Singapore may be one of the most digitally advanced nations, but its IT directors are still challenged with relating their vision for digital transformation to the wider business. Whilst it’s true IT directors are gaining greater power as businesses increasingly recognise the importance of technology, the alignment is still not right.
IT directors still face the hurdle of persuading the C-suite into adopting and investing in new technology. They are still hesitant that new technologies can disrupt established business processes, according to a Deloitte study. There are however three key steps they can take to bring colleagues and management on board with IT director priorities for digital transformation.
The challenge is combining the translation of a deep understanding of the technology deployed in the business, whilst making the case for digital transformation’s strategic importance to the business, and ultimately being heard where it matters.
There is no simple route to better aligning a company with a digital agenda. But whilst on that journey, there are priorities that should enable IT directors to make that route a little less problematic. What is required in order to ensure technology continues to deliver, despite the ongoing evolution of technologies place within organisations.
Talk about risks and security
All the headlines about major data breaches at high-profile companies over the past few years have put IT security on more business leaders’ agendas, and rightfully so. Every executive in every business needs to be aware of the damage that can be done to a company’s reputation and bottom line if data is exposed and puts customers at risk. However, it is vital that these discussions are focused on the risks to the business or a security or data breach, as opposed to the technology required to minimise the risk.
How likely is a breach that would require notifying investors? What are the potential reputational costs of such an attack? What protections can the IT department provide to prevent such risks and how much will they cost? Discussions around these areas are much more likely to engage the rest of the business, and add real strategic value to the organisation. The IT director has a lot to offer in helping explain and address discussions around this.
Leverage on specialised knowledge to support decision makers
In order to convey the importance of IT investment efficiently, IT directors should look to further develop their understanding on business priorities. By doing so, they are able to provide direct recommendations to solutions which will help plug areas of concern or open new methods of improving business processes. IT directors can look to engage in open discussions with executive board members such as the CIO or CTO. Through this, they can help the C-suite better communicate the benefits of IT to the wider team, and also bring their knowledge to support the the board. This will put initiatives around digital transformation on a much firmer footing when discussions around budget arise.
Unfortunately, executives not steeped daily in the realities of enterprise IT can develop unrealistic expectations about what tech can do for the business. To help those executives clearly understand the business benefits of IT investments, the IT director needs to demystify these views and provide clarity on the direction IT investment would take them towards. Management needs to make clear the real capabilities and limitations of ‘hot’ trends, such as the cloud or artificial intelligence - topics your colleagues are likely to hear about from their own reading or from family.
The IT director should leverage his expertise and help the executive team separate reality from marketing hype, and then advise on choosing the right solution. IT directors should also highlight that IT investment is a necessity to keep competitive. An IDC report for example highlights that APAC organisations are rapidly maturing to monetise on the capabilities of Big Data Analytics technologies by 34%.
Promote IT as a business enabler
IT directors ultimately have to convince the executives that IT investment is beneficial now and in the future. Many decision makers within organisations are more focused on revenue brought in rather than the technology utilised. The IT directors can communicate this by highlighting key points that will resonate with executives. The overall message that IT directors should communicate is that ‘IT is good for business’. For example, investing in cloud is a much cheaper alternative than physical data centres, and by investing in a solution or platform that requires little to no physical maintenance can free up more budget to focus on other areas of the business. By moving to a digital platform, organisations enable their employees to focus on activities that bring greater value.
For the most part, IT directors will need to educate their executives on the various components of technology and their impacts on the organisation. However, the main message for IT directors to drive is that there is a clear ROI when investing in technology, and that through technology, organisations have a clearer path to achieving business objectives.
Mao Gen Foo is Vice President, Sales, Asia, OpenText