The pace of digital transformation in almost every organisation has accelerated hugely over the past 12 months, largely driven by the coronavirus pandemic. But as the shock waves subside, the continuing large-scale transfer of operations and services to digital will only be considered truly successful if it delivers lasting and demonstrable business benefits.
More than ever, therefore, chief executives are looking at their chief information officers (CIOs) to ensure technology-driven projects do not fall into the trap of becoming costly box-ticking exercises that fail to deliver on their promise.
“The pandemic really shone a light on the critical nature of technology and how it enables every single business process,” says Jots Sehmbi, director of innovation and technology, CIO and chief technology officer at the University of Essex. As the pandemic first struck, a year ago, Sehmbi was faced with the challenge of moving the operations of the entire university, comprising some 13,000 students and 2,000 employees, online in under three weeks. “But we were able to do it and with very little interruption,” she says.