High level challenges of CIO

1. CIO – The Top Challenges
The word Chief is always costly in nature,fancy in features but challenging and dynamic in reality. On a
lighternote the typicaldefinitionof IOisInside/OutsidebuttechnicallyitmeansInformationofficewhere
the individual is answerable within the company and outside the company. Overall the role of CIO is
excitingtoexplorebothbusinessandtechnicalaspects butthisalwayscomeswithsomechallenges.From
my perspective below are the major challenges the CIO may come across.
1. Business Alignment –
Alignment is very important and has more significance in corporates. For example if the car wheel
alignmentisnotproper,we canexperience drivingissue,the same goestrue withthe organization.If the
CIO is not alignedwithcompany’sstrategy,thenit’s a flop show.CIO role beingingverychallengingand
dynamic in nature, he should align his strategy to company’s vision and mission.
From the outside worldpeoplealwaysthinkthat the CIOisonlyresponsible fortechnical topics,whichis
valid for to some extent but the reality is without business, IT doesn’t exist. Primaryfocus should be on
how to enable business using IT. IT being a support function getting budget and support from the top
management will be the real skill of the CIO. So how do we overcome this issue, the only answer is to
show the cost benefit analysis or ROI and aligning over views to company’s views.
2. IT (Innovation & Transformation) –
IT is coined as Information Technology as we all know, but currently in the industry, Innovation and
Transformationare the keywordswhere CIO is forced to focus on. Businessexpectations have changed,
there is lot of technological advancement, customer demands, competition is at peak which forces the
CIO to thinkfrom traditional InformationTechnologytoInnovation&Transformation.We are in the age
where search engine companies are working towards building autonomous driving cars. Look at the
innovation and transformation the companies are heading towards.
In the currentCIO role,if the thinkingistraditional IT,itwill nottake muchtime forthe businesstoclose.
As an example we can see many top companiesare closing their doors because of lack of innovation or
not gearing up to the market speed. So any organization shall think towards innovation and
transformation which can help the business to achieve its numbers (Profit & Loss) and to keep
stakeholders happy.
3. Security first,privacy must –
If we lookatthe currentattackvectors,we alwayshave adoubtwhetherwe are alreadytargetedorwhen
will we be.Everydaythere isnewsaboutsomeattackshappeningacrossthe world.Securitybeingone of
the primary concern for CIO, he can’t take any chances. It’s a game of hit or get out. If for some reason
there isan attackorganizationmayenduplosingmillionsof dollars,ontopof thatreputationlosscannot
be calculated.Frommyperspectivesecurityshallbe includedfrom thebase i.e.,fromdevelopmentstage,
employment recruitment, physical or logical levels. Tiered architecture can protect organization to a
greater extent. Security is a journey not a destination.

2. Privacyby meaningis confidential innature.Sohow do we protectprivacy of our employees,customer,
partners, and stakeholders?Beingthe CIOof an organization,it’shisresponsibility todefine policiesand
to enable relevant projects so that privacy can be obtained.
Finally the above top 3 are not the only challenges.Change is constant, priorities change, organizations
objective changes, so do challenges.