3 Surprising Ways Business Intelligence is Changing the Role of the CIO and CTO

There has been a lot of conversation about the onslaught of new marketing technology solutions arriving in the market and the challenge it creates for a CMO trying to stay ahead of the game. But consider how that growth and related changes affect the CIO and CTO. Their challenge is not choosing the right solutions, enforcing adoption or proving the value – as it is for the CMO. Their challenge is different entirely, yet just as demanding. There are more systems to manage, more urgency, more stakeholders and more requests for support. And, they need to ensure all the new technologies integrate with existing tools and feed into the BI solution.

The expectation to Build Business Value

Owning the responsibility for company information and technology used to mean exactly that. Assembling, implementing and managing the internal systems that kept the business running. However, with the steady influx of new technology and tools, CIOs and CTOs are increasingly positioned as not just the owners of technology, but as the leaders of BI and data analytics initiatives.

At the helm of a company’s technical nerve center, CIOs and CTOs are perfectly positioned to step into a position of greater power. No one else has in-depth an understanding of all the systems, their purpose, capabilities, and integration points. Savvy CIOs are seizing the opportunity to bring increased value to the organization and making a name for themselves, and at the same time, essentially positioning themselves as visionaries for their company’s digital transformation.

Opportunity to Lead Culture Change

As the leaders of the company’s technology, CIOs and CTOs are well-positioned to become the internal champions for new BI solutions and data analytics technologies. The success of solutions intended for use across the company needs a high-level champion to ensure user adoption. CIOs and CTOs are being called upon to become the knowledge experts on solutions like BI, so they can build appropriate teams or designate resources from within the IT organization to support other departments across the company.

It’s important to recognize that user training should include more than just how-to’s for creating reports and dashboards. Training should include how-tos for interpreting the data output as well. Certainly, this isn’t solely their responsibility, but more and more often they are becoming the designated leaders of creating culture change in support of BI.

Need for Collaboration with the C-Suite

As evidenced by the previous points, today’s CIOs need to build stronger collaboration with all C-level executives in the company. There has long been a strong relationship between them and the CFO, but that type of alliance must now be established with the rest of the C-suite. The CMO, in particular, has an increased need for technology support to manage their department’s tools and technologies. However, every department leader is invested in BI technology due to the incredible value it provides, and they need to know how to get the most out of it.

The game is definitely changing for CIOs and CTOs and the stakes are high. It is a time of evolution for the roles largely due to the inundation of new technology. A BI solution can help them take control and provide a platform on which to rally. It provides unmatched value for the company, enables CIOs and CTOs to lead the company through its digital transformation and provides the value needed to encourage collaboration with the C-suite.

If you’re in the evaluation stage for BI tools, take a look at ClicData BI solutions. They’re powerful, mobile, customizable and can help you quickly show quantifiable results.