The Journey to Business & IT Alignment

At VMworld Europe 2014, a conversation that we anticipate to have with many people during the event is around the journey to business and IT alignment. As the lines around IT purchasing continue to blur, particularly as business leaders have more say in technology investments, we often hear about the frustrations that business and IT leaders encounter, particularly when they feel like they’re not working off the same page.

Over the years, organisations have become savvier about the value of corporate data and the opportunities of being able to turn information into insight. Business leaders are excited about the potential of these insights on business growth and competitive advantage, and expectations on what IT can deliver are naturally high. However, as positive as it is to see organisations recognise the value that IT brings to the business, this is typically where misalignment can occasionally happen.

IT has always been the guardian of information, but its role today is changing. Not only is the IT department being tasked with storing data securely and cost effectively, but it’s also being asked to make sense of it. The complexities of deriving intelligence from data are large and varied, but what adds to the challenge is when business leaders and IT are not aligned on the answers they want to understand from their data.

Recent research conducted by HDS interestingly found that only 11% of UK CIOs strongly feel they have enough access to business leaders to develop and execute effective IT strategy. At HDS, we believe that data is currency, which can be a transformative force in business. However, the only way to accelerate business growth and drive competitive advantage is by aligning IT capabilities with business objectives, so both parts of the organisation work hand-in-hand to shape what IT does. 

IT-accelerated organisations use technology as a strategic asset, helping them to derive intelligence and mobilise information, enabling them to be more competitive. Organisations that take a ‘Business Defined IT’ approach to information, leveraging it beyond its primary and intended use, and connecting it with other datasets, will lead the way with innovation, and benefit from the creation of new revenue streams.

HDS will be at VMworld Europe talking about the need to realign the relationship between business management and IT, and demonstrate that organisations that view IT holistically can enable greater productivity, drive new revenue opportunities, and unleash growth potential.

To help our customers achieve this vision, we’ll also be showcasing our One Platform Zero Worry solutions at the event; technologies in the areas of storage virtualisation software and enterprise storage hardware that can drive IT efficiency through a responsive, software-rich architecture that can quickly react to changing needs without continual redesign and disruption. This enables businesses to build the most available, automated and agile environment for next-generation data centers.

Come find us in Barcelona at booth P205, Tweet with us at@HDS_EMEA or @HDSCorp share out our cartoon series and forward the video on ‘The Journey to Business and IT Alignment’.