Rethink Cloud - IT leadership’s new role in the customer’s mission

“It’s so critical for leaders not to freak people out, but to give them air cover to solve the real problem. If people are doing things out of fear, it’s hard or impossible to actually drive any innovation.” – Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

IT leadership has a pivotal role in fostering a culture of innovation. “Empower users to innovate easily” is the sort of outcome organizations will want CIOs and IT departments to help achieve. Technology driven change has the potential to improve organizational performance, reduce bureaucracy, reenergize people, and in some scenarios, even resurrect entire organizations.

There are many factors creating a gigantic shift in how IT is built and delivered.

Greater mission effectiveness ensuing from adaptability and continual innovations are more important drivers of cost reduction

Foremost among is the “art of the possible” fueled by rapid innovation in cognitive services, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and new types of computing platforms like the HoloLens. More than any other industry, Government has complex and dynamics needs and at the same time big budget deficits. Government needs to continually leverage technological advances to manage IT investment risks and most importantly create disruptive ideas to improve mission.

Niten focuses on organizational and mission change enabled by digital transformation. He can be contacted at [email protected].