Seven challenges faced by CIO in 2022 and Solutions

2020 Years and 2021 The COVID-19, which has continued to spread in, has put technology leaders in a difficult position , There is not much relief this year .

in fact ,2022 Increased inflation in 、 Back in office debates and geopolitical upheavals , And exacerbated the pre-existing supply chain problems . Such as network security and IT The long-standing problems such as personnel shortage are still increasing . The development of COVID-19 has now entered its third year , Make regional emergencies more complicated .

In this context , CIOs face a delicate balance ： They have to deal with a range of variables that may affect the business in the short term , At the same time, we should also implement innovative projects that point to the future . Here are 2022 Some of the challenges faced by CIOs in ：

1、 Find and retain IT personnel

A large number of employees leave “ A wave of resignations ” Brought some feelings ： Recognize that finding and retaining employees will continue to give IT Organization brings challenges .

Research institution Gartner Vice president of corporate research John-David Lovelock Express ：“ In a sense , CIOs must respond by accepting their destiny .” He will face IT CIOs with skills gaps are compared to participants in survival courses . At some point , They must acknowledge their plight .

Lovelock say ,“ Like in a survival training course , He had to spend the night in the woods .” But if CIOs have to endure camping in the wilderness , At least they have a lot of company .

NPD The group is a market research and consumer trend research organization located in Washington port, New York , The company's global CIO Darren Person Express ：“ This seems to be a challenge for all CIOs .” He pointed out that , The problem for CIOs is not just building IT Organizations to meet today's needs . And how to ensure that they are helped IT Professional growth , Make them more successful in their work .

One answer is to provide a clear career path for becoming a technology leader , And provide a dual track of technical and management roles . Technicians often encounter forks , They must choose to stay in the technical field , Or turn to management , And how to get a higher salary standard .Person Pointed out that , Yes IT The test of the organization is to create a career path for employees who wish to continue as technical subject matter experts , And encourage them to do so . He added ：“ They don't have to make such a decision in their career to leave their expertise .”

Besides ,IT Departments need training and mentoring programs , To help technical and management personnel to continue on their career path .Person The importance of combining training with personnel expansion was emphasized , Among them, the training staff are paired with business or technical experts . Trainees and mentors collaborate on projects to enhance learning . He said , This method is more effective than learning online courses alone .

Person say ,“ The problem is , When they return to their daily work , There is no project to do , They forgot everything they learned in that course .”

Headquartered in London, Ontario Info-Tech Research The group's CIO, director of practical research Brian Jackson Express , Neglecting career development IT The Department will suffer the consequences of doing so . He said , Those who quit said they lacked professional development and purposeful work .

Enterprises must provide a career path , This includes a clear set of skills that employees need to acquire , You can get a higher position or a raise in the future . He said ,“ This must be absolutely clear to employees .”Info-Tech Research Group 《2022 CIO priorities report 》 Will support “ Employee centric retention strategy ” Listed as one of the most urgent issues this year .

Jackson Express ,IT Employees also need to understand how they contribute to broader business goals . Employees who regard their roles as unimportant positions will not be highly motivated .

He said ,“ This may be a bit dull . Want to ensure that the discussion IT What is your mission , as well as IT How to connect with the overall mission of the enterprise .”

2、 Enhance the customer experience

The CIO's goal is to improve the customer experience , Whether this means making life easier for internal users or external business partners and customers , Customer experience is often the focus of forward-looking digital transformation projects .

According to the Chicago based digital technology consultancy SPR The company issued a document named “2022 Technology leadership forecast for ” The report , Investments in this area distinguish digital leaders from their followers . The company found that , Under investigation IT Among leaders , Yes 59% Percent of respondents said they were very effective in responding to customer needs , The proportion of the laggards is 37%.SPR The company defines leaders as future oriented innovation 、 Cooperating with business parties and being able to cite evidence of achieving their objectives IT organization .

Higher education institutions are one of the industry sectors that focus on customer experience or student and employee experience . Maryville University in St. Louis is rethinking innovation in higher education .Phil Komarny Recently became the chief Innovation Officer of Maryville University , He was before he joined the company Salesforce Vice president of innovation .

Komarny say ,“ We are doing a very in-depth study of experience analysis , Designed around our students' learning , Just like your customer journey in retail .”

Komarny say , Through this analysis , He aims to understand the current environment of the school and what students may have “ Bad experience ”. He pointed out that , The ultimate goal is to redesign students' use of modern applications ( Such as Salesforce、Slack And mobile applications ) Describe the cumbersome business processes often used in the University experience .

Komarny When talking about college education, I say ,“ This is one of the biggest investments for students . Why can't we make them happy , Rather than say ,‘ This is where you need to go , Because this is the system we use '? It was an old state . I think we are moving towards a more consumer driven future .”

In another example , Caltech uses ServiceNow To help students deal with management tasks , Without having to visit multiple campus offices .SaaS Technology is also widely used by employees in departments such as the office of financial assistance and the office of the president .

Vice president and chief information officer, information technology department, California Institute of technology Pomona John McGuthry Express , Figure out how to support students in a more digital way , And creating more digital experiences for employees is one of his top priorities .

