Cisco has identified four technology resolutions that can help CIOs truly lead innovation and impact business growth in the coming year, positioning the entire organization for success.
1. Resolutions that Position Your CIO
for Success in 2017
Four technology resolutions that can help CIOs lead
innovation within their IT departments and companies
Article
2. connectedfuturesmag.comconnectedfuturesmag.com
Cisco has identified four
technology resolutions that
can help CIOs truly lead
innovation and impact
business growth in the
coming year, positioning the
entire organization for
success.
ConnectedFuturesMag.com
EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS
A new year often brings about a quest for self-improvement. This time of year is also a great time to take a look at your business – and technology – initiatives. It’s the perfect opportunity for innovation and renewal, getting existing projects back on track and defining your IT resolutions.
As we look ahead to 2017, we’ve identified four technology resolutions that can help CIOs truly lead innovation and impact business growth in the coming year, positioning the entire organization for success
Modernize Your Infrastructure – Like your bad habits, leave behind aging systems. Modern businesses need technology that adapts and grows with your organizations. Sure, this can be a complex, costly undertaking, but so can maintaining outdated custom applications and systems that leave your company at risk and users in the lurch. In 2017, resolve to more closely examine what’s delivering from a technology standpoint and flag what’s not performing or is simply costing too much to maintain – either from a resource or financial perspective. Software or hardware that is no longer being supported or receiving regular security updates can place both the system and the entire enterprise at risk.
Make Security a Priority – A benefit of an updated, more agile infrastructure is one that’s potentially more secure. Cybersecurity was at the top of everyone’s list for 2016, and that won’t be changing in 2017. In fact, analysts predict IT security spending will top $100 billion by 2018. Protecting your data and networks from intrusion begins with investing in world-class hardware and software that can help mitigate risks. While technology is a great defense, don’t discount the role of human error – it has ranked in the top two reasons for security breaches in 2015 and 2016. All it takes is one errant click from an employee to send the entire system into a tailspin and put company – and customer – data at risk. Prioritize cybersecurity training for all employees and make it part of every conversation, particularly as more devices come online throughout the year. CIOs should also devote time to change processes and training to ensure that employees are up-to-date on the latest company policies.
Think Collaboration – Enterprises are beginning to implement tools that make working together as a team and sharing information easier and more intuitive. This rise in collaboration technology helps simplify and streamline real-time communications, erases physical boundaries among teams, reduces operational costs, and enables a more mobile workforce. Collaboration technology is also an asset to CIOs, IT departments, and managers seeking to increase adoption of new technologies or policies. Training employees via video and web conferencing, smart whiteboards, and digital team workspaces among other features can jumpstart worker productivity and enable them to hit the ground running with new solutions.
Define Your Cloud Strategy – IDC estimates that spending on cloud IT infrastructure will reach $53.1 billion by 2019, accounting for 46% of total enterprise IT infrastructure expenditures. When faced with numbers like these, it’s even more difficult to believe that many companies still don’t have a firm cloud strategy in place.Embracing the cloud doesn’t require an “all or nothing” approach. With hybrid cloud configurations, you get the best of both private, on-premise and highly secure, public cloud solutions. Know what works best for your organization, and create a strategy. The strategy will evolve and change, but put pen to paper for a clearer path to digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and other business benefits that on-demand cloud computing delivers