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Transformation: The role of IT and the CIO is changing! #tsy13

On November 6 this year’s T-Systems Symposium is held in Dusseldorf. Last year under the slogan “Zero Distance – Working in Harmony” based on innovative business models and modern ICT, a new kind of vicinity to the customer was central. This year the consequences of Zero Distance will be discussed. I’ll be on site at the symposium and comment and analyze the topics cloud, mobile and collaboration. For this purpose, appropriate article will be published on CloudUser during this week.

It’s all about the customer

Never the relationship with the customer and end users has been as important as today. Equally, the technological access to those groups have also never been as easy as today. This also the business side has recognized and steady increases the demands on IT. High availability as well as a maximum speed under the best possible security requirements are the claims to which CIOs have to be measured today. Simultaneously current solutions must be as simple and intuitive to use, in order to be prepared against the ever-increasing competition for customers.

Disruptive IT: The role of IT will have to change

Cloud Computing, Big Data, Mobility and Collaboration are currently the disruptive technologies that will trigger a massive change in many areas and to face IT departments and CIOs with great challenges. However, these can be use for the own purposes and thus create new opportunities.

I just recently spoke with an analyst colleague on the role of the CIO. His amusing but serious conclusion was CIO = Career Is Over. I am not of the opinion. Nevertheless, the role of IT and also of the CIO exposed to a change. The CIO needs to be understood as an innovation driver instead of a maintenance engineer and be much more involved in discussions with the departments (marketing, sales, production, finance, personnel) respectively search for the dialog. He needs to understand what requirements will be expected to make the necessary applications and infrastructures quickly, scalable and easy to use and to provide apps and tools as from the consumer sector. This means that the internal IT needs to be exposed to a transformation process, without compromising the safety and cost. This change will decide on the future of every CIO and if he is still regarded as Dr. No or a business enabler, which is a strategically important partner for the CEO and the departments as a business driver.

By Rene Buest

Rene Buest is Gartner Analyst covering Infrastructure Services & Digital Operations. Prior to that he was Director of Technology Research at Arago, Senior Analyst and Cloud Practice Lead at Crisp Research, Principal Analyst at New Age Disruption and member of the worldwide Gigaom Research Analyst Network. Rene is considered as top cloud computing analyst in Germany and one of the worldwide top analysts in this area. In addition, he is one of the world’s top cloud computing influencers and belongs to the top 100 cloud computing experts on Twitter and Google+. Since the mid-90s he is focused on the strategic use of information technology in businesses and the IT impact on our society as well as disruptive technologies.

Rene Buest is the author of numerous professional technology articles. He regularly writes for well-known IT publications like Computerwoche, CIO Magazin, LANline as well as Silicon.de and is cited in German and international media – including New York Times, Forbes Magazin, Handelsblatt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Wirtschaftswoche, Computerwoche, CIO, Manager Magazin and Harvard Business Manager. Furthermore Rene Buest is speaker and participant of experts rounds. He is founder of CloudUser.de and writes about cloud computing, IT infrastructure, technologies, management and strategies. He holds a diploma in computer engineering from the Hochschule Bremen (Dipl.-Informatiker (FH)) as well as a M.Sc. in IT-Management and Information Systems from the FHDW Paderborn.