Great article from Wall Street Journal.
Chief information officers are more important to their chief executives than ever before, as they navigate remote work needs and economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, said Aaron Levie, chief executive of software maker Box Inc.
“All their IT decisions have been appreciated and underscored more than any other point in history,” in part because companies are now seeing how investments in technology and workforce productivity are paying off, Mr. Levie said at a WSJ CIO Network virtual conference Tuesday.
CIOs who are most well-equipped to lead during this uncertain time must have a strong business-first approach to technology, said Mr. Levie, who is also the co-founder of the online storage file-sharing service. They need to work in collaboration with their CEOs, perhaps communicating on a daily or weekly basis, to determine how technology can be applied to their workforce and customer experiences, he said. Mr. Levie said he communicates with one of Box’s IT executives weekly. He speaks with Box CIO Paul Chapman primarily about how technology is affecting the employee experience.
As companies face economic challenges, IT leaders should focus on technology projects that could add value and help the business deliver a profit on a quarterly basis, he said. For example, IT leaders should focus on initiatives related to employee productivity or technologies that could help improve the supply chain, Mr. Levie said. Technology initiatives that have a two- to five-year timeline for productivity gains are no longer an option. “Those days are over no matter what. Nobody has that time scale available,” Mr. Levie said.
