<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to believe it, but 2020 is right around the corner. How are the most strategic and
\nsuccessful CIOs preparing for the dawn of a new decade? We asked a handful of technical
\ndirectors from Google Cloud\u2019s Office of the CTO to share some words of wisdom with fellow
\nIT leaders. Keep reading to hear what they had to say.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mobile apps, connected devices, wearables, social media, chatbots\u2014people are engaging with brands in more ways than ever before, using a widening array of digital technologies. And increasingly, business success hinges on a company\u2019s ability to create seamless, enjoyable experiences across these disparate touchpoints. Indeed, research shows a strong correlation between superior customer experiences and revenue growth.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumer expectations are at an all-time high, and the bar will keep rising through 2020,\u201d explains Jamie Erbes, a technical director for Google Cloud. \u201cPeople want products and services that offer a high level of personalization and adapt to their lifestyle. When that doesn\u2019t happen, they quickly move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As digital experience becomes a major differentiator, savvy IT leaders are redefining their roles within the enterprise to focus on driving business value. Rather than simply putting out fires and keeping the lights on, they\u2019re enabling employees to give customers what they want, continuously deliver improvements, and quickly respond to feedback. It all boils down to a few basic themes: data analytics, machine learning, cloud services, and the transformation of the IT department.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s businesses are already laying the foundation for better digital experiences in 2020 and beyond\u2014even if they don\u2019t realize it. Sprawling across screens and devices, the modern customer journey generates a constant stream of information about what works and what doesn\u2019t. CIOs are uniquely positioned to harness all of this data through advanced analytics and reach across organizational silos to give everyone the insights they need to make<\/p>\n
smarter business decisions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses that want to win in 2020 need to think about how every interaction with their customers or supply chain makes them a better business,\u201d says Scott Penberthy, a technical director for Google Cloud. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not doing this, your competitors already are.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For some CIOs, all the commotion surrounding big data is already old news: in a 2015 survey of IT decision-makers, 53% had kicked off data-driven projects or planned to do so within a year. But as technology advances, CIOs will need to integrate new digital touchpoints, consider next-generation tools for fast and scalable processing, and reevaluate their storage strategy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBy 2020, data won\u2019t be confined to large data centers,\u201d Erbes says. \u201cAdvances in physics will make it possible to let data live wherever it wants, like in your backpack or on your phone. As a result, CIOs and analysts will have to shift their thinking from columns and rows in a centralized enterprise data warehouse to flattened, distributed data sources that you can slice and dice any way you dream of.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now, here\u2019s where the year 2020 starts to look as futuristic as it sounds. That\u2019s the year when the market for machine learning and artificial intelligence will reach $5 billion, up from $420 million in 2014, Research and Markets predicts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Like advanced analytics, machine learning models create business value from the massive amounts of data within every organization. But what makes them so powerful is that they evolve and improve over time, Penberthy says. \u201cIt works as an AI loop,\u201d he explains. \u201cYour business processes are producing data. You can use AI to figure out what\u2019s happening, feed it back to the field, and respond in minutes or hours instead of months. And it just keeps getting smarter and smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Even today, CIOs around the world are racing to adopt these powerful technologies. In 2016, 72% of the 1,600 enterprise decision-makers surveyed by Vanson Bourne had already fully or partially deployed AI solutions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Evren Eryurek, also a Google Cloud technical director, notes that forward-thinking CIOs are applying machine learning to the particular pain points of their business and industry, whether that\u2019s analyzing X-rays, sorting insurance claims, or routing customer support requests. \u201cIt removes the burden of manually sifting through all that data,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen software can handle tedious and time-consuming tasks, the jobs that remain can be<\/p>\n
much more fun and creative.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Red tape, slow approvals, rigid processes, access restrictions\u2014traditional corporate IT departments get a bad rap. They\u2019re often seen as frustrating impediments to productivity and collaboration, leaving employees no choice but to use unsanctioned apps that may jeopardize corporate data. This \u201cshadow IT\u201d has become a fact of life for 90% of CIOs, according to a 2015 Logicalis survey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But it doesn\u2019t have to be this way, says Max Saltonstall, another technical director at Google Cloud. \u201cCIOs have it in their power to make IT fast, frictionless, and empowering,\u201d he continues. \u201cThey need to shift their focus from keeping things running and cutting costs to helping employees become more efficient, productive, and collaborative, while creating an environment for innovation. The key is to give them awesome tools and great resources, and then get out of their way.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Depending on a company\u2019s specific needs and resources, this can be as simple as letting employees help themselves to an extra charger without having to involve the support team, Saltonstall explains. In other organizations, CIOs may choose to provide cloud-based tools that enable both developers and nontechnical staff to quickly build time-saving internal apps, sometimes without a single line of code.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone benefits from this kind of approach,\u201d Saltonstall says. \u201cEmployees are happy because they don\u2019t have to wait for someone from IT to address their issues. And the IT team is happy because they have more time for more interesting and challenging projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Between 2016 and 2020, worldwide spending on public cloud services will more than double, reaching $195 billion, according to the International Data Corporation. If today\u2019s CIOs don\u2019t take part in this movement, they may risk being left behind, according to Penberthy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all heard it before, but I\u2019ll say it again: Now is the time to run, not walk, to the public cloud,\u201d he says. \u201cCloud solutions are smarter and faster, and many also include cutting-edge security features that use artificial intelligence to stay ahead of new threats.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Many of those cloud-bound dollars will doubtless be diverted from the on-premises systems that today\u2019s CIOs own and manage\u2014and maybe even designed and built. Nevertheless, forward-thinking IT leaders will undertake the difficult task of spearheading their companies\u2019 public cloud adoption, moving away from the corporate data centers that once defined their jobs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Why? Instead of wrangling dusty servers, patching obsolete software, and losing sleep over the security risks of shadow IT, these CIOs will write the next chapter for their organizations. Empowered by the speed, agility, and infinite scalability of the cloud, employees can create efficient business processes and seamless customer experiences, ensuring a competitive edge in 2020 and beyond.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: Google Cloud<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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