2012 Priorities for the CIO

As companies everywhere are examining costs, it is plain that a recession era mindset still holds sway. This will ensure a policy that any cost savings acquired from existing IT operations will bankroll future investments. This cost to value optimization will continue to be a central focus in 2012.

Requirements

Incomplete or inaccurate requirements are a leading cause of project failure and have cost companies billions of dollars. Good requirements can significantly reduce costs. CIO’s realize that getting these right will more closely align IT with their business.

Value

Reorganization and new methods can speed process improvement. This will include identifying and implementing cost saving technologies for the business as a whole and the IT department in particular. The alert CIO will always be searching for the best pricing and most favorable terms for their IT purchases.

Agility

IT Directors today are concerned that they often are unable to meet business goals and that new IT systems implementation is sluggish. When this creates a bottleneck for company product launches, it can contribute to an inability to beat the competitors. A CIO must focus on making their organization both agile and responsive to today’s dynamic business environment.

Integrated

IT departments sometimes become their own kingdom. They can no longer be discrete entities and CIO’s need to lead the way in such areas as improving business processes through automation and management of procurement and supply chain. The CIO must be vitally involved in development and new product launches.

Innovation

CIO’s must champion new growth initiatives. The old mold of spending more on maintenance must give way to implementing new technologies. Getting rid of outdated applications can prepare the way by eliminating and replacing low value applications.

Mobility

Mobile computing is experiencing a rise into preeminence and many companies are embracing tablets and smartphones for efficiency and cost reduction. Business leaders today are accepting the fact that employees are productively using these personal devices and their applications. CIO’s must structure clear policies on how these devices will be managed or reimbursed by their company. The CIO today realizes the need to embrace this exciting personal technology.

Collaboration

The CIO’s of many large organizations are encouraging connection between remotely located employees and their supply chain partners. Such collaboration increases innovation and productivity. New unified tools can help people increase productivity, share knowledge and shorten cycle times.

ICloud

Forward thinking CIO’s are embracing the advantages of cloud computing. This exciting unified technology can change the way you do business and offer cost reduction. Cloud sourcing can give you faster time to innovation and access to a comprehensive suite of business applications. It can offer markedly lower IT costs and offer better functionality and less headaches for users. The cloud offers better security, lower capital provisioning and dynamic implementation.

Social

CIO’s must recognize the power of social media. When your employees, customers and suppliers are talking about you company on the likes of Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn, companies must monitor and participate in such discussions. Being involved in social media can increase sales and improve customer relations.

Intelligence

Big data is an emerging term that refers to the increasing amount of data generated by companies. Business intelligence shows leaders how to best utilize, store and manage big data. CIO’s realize that the size of these data is not as important gaining keen insights that will help move their company forward.

Blogger Biography

John Parker is CEO of Enfocus Solutions Inc., bringing best-practice requirements management SaaS capabilities to businesses throughout the country, and regularly shares his expertise and insights at http://blog.enfocussolutions.com.

John is a seasoned expert in IT strategy, requirements management, business analysis, project management, IT strategic planning, and IT value management. His experience and knowledge span decades, and stem from leadership roles as a CIO and strategy consultant for Hospital Sisters Health System, the executive vice president and chief technology officer for the national consulting firm Maximus, the sole proprietor and executive vice president of Spectrum Consulting Group, and a partner in the global firm, KPMG Consulting.

John graduated c** laude from Baylor University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Systems Professional. He also holds a Certificate of Mastery in Process Reengineering.