Running a commercial data center means the CIO (or CTO in this case) needs to have their head and hands around a range of issues that affect not only their own environment but also the fates of the company's clients.
Sudhir Verma, CTO at Force 3, looks at communication and collaboration, borderless networks, cyber security services, and medical imaging solutions for Federal agencies and Enterprise organizations. We asked Verma for his thoughts about infrastructure changes and what the CIO should be tracking.
TEP: What changes are coming in the next 2 years with regard to IT infrastructure?
VERMA: In the next two years, I expect to see significant changes in IT infrastructure in the areas of security and cloud. Thanks to the “Snowden effect,” we are seeing security move up the priority list. Since the breach, it is becoming more critical and more dynamic. We won’t be able to depend only on network security anymore, because data is not just in data centers anymore, it is everywhere. Data protection beyond where organizational boundaries exist now will be the key.
The cloud will definitely become more prevalent in application space. But, your own internal, friendly IT department will still exist. The workload and resources will shift outside of the IT environment as it exists today. Right now, most IT departments are focused on running and maintaining the current IT environment. They don’t have any chance to think outside the box, implement changes, or make anything more efficient. Moving forward, the idea is that with the cloud, some of workload shifts to the cloud and you have someone other than your internal IT department doing the running and maintaining for you. But your IT department will still be here. As some resources and workload may shift to the cloud, that will free up time for them to do bigger and better things, improving the end user experience and adding value to the business.
TEP: How will the landscape change for CIOs and what should they be thinking about today to prepare?
VERMA: The CIO of the future will be a business person, not just the highest technologist in an organization. There is a definite shift happening where CIOs need to be technology experts, but must also have business savvy, relationship and business development skills. Today, CIOs should be thinking about improving their vendor management skills and building bridges with other C-level executives. They have to understand where the business is headed and align themselves with that direction.
Scott Koegler practiced IT as a CIO for 15 years. He also has more than 20 years experience as a technology journalist covering topics ranging from software and services through business strategy. He has written white papers and directed and published video interviews.
Scott publishes ec-bp.com, a supply chain industry newsletter and has written for publications including Network Computing, Forbes, Internet Evolution, and many others. He also manages and edits SuccessfulBusinessNews.com - a newsletter for small businesses, and NPTechNews.com - a newsletter addressing technology topics geared to nonprofit
