Transition Time
It isn't easy to make the move from tactical to strategic, but it's possible. One way is to shift from a reactive stance so the IT staff isn't in a perpetual crisis-response mode.
Insomniac Games' Kirk says it took about three years to stabilize IT operations enough to move beyond crisis management. "Database servers were unstable, mail systems were flaky and we were a bottleneck to production back then," he says. "That was unacceptable." He got the company to invest in tools to help streamline operations, including a ticketing system for the helpdesk and CA Unicenter for asset management and software delivery.
"Asset management was a godsend," Kirk says. Before deploying the software, Kirk's staff would have to inventory a system manually if an employee requested more memory, for instance, to determine what was on the machine and what the system could support. Now, thanks to the automation, IT can do a quick lookup and place an order for RAM in 10 minutes. The automation also means the two people in the four-person IT department who focus on maintenance and support can each handle more users, which is essential to holding down IT costs as the company grows.
Another step is to actively promote--dare we say "sell"?--the IT department to power players in the organization. To showcase IT as a strategic partner, Broad and Cassel's Nesbitt is recruiting technology advocates outside the IT department. "I always try to meet with the managing partner [at each office]," she says. "If they can't meet with me, I try to develop technology liaisons at each office so there's one person at the attorney level I can communicate with." Lawyers with a technological bent, who enjoy technology and can communicate its value to others, make ideal liaisons, she says.
Another option is to get outside help for the basics so your staff can concentrate on the bigger issues and projects. Even though most survey respondents' IT staff size held steady or even increased last year, 54 percent say they're still understaffed. The majority have staffs of 10 or fewer people, and 27 percent have staffs of five or fewer. Given that, why devote resources to black holes such as the helpdesk, patching and basic operational management when you can outsource it?
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
