CIO has become more complicated in recent years. A variety of factors that previously didn’t affect the position are now shaping everyday processes, and there is an increasing degree of change continuously facing IT staff. According to the 14th Annual State of the CIO survey conducted by CIO Magazine, 91 percent of CIOs say the role has gotten more challenging recently, and 74 percent say it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a balance between business innovation and operational excellence.
The rising frequency of data breaches have put a premium on strict security practices to protect critical infrastructure. But, at the same time, CIOs must be able to focus on just a few key priorities that will help to propel their organizations forward. In order to achieve this balance, there are a few main technology drivers that CIOs look to for guidance on IT priorities: cloud computing, big data analytics, enterprise mobility and data centers.
In many cases, the advantages of multiple areas are being combined to create solutions that benefit companies even more. Business continuity/disaster recovery and security will always be – or should always be, at least – a top priority for businesses, but innovations in cloud computing and data center design are helping to improve these processes by increasing overall security and enhancing recovery efforts so network intrusions cause as little disruption as possible.
Big data analytics and enterprise mobility are also teaming up to provide operational insights that were previously unavailable to most organizations. In the modern enterprise, data serves as a new form of currency, and the more information businesses can get out of their data, the richer they will become. Practically every company has some form of mobility or bring-your-own-device program by now, and many organizations also offer a mobile application for employees and clients to access information on the go. The data created through those programs is proving invaluable to enterprises hoping to learn more about their client base and streamline operating procedures.
Enterprises are experiencing numerous benefits with new technologies.Tech innovations offer benefits to companies, but expertise is lacking
While these areas of IT are becoming the most important for many businesses, they are also some of the categories in which many CIOs are seeing skills shortages. According to the State of the CIO survey, big data, security and mobile technologies are three of the top five areas in which businesses are finding it difficult to find qualified candidates. The study also found that 56 percent of CIOs believe they will experience an IT skills shortage over the next year.
“ISG Technology offers expertise to help companies implement solutions right for them.”
In order to ensure they are able to experience the benefits of these technologies despite a lack of IT talent, many businesses are turning to third party service providers to receive the help they need. Organizations like ISG Technology offer expertise in data center management, security, enterprise mobility and cloud computing and can help companies implement solutions that are right for them quickly and conveniently.