Cloud computing’s influence on the IT industry has been continually rising, with businesses around the world spending a record $107 billion in 2019 alone (37% more than the previous year). Its ever-increasing prominence has resulted in the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) evolving to address new demands and requirements.
Rather than personal computers or local servers, cloud computing uses a network of remote servers accessed via the internet to store, manage and process data. Today, most established organizations and startups rely on cloud computing. 81% of companies with 1,000 employees or more now have a multi-platform strategy. This figure is set to rise to more than 90% by 2024.
The growth of cloud computing means that this sector is continuously evolving. For example, the rise of machine learning is resulting in the cloud industry moving towards an intelligent cloud. With a greater choice of cloud solutions, CIOs will need to stay on top of the latest developments to make the right decisions on behalf of organizations to drive their digital transformation.
Cloud’s influence, combined with the DevOps movement, means that software development and IT operations have been combined and streamlined. Infrastructure and applications are no longer separate, which means the CIO no longer needs to supervise manual IT tasks.
This means that company CIOs must develop more managerial and strategic skills to drive the organization’s cloud computing solutions. Cost-effectiveness and efficiency must be at the forefront of their strategy, which will add an extra dimension to their traditional role within a business. CIOs must also become even more flexible and agile. There are now so many different cloud providers that multi-cloud is now a key strategy for businesses. This means they will be able to pick and choose cloud solutions according to their merits without being reliant upon a single provider. The CIO will be the person in charge of expanding a multi-cloud strategy, which means they must consider aspects such as security, service integration and cost.
As cloud computing evolves, organizations will increasingly rely upon their CIO to implement beneficial solutions to drive digital transformation. As demand increases more than ever, there will be a greater number of cloud-based solutions for companies to choose from. This means that the CIO’s role will be enhanced to incorporate both technical savviness and business-orientated strategic thinking.
