In this week's edition of news for IT pros, articles that break down the increasingly complex IT issues facing CIOs today.
Lessons for a post-cloud world
When it comes to security in the cloud, it seems executives can't make up their mind. Joe McKendrick highlights the findings of a recent survey in an article for Forbes, which indicate that while eight in 10 IT professionals and executives believe their organization’s data is safer in the cloud, security is still the top barrier in moving to the cloud. It's a paradox when, as McKendrick points out, faith in the cloud is on the rise. “Today, about seven in 10 of executives see the value of cloud computing and consider themselves to be 'believers,'” he says in the article, as opposed to about half in 2013.
This rise in faith may be an indicator that we are moving to a “postcloud future,” as Galen Gruman posits in InfoWorld. He argues that there is no point in continuing to debate on-premise data centers versus the cloud – cloud has won. He offers five lessons to learn in a post-cloud world, and says, “If IT can get past the notion of on-prem vs. cloud and instead focus on the underlying principles of cloud computing, it won't matter how those principles are instantiated. That is, the cloud will no longer mean where, but how.”
CIO-CMO alliance and other challenges
Jay Ferro recently wrote about the many benefits of a close, collaborative working relationship between the CIO and the CMO at American Cancer Society. But an article in CIO Magazine this week points out that such a close bond may not be the norm at most organizations, and that CIOs and CMOs need to work much more closely if they hope to meet the digital transformation demands of their CEOs. Author Clint Boulton suggests that big data and customer experience are two areas in particular that the two C-level executives should align around.
But getting closer to the CMO isn't the only thing on CIOs' plates these days. Vala Afshar breaks down 20 important issues and trends shaping today's CIOs – from widening IT skills gaps to complex integration challenges.
More news for CIOs
Healthcare.gov: Hard-Earned Lessons For CIOs [InformationWeek]
How Big Data Can Sideline Innovation [Fast Company]
