Cloud Technology - Re-defining the Role of IT

Years ago, I heard someone say that business and technology had to align. It took me a little while for these words to sink in, but here's my understanding of business and technology alignment. Today, all businesses are technology businesses. There is no Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Procurement, Sales, Engineering without Technology.

Business Conundrum

While this is true, most technology people still think their value and focus should be on

maintaining servers up and running. That steady green light in a dark cold room of servers is still the benchmark of operational efficiency. Running in parallel, business people for the most part struggle with the nuance of IT perhaps because they are typically too busy to use technology to maximize their investments. Here is where the big potential for alignment between IT and the business lies today. IT should spend time educating business people how to use IT to generate sustainable competitive advantages.

Think of Apple, they launched the iPhone and right after that Samsung launched the Galaxy – some would even argue a better hardware. Mimicking and improving products is easy these days, mimicking iTunes and all the technology that ties Apple's products together, not so easy.

Creativity and Innovation

IT needs to dedicate time to educate marketing how to create new campaigns and strategies by using technology. Integrating a piece of communication with an online survey or a landing page. Essentially, IT must be the change agents that drive innovation in businesses today, especially because technology is changing so rapidly.

IT must educate the business how to modernize and generate timely financial reporting as well as complying to regulations less painfully. I have heard of cases where the CFO actually went out and bought licenses of accounting software because he couldn't wait for IT.

What about enhancing customers’ satisfaction? Is there room for improvement here? By providing the business with more complete and accurate customer information, the business can more promptly act to solve customer issues. Nothing pleases me more than when my credit card company calls to verify suspicious transactions. I often think to myself after, now that’s IT at work.

The bottom line is, IT really needs to make time to work directly with their business counterparts to modernize processes, create innovative business models, different ways to slice and dice products, and generate sustainable competitive advantages.

When IT is not leading from the front, the CFO is always going to look at the numbers at the end of the month and say, "IT is expensive, we put money in and nothing ever comes out." I heard recently about another client, where the VP of Operations came into a meeting saying: “my IT is not innovative.” Naturally, they’re not they don’t have the time to be innovative.

Cloud Computing

Running out the door now and moving to the "cloud" is not the answer as long as you see cloud computing as an external part of your IT, you’re doing it wrong. The cloud is real and the benefits are tangible and vast, but it needs to be embraced and integrated as another component of your Hybrid IT strategy. Please note not Hybrid Cloud Strategy because not everything is moving to the Cloud.

In the end, we're back to the start. There is no business without technology anymore.

I am.

Donovan White - Vice President, C&W Business, Jamaica