You don’t need us to tell you that managing an entire organization’s technology is exceptionally challenging. As a chief information officer, you encounter minor issues every day, like faulty hardware or software hiccups. However, in the wake of more serious problems that require extensive, hands-on maintenance, you might have to take a deep breath and tell yourself, “There has to be a better way.”
Here are seven of the biggest challenges that organizations just like yours deal with on a regular basis, and some thoughts on how you should approach them.
- Mobile Device Management and Mobility Security: While these can be viewed as two separate challenges, there’s no questioning the fact that security is a key player in terms of mobile device management. Every personal device your employees use on your network provides an opportunity for intrusion. Having a mobile device management solution can drastically eliminate this possibility by adding key security measures such as remote wiping, or enforcing password usage, minimizing exposure to threats.
- Implementing/Accelerating Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a major contender in today’s business environment, and cloud spending is only going to increase over the next several years. IDC predicts that cloud IT expenses will exceed $57.8 billion by 2020. However, the challenging aspect is deciding what type of solution is right for you, and what makes the most sense when considering future growth. Even if you’ve done all the research, getting a consultation would be in your best interest.
- Budget Constraints: Another major challenge is balancing your IT budget and ensuring that your organization will have enough capital available in the event of an emergency, or a crucial hardware upgrade. By implementing an “IT roadmap,” you can get a feel for where your technology will be in the next few years, as well as detailed expenses for future infrastructure updates.
- Finding Qualified and Trained People: Naturally, you want your staff to consist of only the best workers in your area. Unfortunately, there’s a significant difference between being both qualified for a job, and properly trained for a job. Organizations need to fulfill specific requirements for professional positions, especially those that have control over sensitive IT systems. Enterprises should aim to hire experienced techs that hold multiple certifications, as well as those who have firmly established themselves as professionals in their craft. However, many enterprises simply can’t find experienced technicians, but can offer training programs in order to provide new hires with the opportunity to learn new skills. Plus, the option to outsource this work is always available, and is arguably more cost-effective than adding new salaries to your budget.
- Data Protection/Recovery/Business Continuity: Data is arguably your business’s most valuable asset. Without it, how can your organization continue to function as needed? You know full well that you require data backup and disaster recovery, but how quickly can your organization get back up to speed following a crippling assault from mother nature? A business continuity strategy is never complete without a BDR solution to keep operations functioning, even in the wake of a major disaster.
- Regulatory Compliance: Regulatory compliance laws like HIPAA, HITECH, PCI, and others, are extremely important to keep in mind, especially if your organization deals directly with sensitive credentials like health records or credit card payment systems. Organizations that fail to adhere to these laws may be subject to costly fines that are more than capable of breaking their budget. It’s important to have all of your bases covered; that way, you don’t accidentally cost your business valuable capital.
- Data/Application Integration: One of the most fruitful ways that your business can take advantage of its data is integrating it with your mission-critical applications. Analysis of data that your business stores can yield promising results in the form of lead processing, customer satisfaction, and buyer trends. The biggest challenge, however, is ensuring that your business is using applications that have the ability to capture usable data and processing this information into consumable, easy-to-read figures. You need to set realistic expectations for what data you want to capture, why it will be useful, and how it can be leveraged to your benefit.
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