The new CTO: Leading constant change

While most CTOs are well-versed in technological transformation, they now face a new suite of challenges; how can they help their company thrive in an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world?

Our recent conversations with leadership teams have highlighted a trend; businesses need to become better at rapidly responding to change. Most CTOs see their role as one of enablement, improving organisational agility and resilience through technology. We work with many of the UK’s fastest- growing companies. Regardless of their sector, they invariably have one thing in common: powerful ERP [enterprise resource planning] at their core. This ERP acts as a technological spine, supporting and interconnecting all parts of the business. Some are built from different applications but crucially it is seamlessly integrated, delivering ‘a single version of the truth’.

The emergence of remote working has forced companies to build capabilities to support a dispersed workforce. A core part of our work in recent years has been supporting companies to migrate to a cloud platform to create greater flexibility for the organisation while not compromising on security or data protection. Remote working has radically shifted the risk landscape, creating cyber vulnerabilities and far larger attack surfaces.

CTOs must blend understanding of employee behaviour with technological knowledge. International governments have also recently warned against the use of Kaspersky. We are working with many CTOs as they re-evaluate their cyber security options. As one of the UK’s only CrowdStrike-managed services partners, we have been able to offer a powerful, viable, cloud-native alternative. Managing costs is critical for CTOs, and with ‘as-a-Service’ models becoming more commonplace, CTOs are now able to build business solutions capable of scaling with the organisation. This can mean scaling both up and down, paying only for the services consumed.

Finally, CTOs must evaluate the role of their IT partner. Recognising
the importance of a pro-active partner that has proven capability to scan the technology landscape, evaluate vendors and their technical capabilities. This gives reassurance that you are identifying best-of-breed products.
A partner should be capable of providing actionable insights and
guidance to enable the business to make smarter, faster decisions that drive stronger performance.

Richard Stathers, operations director, Thinc Richard.stathers@wearethinc.com | 0808 168 8922