The CIO Mindmap

The role of the office of the Chief Information Officer or the Chief Technology Officer has been that of an overseer of IT transformation within an organisation. They’ve been at the forefront of adopting technology for the stakeholders within the organisation – building a process platform for human resources, building a platform to gauge operational efficiency of the employees, building a token system for the cafeteria, and obviously, the leave management system. But the role of the CIO’s office must evolve with changing times. With a flurry of SaaS products addressing micro problems associated with processes within functions, the CIO and the Data Privacy Officer are some of the most important personnel in an organisation. Every function either wants them to build more granular products in-house or integrate one of the many SaaS products to ease the processes and effort.

As you can see, the role of the CIO organisation is evolving from being a top-down tree structure, to a hub-and-spoke model. With geographical diversity and legal requirements for each of them coming into play, the work becomes even more complex. The CIO organisation is evolving into the role of an enabler, in addition being the custodian of the enterprise’s IT infrastructure and security. I mean, cybersecurity isn’t going away, and nor is the need to scale the infrastructure up.

Let me present an example. The office of the Chief Marketing Officer in an organisation deals with a lot of external data. This data comes in from multiple sources – social media, digital properties, physical events, databases, directories, inside sales, etc. Now, this data must be worked on, to make it richer and segment it further. A CRM can help do this but maintaining the CRM is another ballgame altogether. The CMO can either enlist services of an external vendor or reach out to the CIO to build capability in-house to maintain the CRM and assist with upgrades, as they come in. The differentiator in this case is not just the cost, but also the turnaround time to get things done and have better control over clients’ and prospects’ data. And lesser approvals to get something going are usually music to everyone’s ears!

The reason why I have titled this piece as a mindmap is because the role of the CIO has expanded to multiple branches, catering to not just the other business units, but also sub-units and individual teams within them. The core responsibilities of the CIO continue to increase, and a collaborative enterprise makes the role of the CIO as an enabler even more important. And the future look even more collaborative. How can the CIOs of today gear up for success tomorrow?

1. Understand the market scenario

As market scenarios change and business dynamics evolve, the CIO must be conversant with developments not just in IT infrastructure, platforms, and technologies, but also in how business functions are evolving with technology. A requirement for a platform that taps into generative AI is not a future requirement anymore, it has become an immediate requirement. And this might not even have existed a year back.

2. Think like a P&L owner

Eventually, everything comes down to profitability and efficiency. Traditional roles of the CIO positioned their organisation as cost-centers. As technology evolves, the CIO’s organisation should be the enabler in developing newer platforms that can be packaged for clients as well. They have access to their entire employee base to build and optimise products and platforms that can bring profitability in. It’s a transformational approach that can bring focus on the CIO’s organisation as not just a cost-center.

3. Drivers of cutting-edge technology

The CIO’s organization is placed at an intersection of legacy requirements and
evolving technological environment. While certain platforms might be running on legacy technologies, they must be protected from sophisticated cybersecurity challenges. Similarly, requirements from evolving business practices will require the CIO’s organization to be the drivers and guides for the latest and the best solutions that technology has to offer. If you thought the era of the advent of cloud technology was challenging to pivot and transform, the wave of AI-driven solution will be much more challenging. And fun.

4. Talent & Diversity

Enterprises and business functions are built on the back of exceptionally talented individuals. An ongoing approach to reskilling, upskilling and hiring quality talent is going to be the key differentiator for the CIOs’ organisation in the years to come. The talent war between projects and the CIO’s organisation will amp up and the best and the most skilled will always be up for grabs. The talent war for an enterprise will not end just with the hiring of new employees, it’s the internal dynamics that will come into play, and in a healthy manner. The answer to the problem is to ensure diversity in hiring practices. For instance, cybersecurity as a function of technology is coming up as a field where women in technology can make their mark with ease owing to their threat analysis and technical skills.

I have been a firm believer in the power of the human potential. I have also been a firm believer in the power of technological transformation. When these two come together, they for a potent synergy on which modern solutions can be built and executed. As the landscape evolves, the CIO’s role in an enterprise will also evolve. It’s the right time to pre-empt the surge and get the various aspects in place.

The original article was published in Economic Times on 14th June 2023.