CIO OPINION
Today ’ s CIO must respond agilely to unforeseen challenges – both internal and external . The most successful ones will see the value in engaging with technology partners who can act as co-pilots . Empowering them to co-create a tech stack that is agile , scalable and ready for the future .
X-as-a-Service delivers
Tech vendors can help CIOs manage their priorities by offering an X-as-a-Service model for IT hardware , software and services , providing companies of all sizes ultimate operational and technological flexibility . This is especially important as companies strive to deliver innovation and steady growth in the face of economic headwinds .
Scalability = flexibility
One way CIOs can tackle these challenges is to ensure their organization ’ s tech stack is lean and nimble enough to handle complex transformation projects and respond quickly to external threats . In a digitized environment , an unnecessary delay at one discreet point can impact all areas of internal operations .
The X-as-a-Service model also frees in-house teams from handling routine and tedious IT processes and infrastructure maintenance . Instead , they can focus on higher-value business initiatives . Simply put , CIOs can spend their time innovating , not managing IT . Recognizing this , if given the opportunity to improve efficiency , 57 % of CIOs say they would replace half or more of their company ’ s current technology . Nearly all ( 92 %) would consider adding new X-as-a-Service offerings over the next two years .
During the pandemic , organizations that were agile and flexible were able to minimize disruptions and experienced an almost seamless migration to remote work . This demonstrated the power of scalability as it enables companies to flex when they need to , responding quickly to sudden organizational demands or external threats while mitigating risk .
Finding a suitable co-pilot
Faced with multiple priorities at once , CIOs are turning to tech vendors to keep up with the pace of technology while addressing critical business needs . In fact , many CIOs say they expect to work with vendors to help increase operational efficiencies and stay ahead of the demands of their businesses .
One way CIOs can tackle these challenges is to ensure their organization ’ s tech stack is lean and nimble enough to handle complex transformation projects and respond quickly to external threats .
By embracing an X-as-a-Service model , businesses also benefit from greater cost efficiency , as they only pay for what they need . Moving away from traditional cash purchases and leases and transitioning to a scalable X-as-a-Service model is quickly becoming the norm .
By outsourcing infrastructure management to vendors , organizations are shifting from a solely Capital Expense ( CAPEX ) approach to IT operations , which requires substantial up-front investments to purchase , maintain and upgrade assets . By working with third parties and utilizing X-as-a-Service models , CIOs can now fund these as part of their Operating Expense ( OPEX ) to support the day-to-day business needs . Finance departments are then able to free up money for other key projects and investments across the business .
The future of the CIO
The transformation of the role of the CIO , like the technology they advocate , will continue to evolve to meet the pace of innovation in the industry . Due to unprecedented levels of Digital Transformation , combined with the scale of investment required to deliver new infrastructure for hybrid working , CIOs have been thrust into the spotlight more than ever before . Partnering with tech vendors that offer flexible solutions will be crucial to their success . p
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