CIO Role ‘drastically changed’, says report
A new global CIO study from Lenovo has revealed that nine-in-10 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in the UK feel their job has gone beyond technology and into non-traditional areas, including data analytics, business reporting, sustainability and talent acquisition. Within the UK, the job now increasingly includes digital transformation and business process automation, according to the report.
With the expansion, global CIOs have also suggested that the job has become more challenging over the past two years with the increasing use of AI and automation in the workplace.
Expert in hybrid working and business operations, Sridhar Iyengar, the MD for Zoho Europe, says of the study findings: “Due to the nature of hybrid working and the demands of the modern day business, which places even more value on intelligence, data and automation, it was almost inevitable that CIOs would see a huge change in their role and while transitioning, be spread thin across jobs outside their typical remit. This is because many organisations did not have the infrastructure in place to enable a smooth transition to hybrid work, and it’s the CIOs that have been left to pick up the slack.
“Tackling this modern day problem requires a modern day solution, and business decision-makers must consider how appropriate their IT infrastructure and company culture is to maintain their chosen operational model for the long term. Gaps in cyber defences, knowledge silos emerging between teams, and data mismanagement from staffers, are all tell-tale signs that a business model is not sustainable, and could put data protection at risk.
“While a CIO's role is now more strategic and can spread outside of technology, the right tools are still vital in order to help their organisations digitally transform successfully and securely. Adopting scalable and adaptable cloud infrastructure, aided by purpose-built and secure SaaS applications to help manage specific tasks, is the first step towards solving these issues. Beyond that, business decision makers must consider bolstering their workforce with IT and tech specialist staff, that can support overloaded CIOs.”
