11 Jul

GARTNER REPORTS THAT CIO’S TOP INVESTMENT PRIORITY FOR 2014-2017 IS BI AND ANALYTICS.

In a recent survey, 98% reported that they rely on business information to do their job well, but only 6% strongly agreed that they can access their business information quickly.

The right way to bridge the gap between IT and business users is by getting the right information to the right people at the right time. It sounds like we are over simplifying it, right? The good news is, we are in an age and time when it is getting easier to do this.

SELF-SERVICE BI

Disparate systems, complicated UIs and a need for specialized tech skills have made business users more dependent on IT. The top management leaders need real-time access to critical metrics, and BI and analytics systems. To top this, the implementation time frames might be overwhelming too.

Self-service BI answers all the questions to this dilemma. It provides the facilities within the BI environment that enable BI users to become more self-reliant and less dependent on IT. These facilities focus on four main objectives: easier access to source data for reporting and analysis, easier and improved support for data analysis, faster deployment options such as cloud computing, and simpler, customizable, and collaborative end-user interfaces. It helps business users rely on real-time updates to occur automatically, thanks to APIs that plug data into a single dashboard.

CHANGING THE ROLE OF IT LEADERS: CIO 2.0

The position of CIO has been changing and we are seeing more people in the role from less technical backgrounds than in the past. The main driver for this is cloud computing – a public cloud platform that hides more of the technical backend from the user than an in-house, physical platform.

The new age CIO will focus on what matters; driven by the business’s tactical and strategic needs. Rather than worrying what company label is on the servers, the CIO can look at the overall capabilities and performance of a cloud provider’s platform and services. He will ensure the services and functions they are providing the business meets strict criteria of performance, availability, security, compliance and so on.

This evolution of his role does not release him from the pursuit of the latest and greatest in technology. Although the separation from hardware to software means the general need to track speeds and feeds is less of an issue, what is happening at the software layer becomes more important. Being able to understand how disparate workflows between the company and its customers and suppliers can be integrated to provide the optimum business value is also essential, as is being able to ensure areas such as the internet of things (IoT) are dealt with successfully.

The CIO and their team of IT leaders must stop seeing decentralized IT as a threat and recognize that perspective does not help business units leverage the power of new digital technologies or enable the enterprise to learn more widely from these efforts. This will mean that IT organizations must shift from a control strategy to an influence strategy regarding IT and all things technology. For many, it will mean the creation of a holistic business unit IT strategy that recognizes that the value propositions for different technologies require different treatments.

EVERY TECHNOLOGY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING

One of the benefits of cloud computing is increased efficiency. Services are rapidly deployed and ready for use in a matter of minutes versus weeks or months it traditionally takes. It makes your business more agile and tends to shorten IT projects. It takes fewer resources to deliver the project and a quicker and more predictive time-to-market. It has become much easier to start business innovation initiatives, often enabled by readily available cloud services.

Utilizing standardized services can significantly reduce issues and defects. This increases business continuity and reduces time spent on operational issues, focusing more on the things that matter. Cloud computing allows you to deploy the same service or topology of services repeatedly, with the same result every time.

So, what’s next? Finding a trusted implementation partner can help. At NRoot Labs, our team of experts know BI and cloud computing. We helped many companies bridge that gap between IT and business users. Call us for a quick chat to discuss how you can bring the balance between IT and business at your organization.