In this week’s news roundup for IT pros, we bring you articles on big data, IoT, and 2017 considerations for CIOs.
Wearables at work? CIOs weigh in
CIO Jury: 83 percent of CIOs allow wearables at work [TechRepublic]: “Tractica predicts that the total market for enterprise and industrial wearable shipments will grow from 166,000 units in 2013 to 27.5 million by 2020. Gartner estimates that by 2018, 2 million employees will be required to wear health and fitness tracking devices as a condition of employment—primarily those in jobs that can be dangerous or physically demanding, such as emergency responders. The smartwatch market alone grew 60 percent in the third quarter of 2016, according to a recent report from Canalys.”
The five – make that six – Vs of big data
Big Data: The 6th 'V' everyone should know about [Forbes]: “Vulnerability addresses the fact that a growing number of people are becoming switched on to the fact that their personal data – the lifeblood of many commercial Big Data initiatives – is being gobbled up by the gigabyte, used to pry into their behavior and, ultimately, sell them things. Some people aren’t worried about this, as they are comfortable with a transaction which ultimately involves exchanging an amount of privacy for an amount of convenience or value. To others the whole idea is a huge turn-off – to the extent that they will stop doing business with organizations they don’t feel respect their privacy.”
Two checklists for CIOs
CIOs: How to be a business leader in three steps [TechTarget]: “Technology and data are changing how work gets done. The embrace of digital technologies by companies and their customers has created a climate ripe for CIOs to stretch their business leadership muscles – or risk seeing their roles atrophy. Part of making the leap to ‘business co-creator,’ as Deloitte terms it, requires CIOs to educate the business on the technologies and IT governance standards that are the foundation of digital transformation.”
5 factors driving digital transformation [Information Age]: “Digital transformation is touching all aspects of business, and as a result all enterprises need to be aware that every system upgrade, connection or native and third-party applications added to existing IT infrastructure, on-premise or in the cloud, will increase service delivery complexity, scale and operational risk. It’s a situation that’s not only going to create headaches for IT teams, but could also have serious implications for the successful running of a business. As such, CIOs of companies spanning the entire global market will be vital to the success or failure of the business. It will be down to the CIO to manage the digital transition, maintain a sense of order and lay the foundations for the future. CIOs take note: 2017 will not offer an easy ride.”
A positive note
Box CEO: It's the 'best time in history to be CIO' [CIO]: “Levie sees signs of a collective turnaround for CIOs. The burden of responsibility that IT leaders carry in the enterprise, coupled with the modernization of business tools and IT infrastructure, puts CIOs in a greater position of strength as organizations transform, he says. ‘Ten years ago we had an environment where innovation was very scarce and there weren't a lot of great tools that people could use,’ Levie says. ‘Now I would say we're in the opposite environment. We are in an era of IT abundance where we've got amazing applications and services, and have the opposite problem, which is sort of, “which ones do I choose?”’”
