CIO & CISO Benelux

Panel Discussion: Collaboration is a Key Part of Digital Strategy

The workplace is rapidly evolving, and today’s leading CIOs recognize the need to enable business transformation for a digital-first world. But without a holistic view of the organization, simply adding new technologies can do more harm than good. For true digital transformation success, organizations must understand the critical nature of cross-departmental collaboration and alignment.

In the past, it may have been acceptable to plan for new technology implementations in a silo, but this is no longer the case. Without a thorough understanding of end user needs and workflows, it can be all too easy to increase complexity with the addition of new digital tools, which can quickly undermine employee productivity and customer experience.

Leaders must therefore establish open communication throughout the organization in order to have the information necessary to make improvements. If teams are not empowered to voice their needs and concerns, then the entire organization will eventually be negatively affected. In contrast, when leaders across departments are aligned and can seamlessly collaborate on strategies that take into account how the business operates as a whole, then successful transformation is much more likely.

Strategic alignment throughout an organization removes barriers to transformation. This alignment begins at the top with leaders who foster a culture of collaboration, partnership, growing skills, and teamwork. Organizations that are unable to adopt such a framework may soon be left behind.

Panel Questions

1. How can CIOs identify whether the structure of their organization is supportive of collaborative work?
2. What steps can CIOs take to foster a culture of improved collaboration within their organizations?
3. How can CIOs measure improvements in collaboration?

Cloud Adoption

The benefits of increased agility and flexibility that cloud computing offers are undeniable. Individual business silos, historically accustomed to operating independently, now have the opportunity to collaborate with others like never before. With the right cloud-centric mindset, organizations can innovate faster and more effectively than ever before. But questions remain about how to most efficiently and securely transition data to the cloud and integrate this data across public and private cloud environments.

Learning Outcomes

• How to determine which workloads are best suited for the public vs private cloud
• How to take steps toward embracing a cloud strategy
• How to identify workloads most applicable to cloud adoption

Value Optimization

To stay competitive in the digital age, today’s IT leaders must guide their organizations through innovative and strategic changes that are often focused on value rather than costs. Identifying and focusing on the critical 20% of efforts that produce 80% of business value can help the organization dramatically reduce its costs while reducing effort spent on work that only produces marginal value.

Learning Outcomes

• How to anticipate and overcome the challenges associated with value optimization
• How to create a team of relevant stakeholders to help guide the organization through the value optimization process
• How to identify new business capabilities and processes the organization will need as it becomes increasingly digital

Women in Leadership in IT & Security

More women are in the workforce today than ever before, but women remain underrepresented in IT leadership roles even as a growing urgency develops to bridge the gaps of gender representation in the workplace. Unconscious or implicit biases may be to blame for this lack of representation. Addressing these issues has widespread benefits throughout any organization.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the benefits of a more diverse workforce
• How to encourage leadership opportunities for all members of your team
• How to identify and address the implicit biases against women that may be present within your organization