Insight Discusses the Rise of Intelligent Technology and the Fast-Changing Role of the CIO
November 03 2015 - 8:30AM
The workplace of today is dramatically shifting as technology
becomes more deeply connected to core business outcomes like
growth, customer experience and profitability. From Insight’s
partner event, Synergy, Insight Enterprises’ Chief Information
Officer Mike Guggemos today shared survival tips as “Information
Technology” rapidly evolves into “Intelligent Technology™.”
“I speak often to CIOs from many of the largest,
most sophisticated and recognizable businesses today,” said
Guggemos. “The very thing that was once at the heart of their
position – being the gate keepers of all that is technical – has
rapidly evolved toward something quite different and I doubt the
evolution is over.”
Guggemos discussed three major “watch out”
issues that every CIO needs to be aware of as they deal with the
move toward Intelligent Technology:
1) Watch out for chaos in the core: Grab
hold and don’t let go
CIOs are increasingly confronted by applications
external to their businesses – cloud based services that may or may
not work with their architecture. Today, CIOs are picking out the
core functions they must own and protect so that other functions
are able to choose cloud services as needed. If a CIO doesn’t have
a core architecture nailed down, adding in new elements will create
massive chaos. Identifying the core and holding on to it is
non-negotiable.
2) Watch out for missing guardrails
along the path: Let business functions do their thing
CIOs are realizing that if you don’t set up core
architecture you are going to struggle dramatically to figure out
how to manage and support an organizations’ operations. The most
effective CIOs are clearly defining core systems and, as noted
above, aggressively protecting them while enabling sister functions
to manipulate things outside the core. Parts of this are tied to
Service Oriented Architecture, yet parts are simply modifying
processes to recognize reality of cloud services. The role of the
CIO is to set up guardrails and guidelines to manage the process
and connections into the core, while allowing freedom at the
fringe. However, this is impossible without a well-defined, clearly
articulated and enforceable architecture.
3) Watch out for the elephants in the
room: There has to be balance
As we move toward an Intelligent Technology
future, there are two “elephants in the room” that today’s CIOs too
often ignore. The first isn’t about technology – it’s the process,
such as the ways cloud services are consumed and the potential to
be overwhelmed financially and operationally. Showback and
chargeback processes are critically important when employing cloud.
The second is that every CIO needs to be prepared to say “no.” In
fact, saying “yes” to everything that someone wants to add to a
system is just as bad as refusing to add anything at all; there has
to be balance. The CIO must focus on the core and be ready to
defend it – at almost any cost – while enabling freedom at the
fringe.
“IT has to know ‘the business’ to advise and
lead to what is possible technically,” continued Guggemos. “As
CIOs, we must 1) define, design and defend true core technology, 2)
highly enable freedom at the fringe for sister functions and 3)
strictly manage architecture and the approval process to ensure
functionality, future growth and adaptability.”
To learn more about Insight’s approach to
Intelligent Technology, please visit Meet The New Insight. For more
information on Insight, visit http://www.insight.com/ or
call 1.800.INSIGHT.
About Insight
From business and government organizations to
healthcare and educational institutions, Insight empowers clients
with Intelligent Technology™ solutions to realize their goals. As a
Fortune 500-ranked global provider of hardware, software, cloud and
service solutions, our 5,400 teammates provide clients the guidance
and expertise needed to select, implement and manage complex
technology solutions to drive business outcomes. Through our
world-class people, partnerships, services and delivery solutions,
we help businesses run smarter. Discover more at insight.com.
NSIT-M
Contacts: Chuck King
Insight Enterprises, Inc.
Tel. (480) 409-6390
Email: chuck.king@insight.com
John Hartz
Sloane & Company
Tel. (857) 598-4779
Email: jhartz@sloanepr.com
Insight Enterprises (NASDAQ:NSIT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Insight Enterprises (NASDAQ:NSIT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024