The evolution of technology into its central and pivotal role in our collective lives today has proven an ascent that many of us couldn’t have predicted.
Information and communications technologies are now the beating heart of every enterprise – from Fortune 500 helmed global multinationals, right down to the solopreneurs and mom and pop shops trying to stay safe from the global cybercrime epidemic.
That makes the role of the CIO and the CTO an incredibly important one, no matter the size and scale of the organization in which they are active. Yet with the challenges and opportunities open to every IT leader today – from Web3 and the blockchain through to online fraud prevention and increasingly sophisticated cyber espionage – how do the best practices of the best CIO and CTO professionals today compare to those of even a few short years ago?
A good IT leader is hard to find
Among one’s contemporaries, a CIO or CTO is likely to feel in very good company. Yet when talking with your peers about the needs of our digital age and the most exciting breakthroughs on the horizon, it can be easy to accidentally fall into an echo chamber.
However, it’s rather a flattering one – in short, it’s easy to forget just how in demand a good IT leader is in today’s economic and corporate climate. From the ongoing shortage in good working cybersecurity knowledge in the corporate sphere, through to the know-how required to take legacy businesses into the 21st Century and beyond in a smooth and streamlined way, it falls to the CTO and the CIO to lead the charge in an environment that seems to be forever changing.
At its basest levels, the role of an IT leader often entails three core tenets.
The strategy
Understanding the digital and technological goals of the organizations with which you are aligned is key to any successful CTO role. Likewise, a CIO knows where the vulnerabilities in a company’s cybersecurity are, and can plan to remedy them in ways that don’t harm the user experience, but keep phishing and hacking at bay.
The technology
What systems are being used in this business today – and are those the best technologies to take you into tomorrow? A good IT leader can distinguish and define what technologies are working, what are not, as well as what to budget moving forward.
The people
Every CTO or CIO quickly learns how technology literate the colleagues with whom they work are. With that in mind, the need to invest in training can be calculated, as well as gauging how receptive the team will be to certain kinds of IT technologies – eliminating downtime and friction from having teammates learn new systems in ways they find frustrating and obtuse.
IT Leaders are indispensable in today’s business climate
Any organization seriously implementing a strategy of growth understands that a CTO or CIO is a non-negotiable asset in their executive team. Technology is now nuanced and complex enough that the position of IT leader cannot be disregarded as a ‘nice to have’ by any enterprise serious about expanding.
From emergent technologies to cost-effective investments in cloud and data infrastructure to consider, businesses of all kinds need an IT leader well versed in both niche technologies as much as the ongoing evolution of computers and connectivity worldwide.
An IT leader spearheads the deployment of new software, the installation of new hardware, and securing the privacy of the data handled by every such asset. They handle the training of personnel, control who has access to what level of information and control within a given enterprise, and ensure that data breaches or hacking attempts never make it into the organization’s inner sanctum.
Yet the best CTO and CIO professionals also keep their eye on more niche technologies and their applications. From the spread of blockchain technologies into the mainstream, through to NFC and AR applications that surprise and delight customers with their efficiency, a good IT leader is one equal parts creative visionary and logical, rational strategist.
A demanding role, yet a necessary one in so many companies worldwide. How do you measure up?
The Launchpad is partnered with technology brands and value added resellers across all technologies, IT solutions and services. If you’d like us to connect you with any of them and support you in the evolution of your organization’s tech, schedule some time with an Account Manager today: https://go.oncehub.com/Launchpad-TechnologyFollowUp
