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Last year was an annus horribilis for most industrial operators, but for CIOs there was a silver lining especially at the dark cloud of economic turmoil.
The response to the pandemic marked just how mediocre technology – and the teams that shape and control it – has come to the fortunes of companies. By tapping cloud computing, mobile platforms and other capabilities, CIOs helped millions of people move to remote work almost overnight and quickly built several new digital commerce channels to keep companies connected to their customers .
Their efforts developed the role of technical leaders as key strategic players in the C-suite and they now aim to build on this success. Several key CIOs shared their 2021 priorities Forbes and they include ambitious plans for everything from software-driven automation to deeper insight mining from data.
Protected
But cybersecurity was the most commonly cited priority. The SolarWinds Orion hack, which saw attackers damage network management software at several U.S. government departments and access code at businesses such as Microsoft, is a strong reminder of the risks associated with over-reliance to code.
“As we become more aware of cybercrime, we continue to defend and strengthen [our] the location and procedures of information security are very important, ”said Kathy Alexion, CIO and vice president of information technology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Like Alexion, Kim Hales, senior vice president, IT at Texas-based NRG Energy, identified digital security as a top priority. Last year, the company paid $ 3.6 billion to acquire another business, Direct Energy, and Hales and its team now need to protect a wide range of systems. “With more risks than ever before, we will continue to focus heavily … because we will introduce Direct Energy as soon as possible to reduce our risks,” he said.
Hales cited data mining as another top priority. NRG Energy, which has a market potential of $ 9 billion, recently hired the first senior data analyst to create a more integrated approach to managing its information assets. Even companies with a long history of data mining plan to launch their game in 2021. “One of the things we’re focusing on is automated autocomplete,” said CIO Neal Sample, CIO. insurer Northwestern Mutual, The company aims to use AI and other technologies to capture and integrate an even broader data set as part of its decision-making processes.
Like other CIOs, Sample also intends to lead even better digital experiences for customers, whose expectations are now shaped by indigenous digital companies such as Apple and Amazon. “They’ve really built on what looks good,” he said. Northwestern Mutual recently introduced a new digital questionnaire to make it easier for people to share medical data with it as part of a broader user experience strategy.
Digital host
Virtually all of the CIOs Forbes I spoke to him that supporting remote workers would remain a top priority this year. As vaccines become more widely available, a growing number will be involved in plans to bring many workers back to company sites safely.
Sandeep Davé, chief digital and technology officer of CBRE Group ‘s $ 20 billion market cap, which controls nearly 7 billion square feet of space, has been thinking hard about how to do this. Davé said one of his priorities in 2021 is to further develop services such as Host, a platform that allows employees to use a single digital center to view things like office cleaning records and access to hot desks. on social distance.
One of his priorities is to further automate processes using software. CBRE has already seen efficiency and productivity benefits from its early efforts here, but Davé said it has “only scratched the surface” of what is possible. Hales said it also plans to use robotic process automation and other means to drive greater efficiency across the newly expanded NRG Energy.
While code can lift some workload, it will still require a lot of smart people to develop and use it. Attracting and retaining key talent will therefore be a key focus for technical leaders this year, while also creating a more diverse set of backgrounds in teams. Like many other CIOs, Alexion Fred Hutchinson said she plans to grow awareness and diversity, equality and inclusion programs as a key pillar of her 2021 plans.