He said ,“ By providing students with an excellent experience , It is adding luster to the excellent campus culture .”

McGuthry Also pointed out ,IT Staffing is a challenge . Same as other industries , Most CIOs in higher education are trying to retain talent .

3、 Support mixed work

The transition to mixed work is another challenge for CIOs . ad locum , Employee retention rates cover the entire enterprise , Because employees seek flexibility and a better work life balance . For those who help to deploy teleworking technology in the early stage of the COVID-19 IT managers , It will only increase the difficulty . Now? , They must adapt to telecommuting and the ongoing back to office movement .

Jackson Call the hybrid operation mode and make it run smoothly , It is a challenge that everyone is facing .

He pointed out that , As CIOs help reshape the workplace , They may need to consider updating the technology . Whether current collaboration tools are sufficient to promote new working modes ?Jackson Add , They may also need to replace the existing conference room technology with a system that provides equal status between video call participants .

Person Pointed out that ,NPD The company has been researching software based video devices , The device can simulate the remote experience that each participant has a camera . This method solves the embarrassment of having multiple conference room participants displayed on one video screen , There is also a small set of separate screens next to this view .

Person say ,“ There are some new technologies in use , I know many companies are making this investment . This technology is still immature . therefore , Before I think this technology will try to solve the problem , Another investment cycle may be required .”

4、 Deployment automation

COVID-19 has promoted the rise of remote work , It also leads to investment in automation . This trend will be in 2022 years .

Person Express , Automation can improve efficiency , You can also be creative . He said ,“ I want to move people to higher value functions , So that they can help bring higher value returns to the enterprise , Instead of doing something ordinary , One is not very interesting , Second, there is no real connection with others .”

Person Express , Automation includes scripts for handling repetitive tasks , For example, copying files from one folder to another . He also saw no code / The potential of low code tools . He said ,“ They are not perfect , But it is undoubtedly a window into the possibilities of the future .”

However , Whether and how CIOs use low code / No code technical differences .Person Express , Some CIOs don't want anyone to deploy code , Unless they belong to the technical team . However , Other CIOs want to put the tools in place , Make employees more successful in their daily work , It also provides appropriate governance for their use .

Person say ,“ Technology needs to be an enabler , But it can not be a promoter to open various security vulnerabilities , This governance structure is very important .”

5、 Strengthen network security

CIOs master and handle a range of emerging technologies , From automation to artificial intelligence , They still have to pay attention to the persistent cyber security threats . As enterprises Digitize more business processes , The network attack surface that needs to be protected is expanding .

SPR Chief technology officer of the company Matthew Mead Express ：“ Given all the things CIOs and CTOs are trying to do , I think it's a huge challenge to integrate appropriate security into the portfolio .”

One aspect of this challenge is IT There is a clear disconnect between the organization's prioritization of cyber security and the availability of investment funds .SPR The company investigated IT Leaders list cybersecurity as the highest skill required to implement a technology strategy . But according to the company , In terms of resource allocation , Network security ranked fourth , Second only to data 、 Cloud computing and digital workplace technologies .

meanwhile ,Info-Tech The company's report states , The prevention of ransomware is a key area that needs to be improved this year .Jackson Express , CIOs should consider working with suppliers , And coordinate network security work with other enterprises in the industry . He added ：“ It is challenging for any enterprise to deal with it alone .”

Jackson admit , Sharing network information among enterprises is still a sensitive topic . He pointed out that , Ransomware can do much more than affect the operation of enterprises , For example, network attacks on hospitals and energy pipelines . He said ,“ This is a threat to society , We must work together across departments .”

6、 Study sustainability indicators and reports

As sustainability standards begin to converge , The CIO can look forward to another task .

The international sustainability Standards Committee (ISSC) launched this year 5 This month outlined the steps to establish a baseline for sustainability disclosures , And plan to 2022 Complete the formulation of standards before the end of the year . The Committee seeks to set the environment for international investors 、 Social and governance reporting standards . before , The securities and Exchange Commission of the United States has published the proposed climate risk disclosure rules .

Jackson Express , Governments will legislate around emerging standards , This will set compliance requirements for listed companies . Companies will need dashboards to track their carbon emissions and those of supply chain companies . Data collection requirements will include facilities such as data centers .

Jackson say ,“ CIOs must be involved .”

IT Managers may need some outside help from consultants and technology providers to understand how to measure carbon emissions .Jackson Pointed out that ,“ Most companies have never considered this process before .”

7、 Dealing with inflation

Rising inflation requires CIOs to think carefully about buying IT The timing of .

For enterprises that obtained network equipment at the early stage of the COVID-19 , The technology refresh cycle may be coming .IT The problem facing the manager is , It is waiting for a period of time to change the technology , Think the price will fall , Or buy it now , Think prices will continue to rise .

Person say ,“ There are some signs that inflation will do the opposite , But the signal is not strong enough . It's really hard to predict what will happen next . therefore , I think it is difficult for people to comprehensively determine the timing of major procurement at present .”

In addition to hedging equipment purchase costs ,IT Managers can also check recurring costs , for example SaaS Subscription fee expansion .Person Pointed out that , Careful study of utilization may reveal reduction or optimization SaaS In response to the opportunity for inflation growth .