The whole business relies on IT. Modern organisations simply can’t function without technology. Just look what happened to British Airways last year: an IT failure brought the business to a standstill, left customers stranded and cost the business millions. The responsibility of IT management can be a heavy weight on a CIO’s shoulders.
As IT evolves, the role of CIO is becoming increasingly complex. As well as delivering operational excellence, they’re being asked to lead digital transformation and even get involved in product and service innovation. Expectations are rising – from customers, employees and the boardroom. While they need to try out new strategies, having the right people in the right roles is more important than ever.
We asked over a hundred CIOs and IT decision makers to tell us about their experiences with IT, Service Desks and digital transformation. The answers highlighted the most common issues CIOs face today.
IT decision makers either can’t find the talent they need or can’t afford it. Many are turning to outsourcing to access specialist knowledge and take care of day-to-day tasks that take up too much time internally.
However, affordability is also an issue with outsourcing, as is quality of service and overall value for money. So finding the right outsourcing partner, and outsourcing the right tasks to them, is critical to overcoming skills shortages in an increasingly competitive market.
Takeaways:
- The technology skills shortage has increased competition for talent, making it hard to find and afford.
- In-house resource needs to be freed up from mundane tasks to focus on strategy and delivering added value.
- Outsourcing can help IT decision makers access specialist technical expertise and take care of routine IT management.
- But the devil is in the detail. Only 1 in 5 feel they’re getting great value and great service from their outsourcing partner, so deciding what IT services to outsource and to who is critical to success.
