To stay relevant in the face of disruptors, companies need to consider upgrading their technology. Modernizing an IT function involves moving away from legacy software and hardware and embracing innovative solutions and automation. From a strategic point of view, it means moving away from reactive to proactive IT support services and greater IT governance. IT modernization also means embracing
cloud services to host hardware and software so that a business can achieve greater flexibility, consuming as much or as little as needed.
The modern IT function should be staff-centric, providing a range of capabilities focused on staff productivity:
Mobile device management (MDM)
All devices are fully managed
Security operations centre (SoC)
Many IT functions now need to perform SoC services, continually reviewing logs and audit trails for suspicious entries. However, few SoCs can respond to all entries without input from staff (i.e. “Did you login from Russia” or “Did you mean to forward your emails to a Hotmail account”)
Automation
A modern IT department is continually automating repetitive tasks to reduce risk, improve efficiency (tasks completed in seconds), and manage their operating costs
Provisioning
New devices can be remotely provisioned without the need for staff to bring devices into the office
Application management
Applications can be added, upgraded, or removed
Proactive security
Staff behaviours are assessed as possible cyber-attacks, and vulnerabilities are measured to help prioritise pre-emptive security remediation
IT Service Management (ITSM)
IT functions need to use tools to help them manage the range of IT activities coming from staff and internal IT processes; like the ITSM leader ServiceNow™
IT Strategy
All IT functions need robust IT plans that support the organisation’s strategy, carefully balancing cost, timescales, and quality
Transparency
In the age of continuous change having accurate records is vital in defining future IT strategy, understanding staff, and demonstrating the return-on-investment to the board.
However, along with the new advanced capabilities brought on by
digital transformation comes the need for new skill sets and processes so despite greater automation, IT functions still require support and management.
