The CIO Versus Users Who Buy Their Own IT

The CIO as we understand the role is under threat from Cloud Computing and ICT professionals need to start getting smart about their function.

That was the stark warning from Oracle, a company whose conversion to the Cloud has taken time to go public. While once dismissed by CEO Larry Ellison as “just water vapour”, Cloud is now firmly on the Oracle road map as a top priority.

Hence the appearance of John Abel, chief architect for Oracle, at the firm’s Cloud Conference in London this week where he told delegates that they had to get closer to the business side of the organisation – and at an earlier stage in order to stop non-techies from procuring their own ICT services.

Such ‘land and expand’ strategies have been commonplace in private sector Cloud Computing where departmental heads in, for example, sales have grown tired of waiting for an official ICT department roll out of new functionality and instead subscribed to Salesforce.com off their own backs.

“CIOs need to make sure that they are part of the business conversation early on. For the first time, thanks to Cloud Computing, the business is able to sub-navigate IT,” warned Abel. “Project control is becoming increasingly important for CIOs, because now the business thinks that it doesn’t need IT and it can go and procure its own IT capabilities with SaaS.

“The business person of the future is the same person that will be used to using Facebook and Twitter. They will be used to instant access, they want IT now,” he added. “That’s the challenge that IT has with Cloud, because if IT can’t give the business that instant capability, they will go and get it from somewhere else.”

This isn’t necessarily a threat though, he argued as it gives the ICT Professional a new form of engagement with the organisation. “A good CIO will use this as an opportunity, whereas CIOs that are more conservative, or more risk adverse, will see it as a threat,” he said. “The IT department can capture this problem early and initiate discussions with the business.

“They will work with the business to understand what direction they are moving in, to understand how the IT capability and Cloud can be used to get it there. If they haven’t had that conversation and captured those requirements early, they will be in trouble.”

Author: Stuart Lauchlan
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Brian

Managing Partner at meshIP, LLC

Brian Byrne is the founder and Managing Partner of Dallas based meshIP, a technology services firm offering cloud computing strategies and services. He is an accomplished executive with senior management experience in all facets of the technology, telecom, cloud computing, and SaaS industries. He has proven success in developing, financing and executing strategic plans as well as launching new ventures. His background includes a record of significant achievement in international business development and his credentials include a MBA in Marketing and Management Strategy from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a MS from the School of Computer Science at DePaul University, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

He is also the inventor of the patented meshDETECT, Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions.

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