Published on the 11/09/2015 | Written by Newsdesk
With the industry abuzz with transformation, the role of the IT department itself is coming under increased scrutiny…
More than ever before, the opportunities and risks which are presented by effective use of technology are falling to IT leaders to decipher – and much rests on their ability to successfully navigate the bits and bytes on the one hand, and the demands of the business on the other.
Just how the technology managers of today – and tomorrow – are tackling transformation is to come under the spotlight at the IT Shop conference, taking place in Auckland on 23/24 November. Steve James, GM technology at Les Mills International (LMI) is presenting on ‘Driving IT Transformation’.
He said it isn’t just technology that is transforming, but business itself – very rapidly – and it doesn’t really matter what business you’re in. “IT has to keep pace and remain relevant. LMI is in the business of creating fitness experiences, and this is a market being disrupted by streaming media, people training in parks and any one of a range of emerging trends. Staying relevant is all about innovation, often, but not always using technology.”
Probably the most major transformation in IT is that it can no longer be a separate service provider to the business.
“Everything we do has to be about what competitive advantage it delivers to the business. As technologists, we have to talk business enablement and think in both worlds.”
James said one of the ways in which this is apparent at LMI, is a commitment to become the fittest IT team in New Zealand. “We’re turning the perception of pale, unshaven and overweight geeks around. We’re not those people anymore; what IT does is different these days, we are an integral part of the business so we live and breathe the same ethos – and in our case, that is health and fitness.”
The IT Shop Conference is an inspirational two-day event targeted at IT leaders of today and tomorrow.
