FEATURE : STATE OF THE CIO themselves and adapt to the changes happening around them .
“ CIOs should focus on evaluating emerging technologies and identifying opportunities to create new business value . Initially , organisations may have to streamline operations while the economy picks up again however , CIOs need to ensure that they are well-positioned to pounce on new opportunities once the global economy starts to recover ,” he said .
THE CIO MUST ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO CARRY
OUT THE VISION AND MUST ALSO ALLOW THE TEAM TO REDEFINE
THEMSELVES AND ADAPT TO THE CHANGES HAPPENING AROUND THEM .
At virtualisation solutions vendor VMware , Ahmed Auda , Managing Director , Middle East , Turkey and North Africa ( METNA ), said the company has been working with CIOs to prioritise Business Continuity and to help deliver the digital solutions they will need to prosper as the world emerges from COVID-19 .
“ This is , we believe , what CIOs should be focusing on : Business Continuity to ensure that staff are able to work safely and securely , and customers are able to continue using the products and services they need , without interruption . As the current crisis passes , CIOs need to be well-positioned to grow and tap new opportunities while also being aware that some aspects of doing business may have changed permanently ,” he said .
According to Auda , this means being ready to operate in an increasingly app-centric world and cater to a growing population that expects a seamless , digital-first experience .
“ In this light , CIOs should consider moving their organisation to cloud-based systems built on a flexible , secure platform that will enable their organisation to deploy and manage applications and services from any cloud , on any device and anywhere ,” he said .
Israel Barak , Chief Information Security Officer , Cybereason , said from a security perspective , CIOs need to ensure that their security programme infrastructure in place is extensive , agile and thoughtful enough to enable growth and acceleration in a remote workforce reality .
Barak said specifically , areas of special attention should include , identity and access management , endpoint and mobile management , security operations and incident response and certainly security awareness and adequate preparation of staff and executive leadership .
“ After about six months of going through the COVID-19 pandemic , many businesses are still prioritising maintaining a certain level of service . CIOs need to plan on transitioning from maintaining a steady level of service to a state of growth and innovation and embracing this new norm ,” he said .
Mohamed Abdallah , Regional Director , Middle East , Turkey and Africa , SonicWall , said CIOs should look at preparing IT systems to safely and securely handle a vast increase in remote workers and fulfil customer demand through digital platforms . Abdallah explained that with the risk surface hugely extended , organisations should look at prioritising cybersecurity technologies such as endpoint security due to the growth of devices being used and cloud application as a result of the rise of cloud apps in recent months and , of course , VPN security .
In April 2020 , SonicWall introduced the new Boundless Cybersecurity model , designed to help organisations navigate a hyperdistributed IT reality where everyone is remote , everyone is mobile and everyone is less secure .
Looking to the year ahead , Dell Technologies ’ Amin pointed out that the company has prioritised strengthening its partnerships across industries . “ Gartner predicted that in 2020 , 100 % of roles in IT will require an intermediate level of proficiency in business acumen to effectively execute on the digital business strategy . A CIO nowadays needs to deliver business results , create platforms to derive value from data , ensure security and manage risk holistically . CIOs need to focus on organisational results , not IT projects . And their IT teams are an intrinsic part of ensuring organisational results ,” he said . • www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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