CIO OPINION
CIO
opinion
“
AS THE CIO ROLE
HAS ADOPTED MORE OF
A BUSINESS MINDSET,
THE CROSSOVER WITH
THE CEO HAS COME INTO
QUESTION.
//////////////////
Alexander Wallner, Senior Vice President and General Manager
EMEA, NetApp
The CIO’s role in
delivering value
within a changing
cloud ecosystem
The multi-cloud experience
is becoming more and more
common, and organisations
must ensure that the
management of the hybrid
multi-cloud world is as easy as
possible. Alexander Wallner,
Senior Vice President and
General Manager EMEA,
NetApp, tells us how this
approach will alleviate
pressure for the CIO.
38
INTELLIGENTCIO
I
t’s no secret that the relationship
between the CEO and CIO has shifted
in recent years. As most organisations
now have technology at the core of
their business, having a comprehensive
IT strategy is key to ensure growth. As a
result, the modern day CIO has migrated
from a support role into a more strategic
position where they’re responsible for the
planning, implementation and execution
of corporate strategies.
No longer are they tasked with a sole
focus on technology. Today’s CIO is
responsible for improving business
performance and is expected to be seen
as the technology and business leader.
This newfound identity of the CIO is not
isolated – according to recent research
by Forbes Insights, five years ago, CIOs
believed their most important skill was
technology know-how. Today, they believe
the most important skill is contributing
to corporate strategy. Of course, in an
environment that is focused on constant
evolution, it makes sense that the role of
the CIO has evolved so dramatically.
Unfortunately, change often comes
with growing pains. As the CIO role has
adopted more of a business mindset, the
crossover with the CEO has come into
question. This has, as a result, created
a lack of clarity across the organisation.
While the CEO has historically been in
charge of implementing change within
the organisation, they’ve also been
tasked with maintaining investments,
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