The evolving partnership between business and IT: A new imperative
The role and perception of IT have changed from a cost center to a revenue driver. Today, businesses that lean into IT to drive business transformations stand a better chance of appealing to their end-users than those that don’t. As the scale, pace, and impact of technological disruptions and innovations escalate exponentially, the action of IT leaders, such as yourselves, will largely determine the success or demise of a business.
The digital world is changing
As rightly pointed out by Zachary Nelson in his keynote at the Be Unstoppable virtual summit, the impact of the cloud on businesses has changed a lot. Cost reduction has played a significant role in the high penetration of cloud-based technologies. As customers demand more personalized services and newer ways of solving their needs, organization are restructuring their business models to keep up with the demand and get ahead of the competition.
IT leaders at the intersection of business and technology
The job of an IT leader has never been more prominent in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rampant adoption of SasS and cloud technologies. The new paradigm shift in IT is changing the way enterprises do business, and the role of an IT leader lies at the intersection of being strategic to the company and driving digital transformation.
IT leaders are in a unique position to listen to what the C-suite wants to accomplish in the business and figure out how IT can play a role in helping them achieve these goals.
Aligning business objectives with IT
The backbone of the IT-business alignment lies in the cultural shift of the employees to view IT as an instrument in propelling the business forward.
As organizations increasingly make the shift to digital business models, they expect an IT that is agile, innovative, and digital-first to keep up with new technology drivers dictating business success. IT leaders must deliver new IT structures to meet those requirements, move away from a centralized unit, and fuse IT with every business unit.
Organizations are adopting Enterprise Service Management (ESM) on their journey to digital transformation. It leverages the technologies of existing ITSM platforms and streamlines non-IT services’ processes to drive increased efficiency. However, in today’s world, ESM has gone beyond being a tool for digital transformation. As companies plan and execute their return to work strategy, ESM now plays a crucial role in ensuring maximized ROI of their existing ITSM platform and a smooth transition into the new normal.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, the goal is to get IT and businesses on the same page to make digital transformations easier and more efficient. And for CIOs and IT leaders, 2022 carries the mandate of delivering greater value from IT investments and driving business outcomes with the innovative use of technology and data. Establishing a good IT-business relationship will help enterprises make smarter decisions in every area and synchronize all business units to become agile.
