FEATURE: STATE OF THE CIO
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CIOS CAN LEAD THE BUSINESS IN
ESTABLISHING DATA MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES AND PROTOCOLS.
Take the example of an autonomous
database. Embracing core traits of being
self-driving, self-securing and self-repairing
it offers unprecedented availability,
performance, and security – helping
eliminate human error.
The autonomous database is set to
revolutionise data management, helping
boost the speed of insight and driving
significant increases in productivity whereby
manpower can be optimised, and resources
can be deployed to higher value tasks.
Reaping the rewards
Data is no longer about protecting sensitive
data and keeping hackers out; IT leaders
must focus on enabling organisations to
leverage, collaborate on and monetise their
data without being exposed to privacy
breaches, giving up their intellectual property
or having data misused.
Our study shows that while a little over
half of South African leaders surveyed
believe that the secure management of
data is very important to reputational risk,
there are many key internal behaviours
that compromise trust. Locally, the biggest
concern around data security inside the
organisation is a willingness to manage data
through mobile devices or social platforms,
followed by use of untrusted devices/
connections in data management and
misuse of critical data.
CIOs can lead the business in establishing
data management strategies and protocols.
They should further ensure this is both
implemented through internal education,
and effectively monitored.
As more data continues to be generated
each day, there will be even more pressure
on businesses to make the most of the data
available. Database management will be
more crucial than ever before, and emerging
technologies like autonomous will soon
become the norm as they help businesses
boost innovation and financial gains. n
New research reveals
key capabilities of
high performing CIOs
T
op-performing CIOs are focusing
more on business leadership
and the goals of the customers,
employees, and other business
functions, rather than technology operations,
according to new research from ServiceNow.
The global survey of 516 CIOs, conducted
by Oxford Economics, examined the most
important capabilities for the modern
CIO. For many years, CIOs were focused
primarily on IT. The survey shows that
nearly two-thirds (63%) of CIOs believe
business and leadership skills are more
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INTELLIGENTCIO
important than technology acumen – and,
critically, the most successful CIOs are those
who have positioned themselves firmly as
business visionaries.
The three things that separate around
one-fifth of CIOs that consider themselves
effective, across the most important CIO
capabilities, from the rest are: The highest-performing CIOs focus on
strategy versus operations and aligning the
goals of IT with the goals of the business.
These CIOs also report higher levels of
productivity, innovation and customer
satisfaction in their organisation and have
the strongest relationships with other
business leaders, in particular the CEO and
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
• They are further along at
digitising workflows
• They build C-suite influence
• They focus externally on customers There is a consensus among most CIOs
that establishing partnerships and cross-
team projects at C-level is a critical part of
their role:
www.intelligentcio.com