The role of IT in the enterprise is constantly changing, and some key shifts in mindset are necessary in order for IT to remain relevant and useful to the organization as the industry evolves.
IT is no longer just a department that equips employees with pre-defined lists of tools; IT employees are innovators, influencers, and problem-solvers. The direction that IT takes on a technology decision can influence the whole enterprise. Given this redefinition of the standard IT job description, here are some ways that IT personnel can adapt their approach and actions to ensure their impact on the organization is significant and positive.
Innovate Standard Services
IT is about more than providing access to tools and resources — it’s about optimizing systems to ensure that access is efficient, secure, and convenient. IT should provide employees with anywhere, anytime access to corporate apps and services. Further, executive stakeholders depend on IT to help support required information security, business continuity, and compliance initiatives from an infrastructure perspective.
Embrace the Customer Experience
IT personnel must acknowledge that their perception in the enterprise will be largely determined by whether their “customers” (employees) are satisfied with the services they’ve received. In the case of IT, those services are often the availability and usability of the IT infrastructure, but the customer experience also stretches to other business units.
Operate IT as a business to more readily meet the budgetary, strategic and functional goals of the organization. In addition, prioritize both long and short-term needs, and understand how to compromise between solving an immediate need and implementing a solution that will provide long-term value.
Establish and Execute Vision
IT plays a pivotal role in ensuring that a company’s infrastructure will support its growth as it adds new employees, clients and services. Conceptualize IT as an opportunity for innovation around new tools and technologies, and not just a means of keeping the existing core services running. Communicate a strategic vision for IT to both members of the IT organization and to other areas of the business; this will help the entire company shift its mindset about the role of IT.
The role of IT must change as technology becomes increasingly critical to the success of the enterprise. IT leaders that innovate around core services, focus on providing a great customer experience, and successfully establish a vision around IT for the corporation will not only help the company go further, but will pave the way for the corporate IT function to gain greater respect and recognition. To learn more about the increasingly strategic importance of IT in the enterprise, contact eXemplify today.