Businesses cannot get a boost without IT expertise

The business environment today is very dynamic, and IT is expected to keep pace with the demands of customers and users. By looking at technology as the solution, and not a problem, CIOs can handle business demands in a way that creates a great user experience in a manageable, secure and cost-effective manner. CIOs must articulate the current business challenges; understand the company, its competition and the industry.

With the role of IT in businesses changing rapidly, it is critical for the CIO to carefully and tactically align technology and business requisites. Rather than being just elbows-deep in motherboards and memory, IT professionals are moving from a tactical role into a more strategic role that requires a combination of hands-on work that makes sense for the enterprise. Robert Healey, Marketing Evangelist, APAC and Japan, Riverbed comments, "The CIO cannot boost business without indispensable expertise of IT professionals, to create a business case that takes into account the paradigm shift in the role of technology in driving business."

From the days when CIO had limited system storage and controlled information generation, to a time where all business processes are using some sort of Information System, the challenge has grown stronger. The reason being the increasing volume of information that is now being generated and processed within a company, and from external entities like suppliers, partners, customers, etc.

In wake of today's tough economic conditions and constantly fluctuating revenues, Indian CIOs across industries are bracing up with novel challenges. On one side, digitization and globalization are making the technology more critical than ever, on the other side, intervention of disruptive technologies including Mobility, BYOD and Big Data etc. are making businesses complex. This puts CIOs in a situation where sufficient results have to be delivered while maintaining a tight IT budget.

Finally, it is absolutely true to say that CIO is the true integrator between the Business and Technology; so, CIOs must continue to innovate to bring in flexibility and scalability into the systems so that adaptability to changing business process can be taken care of. Also, CIOs have to align their IT goals with the business goals of a CEO, CMO and a CFO to ensure the growth of the business though the use of secured and latest Information Technology.