By Francisco Pinto, Silver Peak Vice President for Latin America
The demand for results in the short term is already part of the routine of the CIO of any company. As this pressure is not accompanied, necessarily, by more investments in the IT sector so that the numbers grow quickly, professionals bet their chips on the concept of cloud computing. Since it does not require high initial investments, the cloud is a clear option for doing more with less. IDC predicts that expenditures on Information Technology and Telecom (ICT) will total US$ 175 billion in 2014 in Brazil alone. The predicted growth of 9.2% should be driven by projects related to the Third Platform, supported by the pillars of social media, mobility, Big Data and, of course, cloud computing. The numbers reaffirm what we already know: the cloud is here to stay.
Still according to IDC, US$ 6 billion of these US$ 175 billion will be spent by other areas of the companies and not necessarily by the IT department – formerly the only sector responsible for directing investments in technology. In other words, due to its ease, business executives started to acquire services directly, without consulting the company's CIO. This growing movement converges to the so-called Shadow IT or Invisible IT, a phenomenon that encompasses all technologies acquired by different business areas of organizations with their own budgets.
As acquisitions do not require large or complex processes – not even adaptation, numerous cloud-based services are acquired without the knowledge of the IT team. These are additional systems installed, such as, for example, a browser that the user considers to have the friendliest interface or an application that he already uses for personal organization and wants to expand its functionality for work. A McAfee study, conducted by Frost&Sullivan's Stratecast unit, reinforces the Shadow IT trend by noting that 81% of line-of-business employees and 83% of IT teams admit to using software not approved by the corporation.
The installation of different systems, without prior approval, can lead to problems, such as connectivity and security failures. It takes the CIO and his team to take some action to rein in Shadow IT. Closely monitoring the network is the first and simplest step. This control can be incorporated into the routine and will allow detecting new devices or services purchased and/or downloaded. With this information, it is possible to understand the specific needs of each business area and, then, offer more suitable alternatives to the resources.
It is increasingly common for professionals to remotely access corporate data and it is also necessary to manage this issue of mobility. It is necessary to make sure that the company provides mobile alternatives to its employees, otherwise they may find the ones that suit them best. Sharing a list of pre-approved software and applications is another very effective tip. With options, professionals will make more assertive decisions, with support and certainty that they will not pose any security risk to the organization.
Small measures like these will bring the executives closer to the CIO and this technological independence of the areas can be circumvented. The approach, in addition to maintaining the relevance of the IT department, will also give the company strategic visibility of the sector. Technology is part of everyday life inside and outside companies and the IT team has become a consultancy within organizations. The executives? In addition to being partners, they must now also be seen as customers and the CIO must guide them towards the best practices for using technology, since he has this knowledge. More than ever, CIO, a strategic vision of the whole is fundamental.
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