Which C-Level Executive Is Really Responsible For Your Business Systems?

A successful Chief Information Officer (CIO) knows that business is better because of IT and has the metrics to prove it. Should other C-level personnel also understand their organisation’s IT ecosystem?

In our previous article, we mentioned some of the challenges CIOs face in managing company information.

• Managing data that is stored, transferred and transported on employees personal devices.
• The use of cloud based software services that are not supported or vetted by the IT department.
• Maintaining control and adding value to the business without removing opportunities for innovation.

CIOs have the challenging task of balancing business priorities against the growing costs and complexities of applications and infrastructure. Business units are demanding shorter release cycles and more flexibility, but other executives are not always willing to invest in improving and stabilising base platforms. Without the metrics to motivate changes, many CIOs struggle to get their fellow C-levels to sign off on updates or system changes.

As a result, many managers look to cloud services in order to solve their industry and organisational challenges. These acquisitions are often made from departmental budgets, which means the managers aren’t obliged to consult IT before making a purchase.

“I have an app for that!” might work in small businesses, but in medium to large companies it leads to overly complicated and inefficient IT systems, with business information strewn over multiple applications.

This makes it challenging to:

• Keep the information secure - How do you know who is doing what and when?
• To successfully aggregate and mine the data - Do C-Level personnel have access to the whole picture?
• To manage the data - How will this information be stored, archived and disposed of in the future?

In today's quickly changing world of business and technology all C-Level executives are responsible for promoting sustainable application landscapes. Avoid unnecessary risks by managing the App mentality.

Don’t Use a Hammer When You Need a Screwdriver

Before you start planning a complete overhaul of your IT ecosystem start by understanding what you need your systems to deliver. In order to achieve this you will need to understand the processes that govern your company's business activities and identify how you can optimise on the delivery of these tasks by using the correct applications.

• Understand what applications your business currently owns and runs
• Know what each application costs to use, and
• Identify what purpose each application is serving

Upon closer examination you may find that relatively small process or policy changes, or a redistribution of a resource is all that is needed to have a major impact on time to market or quality of service.