CEOs of companies live and work under a lot of stress, not least of it being attributable to IT concerns. Given the criticality of IT to any business, any problem on that front can have far-reaching adverse consequences for business, which is what triggers stress among CEOs. While the list of concerns that IT can cause for CEOs is a long one, here are the top 10 issues to look out for.
Installation of IT infrastructure
Now this is the first and major concern of CEOs, mainly because of the huge costs involved, and the qualified manpower needed to do the job. Identifying and buying the best IT infrastructure (hardware and software) can be a challenging task, requiring a lot of research. Budgetary constraints can make it an even more difficult job, thus necessitating IT consultancy at times to ensure that you’re on the right track while making the choice.
Keeping it updated
It’s not enough to buy good hardware and software; it’s equally, if not more important to keep it updated at all times, which can again be quite an onerous job, given the speed with which technology keeps advancing. So keeping pace with the changing technology can be a tough proposition, and even quite expensive. This can be a real bane for the CEO of any company looking to remain competitivein business.
Automation
Related to the need for updating is the need for automation. As mentioned, technology changes too fast to keep pace with it manually. This means, as the CEO of a company, you can’t really hope to keep updating your systems and processes manually. Automation is what you need, as that helps ensure real-time updating of your IT software applications, thereby enabling access for you and your team members to updated data at all times.
Cybersecurity
Security of IT systems is a nightmare for all CEOs. The looming threat of malware, hacking, theft and the like, can make securing your IT systems a big-time challenge, involving cost and time implications. This is one aspect of IT you can’t afford to compromise on, whether you’re managing a small business or a large one. Only the scale of security differs a little depending on the size of your business. For the rest, you need to be really uptodate with the latest security threats, as well as with the commensurate latest protections, to keep your IT network insulated from any danger. Not doing so could have even greater time and cost implications, even leading to business collapse. So be sure that you are always a step ahead of your competitors when it comes to cybersecurity.
Legislation
The IT network of any company is an integrated structure spread across geographies, each of which may have its own sets of legislation. For a CEO, therefore, remaining abreast of the legislation in the areas of their network presence, or IT operations, can be a big headache.After all, as a CEO, you alwaysneed to be careful about remaining on the right side of the law. You naturally wouldn’t want to be exposed to the risk of being charged with violating some law, which means you need to be aware and updated on the relevant IT laws.
Data storage and retrieval
Backup is an integral part of all IT functions. Since IT is prone to all kinds of seen and unforeseen risks, it’s important to have real-time backup of all your data, while maintaining its secrecy and security. You should therefore have access to a reasonably sized and priced data storage space, preferably on the Cloud, where you can easily access it, and also retrieve it with equal ease. The loss of precious data can be suicidal for your organization, and hence, something you need to insulate yourself from while concurrently also ensuring a good and simple-to-use backup system.
Tool integration
Finding the right tool for the integration of your IT services is another big challenge if you’re a CEO. While there’s no dearth of integration applications to choose from, not all of them may be compatible to your systems and suitable to your needs. Your budget is another consideration that can impact your choice, and hence you need to make a lot of effort in finding the tool that fits your budget and matches your requirements.
Analytics
Having a good IT system may be the sine quo non of a successful business, but if the IT data is not properly computed and analyzed, then it becomes defunct. For a CEO, having an effective analytics system or process is as important as having a good IT system in the first place.
Social media mobility
Mobility across social media platforms is another vital need your IT system must fulfill. That, unfortunately, is easier said than done, and hence, an imposing challenge for a CEO. IT productivity gains should not be offset by mobile usage, while at the same time ensuring that the IT system in your organization is not isolated from the mobile generation of today. Striking the right balance is a tough call for any CEO.
Human resources
Considering the expertise required to manage IT systems, HR is indeed a huge concern for all CEOs. Getting hold of quality personnel to manage their IT processes and concerns is a major challenge, especially when mapped to the overall costs involved in the IT operations and the commensurate returns.
Conclusion
It’s quite evident that for a CEO, IT is a big challenge and can in fact become a serious threat. While the gains from IT are immeasurable, the concerns can at times outweigh those if not addressed in a timely and proper manner.
