The consequences of widespread lockdowns and social distancing norms have been felt deeply by CIOs grappling with rapid digital transformation to enable remote working while ensuring secure transformation.
Cloud-first enterprise systems seem to be the future of work. For users, the benefits are apparent. They provide instant connectivity from anywhere promptly and reliably. For CIOs, however, the transformation is not so straightforward. Organizations must juggle enhancing business agility and continuity without compromising safety.
The CIO’s mandate in the post-COVID era is not just cloud transformation but ensuring secure cloud transformation.
As CIOs look at digital transformation by incorporating cloud technology across processes and systems, a few strategic decisions need to be made. At the forefront of those decisions is the question of cybersecurity.
A technology-enabled business places a lot of importance on confirmingcloud security. One of the key elements here is that data must be encrypted in transit and at rest. Using encryption software is one way of data protection.
Besides encryption, the CIO, along with the leadership, must take a critical look at the data the company intends to put on the cloud. Who has access to data? What data is valuable, and to what extent? How much data and what kind of data can the entire workforce access? How much will be put on the private cloud? The classic castle-and-moat strategy towards data security may not be sufficient for today’s time.
“Secure cloud transformation that balances security and user experience is the need of the hour.”
Then comes, designing the cloud application. The next strategic decision would be identifying the right technology service provider - whether the CIO must choose a best-of-breed solution provider customized in specific verticals or an all in one platform that enables the entire digital transformation. This decision broadly depends on the stage of digital transformation within the company. In the initial stages, an all-in-one solution could help kickstart the journey. However, best of breed solutions can help companies on their digitization journey, level-up their transformation.
The third critical question to address is where the cloud investments must focus on. Instead of spreading limited resources thin, CIOs today must focus cloud transformation on business functions that offer enhanced user experience, scalability, and accelerated impact on the bottom line.And HR tech is one of the most straightforward quick wins organisation can begin their cloud transformation journey with.
“Bringing together IT and HR can create a cascading effect to transform the way of working and culture within the organization.”
A CIO must consider the following parameters to ensure a secure HR Tech transformation:
CIOs have a pivotal role in digital transformation and business efficiency as the company becomes more ‘cloud mature.’ As we move towards a future where technology plays a key role, Cloud Transformation is inevitable. As the popular adage goes, it’s not a matter of ‘if,’ but when and how.
Awarded the “Most Preferred HCM in Asia” in 2018 and 2020 by Gartner, Darwinbox is also fast becoming the choice of HR Tech for many organisations in the BFSI sector. With clients like Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, National Stock Exchange etc, we are up to date with all the security compliances.