Chief Information Officers in any organization have a wide range of responsibilities that must be handled expertly and simultaneously. They also have to ensure that sensitive information, databases and other forms of data in any company are kept safe. Frequent surveys reveal that there are a few problems and challenges that continue to plague a CIO.
Security
Experienced CIOs understand the importance of information security and taking all stops to facilitate better security. Multi-layered defense systems in challenging environments along with an increased number of threats and risks make security even more important. CIOs have also pointed out that larger corporations are not just dealing with standalone hackers but organized crime syndicates operating from multiple parts of the world. What makes them unique is that they are sophisticated and complex in nature, making the need for security even more prominent.
Eliminating margin of error
Another common concern and challenge for CIOs is the need to eliminate errors. Methods to prevent one issue from cropping up could lead to many other fall outs in security and reliability of the system. Today, most corporations are at a juncture where a single power outage could lead to security issues, loss of productivity and other forms of losses, opening up the company to new risks. A security issue in the website could immediately affect the company’s reputation negatively, making any margin of error a serious concern for CIOs.
Unpredictable economy
Being a widely accepted belief that change is the only constant, unpredictable ups and down in global economies as well as service demands from customers can pose severe challenges to any organization. This is why an increased interest in new IT business models and services is bringing much needed relief to CIOs. In response to new IT aligned environments, the role of a CIO can change drastically with greater emphasis on skills not directly related to IT.
Budgetary changes and ROI
Many organizations around the world have reported that IT budgets were more likely to increase in the next few years. While this comes as a welcome change, increased budget also indicates a significant increase in expectations. CIOs are often under pressure to show results through IT initiatives and projects but sometimes face unexpected failure owing to sudden changes in the economy. ROI expectations for IT are also increasing from 36 percent in 2010 to 43 percent today. With increasing responsibilities, a CIO is expected to perform exceedingly well in many departments.
