The Growing Importance of CIOs in the Emerging Digital Era

The growing importance of CIOs is quite well perceived in this digital era

A CIO is the person of any organization behind today's digital transformation initiatives and as well as their approach will decide the future innovations.  But they face continuous challenges to use the latest technologies and keep on inventing new IT innovations to make the entire business process agile. CIOs are carrying the major responsibility of driving technological change. Those who are not willing to take the challenge to transform their business processes always carry a risk of becoming an ordinary player in their industry.

Large enterprises with digital agility can quickly respond to emerging business models, embrace new digital technologies, and ensure excellent customer experience through innovative products and services. While digital transformation is an enterprise-wide business strategy, the CIO (chief information officer) is uniquely poised to combine strategy and technology to lead the process and deliver transformation quickly.

Looking at how fast consumer behavior is changing and how customer expectations are climbing new ladders, organizations need to ask themselves, how long they can sustain in the market in the impression of someone who is giving just "good" customer experiences.  Here all eyes come to the CIO. The role is vital, as companies are focusing more on using digital channel efforts on making customer interaction more savvy, engaging & transparent. In short, CIOs are running the global digital show.

While CIOs used to make their careers on their tech credentials, today's most successful CIOs stand out for other skills, including communication, building bridges between groups, and empathy – all-important at times of big cultural change.

Historically, chief technology officers managed to implement internal technology and keep it current. Oftentimes, CIOs and information technology managers were removed from overall business strategy and decision-making.

But in this increasingly technological and data-driven world, the CIO has gradually taken on more responsibility in the strategic decisions of organizations. Because technology is vital to most companies' bottom lines, no matter the product or service sold, CIOs can no longer simply be technical experts. They must take on a tactical role in the growth and maintenance of companies of all sizes.

The role of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) was once understood to be that of an executive focused mainly on IT. Now that technology is an essential component for companies both great and small, the role has been evolving. All organizations rely on IT, whether they are multinational conglomerates, small family businesses, or municipal holdings such as schools or libraries. Technology is integral to maintaining daily operations; it is no longer a niche contained within tech start-ups or software companies.

In the current climate, CIOs are not only tasked with leading technological initiatives but are integral, valuable participants at the top of the organizational ladder. In addition to being knowledgeable and strategic in the tech space, a CIO needs to be a proficient businessperson. Successful CIOs must balance the goals and objectives of an organization while also making sure their teams remain supported, motivated, happy, and successful. CIOs are called upon to be decision-makers, leaders, and anticipators.