Introduction
Business organizations are identifying the importance of processes in businesses that are linked to collecting information, processing this information, and disseminating it. It is the role of the chief information officer to ensure these processes run smoothly. The position of the chief information officer (CIO) was first brought about in business organizations in the late 1980s. This new position was set up to offer a connection between the departments of the organizations concerned with data processing and the top management of the companies. This implies that the data processing manager, as he or she was referred to at that time, turned out to be called the CIO in the present day.
Any CIO in whatever the company must be well aware of the business of the company to a level that he or she can be able to help comprehensively in the process of formulating the business strategy of the company and also to be able to make identification of the existing key opportunities that may assist in the implementation of the strategy. The CIO must be able to incorporate the IT vision and strategy into the corporate strategy.
It is quite important to realize that IT success for any business organization is quite important for the overall success of the corporate strategy of the organization. Following this, business organizations need to take the appropriate measures to ensure they realize IT success. In the section that follows, there is going to be consideration of what it takes for a company to achieve IT success.
Achieving IT success
Managing IT is a very complex issue. This complexity must be dealt with effectively for a business organization to achieve success in its operations. There is no indication that the pattern in the IT complexity is slowing down. As on the one hand companies can not completely do away with this complexity, on the other hand, they can ensure that this complexity is brought under control. Following this, these companies can realize the benefits if proper IT management is carried out.
Since complexity in IT is not something that can be done away with, the companies are supposed to find appropriate ways of managing it. These companies must come up with ways which might bring about a program that can enable in realizing governance of the IT most effectively. The governance program is supposed to encompass elements that facilitate the evaluation of tracking of technology investments, bringing about policies that assist in addressing IT solutions as well as repeatable practices.
Business organizations are also supposed to automate whenever they are in a position to do so. When there is a high level of automating tasks, there can be better management of the usage of IT in the company. Automation makes it possible to engage in spending much of the time on the initiatives that are strategic than on the manual processes.
Companies can make use of various solutions as well as strategies to engage in the management of complexity and be able to bring about improvement in their business operation processes as well as improvement in the results. The impact that can be brought about by complexity can be quite significant and this may include the increasing maintenance costs and a reduction in productivity. Luckily enough, companies can utilize best practices as well as the technology solutions that are effective to assist in carrying out the management of complexity.
More so, to have IT success in any company, there is a need for the CIO to play his or her role in the most effective way possible. In the present day, the CIOs find themselves suspended between the past that was technically oriented, and a future that is inclined towards business strategy. The past of these CIOs was associated with a focus on the effective and efficient utilization of what is referred to as “the art hardware and software”. The future or time to come gives an indication of the rising level of engagement in strategic business planning at the top management of a business organization to carry out the application of the IT to offer support to the achievement of the business objectives that are set up.
Those business organizations that can achieve success in carrying out the transition of the role of the CIO that was there in the past to go in line with what is required by the future will certainly win a competitive advantage in their business operations. Following this, it is thus of great importance that the top management of a business organization, as well as the CIO, realizes that the role played by the CIO needs to undergo evolution from a function that is geared towards processing the information to that that is based on the management of knowledge.
To acquire success in the application of information technology, there is a necessity to employ a team approach. This approach needs to be employed at the top management of the business organization or company. It is quite important that both the CIO and the CEO agree on taking responsibility and taking up particular roles. For example, on the part of the CIO, this person must take responsibility for ensuring there exist no gap between the business and IT. On the part of the CEO, this individual must take the initiative of ensuring that he or she gets to understand the process of information technology just in a similar manner that they have the understanding of other traditional departments of the organization such as HR and finance departments among others. It is the responsibility of the CIO to make sure that the CEO has clear knowledge about the information technology process and how the application of information technology can be carried out in the right way to ensure that the accomplishes its business objectives.
However, to achieve success in IT, even there is a need for the CIO to make a move to understand the business; he or she must remain to be the champion in IT of the business organization. This implies that the CIOs need to have an understanding of IT as well as the business. Therefore, as the CIOs who come up will be engaged in strategy, they need to understand IT and the way its application is supposed to be carried out to have a positive impact on the business.
While the top management addresses the IT importance to the operation of the business organization, the role that was earlier carried out by the CIO comes up. The coming up of this role of the CIO assumes different forms and is dependent on several factors. One of these factors includes a set of environmental factors which may affect the role of the CIO. These environmental factors include the structure of the organization in which the CIO operates, the size of the organization, and the industry to which the organization belongs. Another factor may be linked to the degree of development of the chief information officer role. This implies that the role of the CIO in one company may be making more contributions to the competitive advantage of that particular company. Moving together with this factor is the aspect of the interpretation of the top management of the value of IT to the general running of the organization. The last factor here is linked to the government regulations that are industry-based that may be there and possibly have an influence on the CIO’s role in line with the processes of collection of information, retaining this information, and distributing it.
Conclusion
It is quite important for a business organization to achieve success in IT. This plays a major role in ensuring that the company or business organization achieves success in all its operations and can meet its objectives and goals. Achieving success in IT calls for taking various measures. Among these measures is managing effectively IT complexity. More so, the CIO needs to play his role effectively. This involves the CIO having an understanding of both IT as well as the business in which the company he or she is operating is involved.