INSIGHTS & PERSPECTIVES
Cloud-centric business models upend people and processes
"CIOs are at the forefront of their organizations' evolution into cloud-centric business models. In 2018, CIOs will drive businesses' ongoing exploration of blockchain and will take the lead on using this emerging technology to make their digital value chains, both internal and external, far more flexible, efficient and secure.
"In 2018, CIOs will take the lead on bringing robotic process automation to every desktop, which will accelerate repetitive administrative processes and, thereby, boost knowledge-worker productivity. In 2018, CIOs will oversee the increasing integration of AI-infused digital assistant technology into every business application, as well as within all customer-facing e-commerce systems, and will use this trend as a wedge to begin scaling back human-staffed call centers and help desks. Finally, in 2018, CIOs will become key players in their organizations' moves away from web-based applications toward an edge strategy in which mobile, embedded and internet of things devices become the primary touchpoints to all customers, employees, partners and other stakeholders."
-- JAMES KOBIELUS, lead analyst, SiliconAngle Wikibon
James Kobielus
Consider new options cautiously, cloud included
"CIOs face regular, considerable problems, but there's probably no greater challenge than balancing the need for innovation with the danger of becoming overwhelmed by technological options. Consider, for example, the dozens of new cloud services introduced at the recent AWS Re:Invent conference. If your organization is working with AWS (as many are), how do you gain insights into those new options, incorporate them into the scores of other services you already use and make sure your organization is getting the best value for its investments? Similar issues plague other functions, especially high-visibility concerns, like security threats.
"So, it's critical for CIOs to occasionally step back and consider how they analyze and adopt new solutions and services. Nobody wants to be left behind when a hot new technology arrives at the station. But mistakenly climbing on board a popular trend can result in wasted time and money, and a journey to nowhere."
-- CHARLES KING, president and principal analyst at Pund-IT
Charles King
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