In this week's news roundup for IT pros, how digital transformation is reshaping the adaptable IT organization, and a new source of IT talent.
The ever-evolving IT leader
In an article for the Wall Street Journal this week, Gary J. Beach referenced a prediction from Nicholas Carr's 2008 book, “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google.” Carr argued that “in the long run, the IT department is unlikely to survive because it will have little to do once the bulk of business computing shifts into the cloud.” Beach went on to challenge that theory by showcasing all the ways in which the IT organization and its leaders have evolved over the past seven decades. From its electronic data processing roots to the IT department that we recognize today, Beach highlights how technology innovation through the years have significantly impacted and changed the role of IT. Looking forward, Beach says, “as cloud computing comes to dominate corporate infrastructures – and new waves of, say, cognitive computing, wash into the enterprise – the technology department will once again adapt.”
Spotlight on customer experience
One of the ways IT may be adapting in the digital era is toward a most customer-centric business model in which the customer experience is just as important as technology innovation. In an episode of CXOTALK, Michael Krigsman speaks with Mayur Gupta, chief digital officer of Healthgrades, about the importance of a customer focus on the overall success of digital transformation. Gupta says, “Digital transformation is not about it just technology. It's not just about automation. It means redefining your business model. It means redefining consumer engagement and the value you bring and identifying new channels.”
Finding talent in unlikely places
Recruiting and retaining top IT talent is one of the key challenges facing CIOs and business leaders today, and some are getting creative to solve it. Forbes contributor Alison Coleman wrote this week about a Silicon Valley-based startup, Blend, that decided to look outside of the tech talent hub at its doorstep in favor of a skilled engineer pool 6,500 miles away – in Romania. Coleman reports that other startups that require experienced IT talent are starting to follow suit, and investment dollars are following the trend. Blend co-founder Akash Nigam says, “Much of the available talent for hire in San Francisco are students out of college, who expect to get paid top dollar but haven’t pushed product level code a single day in their lives. Eastern Europe differs in that there is plenty of talent still available with 10 to 15 years’ experience under their belt and a bunch of similarly talented friends interested in coming along for the ride.”
More news for CIOs
3 things you can learn from the NFL about digital transformation [ZDNet]
Why a security team embraces shadow IT [CIO]
5 traits effective IT leaders need [InformationWeek]
