Member Article

Conquering the pressures of IT  

The rise of today’s digital economy has allowed for an amplification of tech innovation in the workplace. IT has found a new strategic role with tech fuelling new efficiencies and business opportunities. It is therefore no wonder that CIOs feel a greater weight on their shoulders. This was confirmed by a new study, commissioned by Colt, which found that more than three quarters (76%) of IT leaders feel an increased sense of personal risk when making decisions than they did five years ago, due to IT’s increasingly central role in organisations.

Speaking recently with a wide variety of CIOs, the ‘moments that matter’ they are facing on a daily basis are vast. Regular pressures mentioned by respondents spanned from rolling out an independent big data management platform, to creating a virtualised cloud environment or ensuring security and antivirus systems are effectively implemented.

The IT leader at a professional services firm explained how they had to deal with an earthquake, whilst an IT leader in the media sector provided an example of how the company’s website was recently hacked. A CIO explained how his company sometimes has up to ten acquisitions a year, which requires him to quickly integrate all IT systems as quickly as possible. Not being quick enough to respond is not an option.

The ‘Moments that Matter’ study revealed that 77% of IT leaders thought pivotal moments in a business calendar have defined their career trajectories. It is therefore easy to understand why IT leaders are feeling increasingly vulnerable when making such critical decisions. Consider also the likes of TalkTalk or Vodafone’s CIOs, who recently had to manage the ripples of cyber-attacks. Reputational damage can have detrimental effects on a company’s financial results – with TalkTalk experiencing a value plunge of 11%.

We set out to find out how the individuals at the epicentre of this business IT evolution perceive the risk to their careers relative to the wider company when making decisions. The differences between ‘personal’ and ‘company’ risk show that organisations have yet to overcome the “silo” mentality. Different parts of the business, including the IT departments, continue to consider themselves as ‘stand-alone’ organisations.

Key discrepancies unveiled included;

• Creating a business case for change was considered as more important for the company (35%) than the career of the IT leader (28%).
• Selecting the right team was deemed to be key to their own personal success (48%), but less of a company risk (39%).
• Communicating with stakeholders was undervalued – with 27% rating this as a company risk, against just 19% as a significant personal risk.

The best advice I could give IT professionals is to look at their organisations holistically and lead the change within. The IT department needs to expand its reach to drive digital transformation. Every part of an organisation is an integral part of the business and is affected by the extent and quality of digital resources – and also a source of valuable information.

IT departments can also benefit from the experience and counsel from experts ‘outside’ the organisation, in particular strategic technology providers that can work with them to tackle these key ‘moments that matter’, but also for example industry peers.

2016 planning season is already upon us. Competition is not forgiving for businesses that fail to drive innovation and thrive in the digital economy. IT leaders’ ability to “tear down walls” will determine both business and personal success.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Kershaw .