The area has moved beyond a support role to become a protagonist within organizations. In practice, it now acts on short-, medium-, and long-term planning.

Strategic IT has stopped being a support area and has become the engine of the business. In short, understand what changes in practice.

For many years, organizations viewed the Information Technology (IT) department as an additional cost. In fact, it seemed to generate more trouble than advantages. It was practically an external team, focused on supporting the other departments. However, this view has changed completely. Today, companies talk about strategic IT.

Moreover, what is the main reason? It is now impossible to separate the business plan from IT needs. In fact, a company’s success depends on strategic IT aligned with its purposes. This is the department that will contribute to the company’s results globally. As a result, IT plays an active role within its strategies.

In practice, IT has become a protagonist for companies. After all, in a competitive world they depend on its assets: people, software and systems, infrastructure, architecture, and partners. Therefore, getting strategic IT right is essential to stay competitive and boost employee capabilities. In addition, it improves the quality of products and services and strengthens the relationship with consumers.

In addition, all of this improvement is related to the larger volume of information available in the digital environment. In short, this is the so-called digital transformation. It starts with the collection of data and the storage of this information. Likewise, cloud platforms and observability now sustain the whole operation. As a result, the company secures a strategic IT function, optimizing processes and integrating solutions.

If there was any doubt about the importance of IT for business, the pandemic removed it for good. “Historically, times of crisis lead to great innovation. In these periods, we are confronted with the opportunity to think differently and create long-term impact. The crisis caused by the pandemic is no exception,” stated the World Economic Forum (WEF) in a 2022 article. Meanwhile, that shock turned into a permanent management lesson.

Strategic IT: from support to protagonist

Likewise, business strategies depend on IT strategies aligned with business purposes. In practice, that applies to short-, medium-, and long-term planning. For this reason, the area has moved from a support activity to a leading role in corporate performance. Moreover, there is already a consensus about technology. In short, it is impossible to compete, delight customers, and reduce costs without it.

However, the other areas are tracked through data. Likewise, IT itself needs its own metrics and parameters. Today, the area works as a business partner and answers for outcome metrics. In practice, that includes influenced revenue, cost per transaction, and availability as the user perceives it. As a result, a question arises: what are the impacts of strategic IT on the business?

What strategic IT unlocks

– IT becomes a true competitive advantage, contributing to the organization’s core activities.

– Smarter use of technology resources, with FinOps exposing cloud cost by area.

– Cost reduction, asset optimization, and support for other strategic activities.

– Discovery of the most suitable tools, solutions, and platforms for short-, medium-, and long-term operations.

– Anticipation of problems, more predictability of results and purchases, and monitoring of the market and competitors. In practice, all of this depends on proper data processing.

– Greater ease to innovate out of interest or necessity.

– Digitalization of processes and access to real-time information.

Meanwhile, what is the status of IT in your business? You can get a complete diagnostic of your business structure. Learn more about this service!

In short, what should the next steps be?

Predictions for the coming years

Anticipating the future is always a challenge, because transformations happen very dynamically. However, you need to stay alert to trends. In a 2022 article, the WEF already pointed to directions for the future of strategic IT. In practice, they still drive decisions through the end of this decade.

The mapped trends

– Better strategic planning through game theory and artificial intelligence – These tools are already widespread. In fact, they are part of daily life for many businesses. Increasingly, generative AI solves complex problems and identifies patterns. Moreover, it suggests new paths toward business goals.

– A larger volume of information managed properly – With organized data, companies analyze and act more effectively. In addition, they can track information in real time. Moreover, Business Intelligence platforms allow more effective data visualization. As a result, analysis becomes simpler, including with AI support.

– Mapping, agility, and data-driven decisions – These three factors are directly connected. In practice, the company has a roadmap of incoming data. As a result, it can formulate hypotheses and get answers quickly, based on real information.

People and security at the center

– Technology amplifies human talent and knowledge – Advances are constant here. In practice, automation, artificial intelligence, data, and analytics make it possible to operate precisely and at scale. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean the end of the human workforce. In short, it means a shift toward more strategic activities. Therefore, AI governance must define who decides what.

– Connected, secure, and productive work – Hybrid work is simply normal in companies today. Therefore, technology is essential to ensure everyone can work this way. In addition, it must respect labor laws and regulations. After all, the goal is employee well-being.

– Cybersecurity is a fundamental pillar – Remote work, digital economy, and business relationships all depend on it. Today, zero trust is the default access model in companies. Likewise, privacy regulation now operates with real enforcement and penalties. Not by chance, a MarketsandMarkets study projected a jump for the segment. It pointed to US$ 138 billion in 2017 and US$ 232 billion in 2022.

After all, is your business prepared for what comes next? You need to know the current state of your information technology in depth. Therefore, you will understand which investments are necessary to compete on equal footing with your rivals. Contact Inove Solutions to get a proper diagnostic of your structure and learn how to evolve toward strategic IT!