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EDITOR’S QUESTION
MATTHEW KIBBY, VICE-
PRESIDENT, ENTERPRISE,
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST AT SAGE
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C
IOs need to take a more strategic role in driving innovation
within their organisations if they are to keep up with the rapid
pace of digital change. No longer should IT be a cost-centre,
tasked only with keeping the technology infrastructure humming;
it should also help business leadership create a more agile and
competitive organisation. Here are some ways to make this happen:
Get the whole C-suite involved
The impact of Digital Transformation on every aspect of the
business, from back-office processes to the employee and customer
experience, means it’s more important than ever for technology and
business strategy to be in lockstep. The Chief Executive, CMO (Chief
Marketing Officer), CHRO and the CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
should all work closely with the CIO and Chief Digital Oficer to drive
the benefits of digital transformation across the organisation.
Enterprise management software is the backbone of a
digital business
You can’t run before you learn to walk. Prior to deploying advanced
solutions like the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Robotics, enterprises need to put in place robust, next-generation
enterprise management applications. Cloud-enabled solutions like
Sage Enterprise Management v12 offer the ability to get up-and-
running quickly with an enterprise platform.
Embrace a culture of experimentation
With competition coming from everywhere – including digital
start-ups – innovation can give a company the edge over its rivals.
Constant experimentation is usually associated with start-ups and
small companies, but it’s a philosophy all businesses now need
to embrace. New cloud technologies that don’t require huge
investments allow organisations to quickly test new use cases,
solutions and ideas without betting the farm on them.
Champion the customer
The IT department’s end-users are no longer just the people who
work for the company, but also consumers who use digital channels
www.intelligentcio.com
such as the website or mobile apps. Thus, CIOs need to work with
customer experience teams to understand how consumers interact
with back-end systems through the mobile apps and web front-end
their companies offer. With the consumerisation of IT, the traditional
lines between the customer and employee experience are also
blurring. Learning about consumers will help CIOs serve internal
customers better, too.
Democratise data
CIOs need to focus on rolling out technology that enables the
business to aggregate, manage, analyse and extract value from
large data volumes in real time. The technology also needs to make
data-driven insights available to every decision maker. CIOs that help
the organisation use data to fuel growth will better demonstrate their
value to the enterprise. They can also help implement the Machine
Learning and AI systems that will help organisations make sense of
volumes of data too big for humans to analyse in real-time.
Automate to save money
Many CIOs are struggling to simply keep the lights on as IT budgets
come under pressure. Automation is a quick way in which to save
time and money that can, in turn, be reinvested in value-adding
areas such as innovation. Automating processes through enterprise
applications helps take the pain out of compliance and other
operational requirements. n
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