IT News: CxO (Dec. 13th, 2021)
John J. McLaughlin
Editor-In-Chief, Board Member, Professional Services Engineer, Community leader
In This Issue:
Marketing and information technology are both critical to an organization's success. Here's important advice on how each department's top leaders can forge a strong partnership.
"A CIO's job is rooted in technology and tied to facts. A CMO's job focuses on creating narratives and painting pictures in the minds of current and prospective customers. These two roles appear as different as two roles can be.
And yet, an effective CIO and CMO relationship is critical to the success of the company. The pandemic has created issues in the supply chain and disrupted the workplace, to name just two issues. Companies are scrambling to transform marketing, advertising and operations to meet changing customer expectations and new business realities. As part of this, creating complementary IT and marketing technology investments is critical. CIOs and CMOs working together effectively can be a benefit -- and in fact a strategic differentiator -- for a company embarking on a digital transformation...." [SearchCIO, December 9th, 2021]
With Omicron rising, IT leaders are looking at lessons learned from stopgap COVID workplace measures to establish intentional hybrid workplace strategies tailored for long-term success.
As most CIOs see it, the distributed, hybrid enterprise workforce is here to stay.
With the new Omicron variant extending hybrid or fully remote policies into 2022, most C-suite execs, including CIOs, are recognizing the need to develop longer-term hybrid workplace strategies built around new technologies employees can use to improve collaboration and productivity while balancing work and life circumstances, according to several CIOs interviewed recently. [CIO, December 9th, 2021]
At the end of last year, we said that in 2021 ransomware would be here to stay, and the big trends will be third-party attacks and cyber terrorism
While no one likes to say 'I told you, so,' especially when it comes to cybersecurity, the past 12 months saw headline after headline about ransomware attacks, third-party hacks, breaches of valuable data (like EMRs), and even some cyber espionage. 2021 highlighted vulnerabilities within third-party connections, saw hackers getting smarter and better, and showed how cyber attacks can have devastating real-world consequences. You only need to look at three of the biggest data breaches of 2021 to see the rising trends. [Security Boulevard, December 8th, 2021]
Strong cybersecurity comes at a price. The exact amount depends on your risk tolerance
'Money should be no object when it comes to cybersecurity' is a phrase often uttered by people who generally know very little about money and even less about cybersecurity.
Actually, money does matter. It matters a lot. If money didn't matter, even the most modest enterprise could hire a team of experts to work around the clock to build, operate, and maintain a military-grade cybersecurity infrastructure.
The truth is that cybersecurity, like any other business operation, has to follow a budget. [Network Computing, December 9th, 2021]
Check out the five thought-provoking HBR articles, curated especially for CIOs and IT leaders, that resonated most with our audience in 2021
Each month, through our partnership with Harvard Business Review, we share five new HBR articles we believe CIOs and IT leaders will value highly. As 2021 comes to a close, we are taking a look back at the five most popular HBR articles from this past year. Here are the stories that resonated with you.
Read on for details. [HBR, December 8th, 2021]
As providers adapt their go-to-market strategies, customers must plan ahead.
While corporate data centers supported by managed infrastructure services were once in the background supporting business operations, they have now moved to the forefront of strategic planning and targeted investment decisions. Infrastructure and operations (I&O) models must change to empower businesses to embrace the digital age, innovate, and integrate their cloud-first strategies.
The end is coming for the traditional infrastructure support model of procuring, provisioning, and supporting in-house infrastructure that enables new and upgraded enterprise software. Innovations, digital transformations, cloud-based infrastructure offerings (e.g., security-as-a-service), and the emergence of hyperscalers are changing the definition of infrastructure and infrastructure managed services. [CIO, December 7th, 2021]
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IT and tech leaders look at the road ahead and predict what's next for hybrid work tools, cloud, AI, and more
"As we embark on a new year, how can what we've learned help us in 2022? If the past two years have proved anything, it is the importance of rapid adaptability in the face of uncertainty. In 2021, CIOs focused on operational agility more than ever before. To prepare for the unexpected and adapt to whatever 2022 holds, companies must further accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and prioritize specific technology trends. To keep navigating this level of change, CIOs know they need to start by focusing on talent retention and relationships..." [The Enterprisers Project, December 8th, 2021]
Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference 2021, Americas: Day 3 Highlights
We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference, taking place this week virtually in the Americas.
Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. Here are the highlights from Day 1 and Day 2.
On the third and final day of the conference, we are highlighting the strategic roadmap for edge computing, the top mobile technologies that define the future of mobility, and the top technology trends impacting DevOps in 2022 and beyond. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates... [Gartner, December 8th, 2021]
Strong cybersecurity comes at a price. The exact amount depends on your risk tolerance
'Money should be no object when it comes to cybersecurity' is a phrase often uttered by people who generally know very little about money and even less about cybersecurity.
Actually, money does matter. It matters a lot. If money didn't matter, even the most modest enterprise could hire a team of experts to work around the clock to build, operate, and maintain a military-grade cybersecurity infrastructure.
The truth is that cybersecurity, like any other business operation, has to follow a budget. [Network Computing, December 9th, 2021]
At the end of last year, we said that in 2021 ransomware would be here to stay, and the big trends will be third-party attacks and cyber terrorism
While no one likes to say 'I told you, so,' especially when it comes to cybersecurity, the past 12 months saw headline after headline about ransomware attacks, third-party hacks, breaches of valuable data (like EMRs), and even some cyber espionage. 2021 highlighted vulnerabilities within third-party connections, saw hackers getting smarter and better, and showed how cyber attacks can have devastating real-world consequences. You only need to look at three of the biggest data breaches of 2021 to see the rising trends. [Security Boulevard, December 8th, 2021]
In March 2020 IT organisations across Europe achieved remarkable outcomes when they helped millions of workers to transition from physical offices to their homes in days due to the onslaught of COVID-19
In the case of UBS, over 150,000 such workers were sent home in under a week. Cloud-based virtualisation tools such as Citrix DaaS, a remote access tool, that had been implemented well before the crisis, thus helping to smooth the transition.
The question that now faces CIOs is how best to support employees in an increasingly hybrid world where workers have far more choice about where and how they work. Hybrid is no longer a choice between office and home. It implies anywhere, anytime working. This shows a greater emphasis on enhancing the employee experience alongside that of the customer. [CIONET, December 7th, 2021]
If you want people to follow proper security practices, they need to understand why. That's best done by telling a good story
An eternal discussion in security is whether technology, process or people are the critical element in information security at scale. Most security leaders will tell you it's the people that matter. Changing people's behavior to care about security practices requires more than simply taking poor practices off the table. It requires new positive habits and motivations. People connect with stories, and the brain naturally synthesizes the journey of a story with people's own experiences and relationships. [CSO Online, December 8th, 2021]