Benefits of more strategically oriented information technology approach

Benefits of more strategically oriented information technology approach: providing services everyone understands.

Extract from strategy+business – Peter Burns, David Hovenden, and Mark Johnson:

Chief information officers and other IT leaders have had their hands full during the past few years, coping with disruptive change. The global economic downturn has limited the technological investment available to most companies. Because of an aging workforce and insufficiencies in science and technology education, the overall skill level of the IT talent pool is declining. Mergers and acquisitions have forced IT functions to link up ill-matched technologies from different legacies. Vendors are rapidly consolidating as well. Employees demand access to mobile devices, tablets, and social media. The growth of cloud computing and the acceptance of software-as-a-service, while sharply reducing costs, have added a new level of complexity to IT strategies and raised questions about information security. Advances in robotics and digital fabrication are beginning to have an effect on prototyping and supply chain practices.

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