4 IT Woes that Haunt CIOs

With Halloween just around the corner, our minds inevitably turn towards topics that put a shiver in our bones and a chatter in our teeth. Ghouls, goblins, spiders, and zombies will all be out in full force on October 31, roaming the streets in search of brains and more victims (ok, probably just candy and parties).

But while monsters can be frightening, CIOs face challenges every day that would make anyone run for the hills. We’ve outlined four of the most common IT woes that haunt CIOs.

The Legacy System Returns

One of the most common and challenging obstacles a CIO will face is the integration of a legacy IT solution or system into a new IT framework. Built in an ancient time, the legacy system lumbers around an organization like a poorly wrapped mummy, cursing IT departments with countless hours of painstaking work. Whether you’re attempting to make these legacy systems  work with new technology, or transferring over information to a new platform, figuring out legacy systems as your department undergoes a digital transformation can be a lot like reading hieroglyphics to identify how to defeat a monster.

The Last IT Professional Alive

The IT skills gap is one of the most impending and worsening issues in tech. With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that there will be 1.6 million IT job openings by 2026 compared to the rate of computer science graduates per year (60,000), there is a significant imbalance between the demand for professionals with IT knowledge and their supply. For CIOs, this means the daunting possibility of finding themselves short-handed, even as their role becomes more and more integral for organizations moving further into the digital transformation.

The New Solution Blob

So you’ve successfully driven a stake through the heart of your legacy system, and you’ve gotten your executive team to buy into new platforms, but as you go through the process of implementing your master plan, you find that you’ve created an additional set of challenges. Your project becomes insatiable, reaching into areas of the business you didn’t anticipate, and devouring more and more of your budget with no sign of slowing. Soon enough, your team, and cash, are exhausted, and you’re left in a tough position scrambling for more funding and time.

Ghost in the Machine

Perhaps one of the most frightening things a CIO can face is a cyberattack. IT infrastructure is built through sweat and tears, but it can be brought to its knees by a security vulnerability that allows a hacker to install malware or ransomware, or exfiltrate information to cause a CIO’s worst nightmare: a data breach. Such occurrences will push even the most capable CIO to the brink of their composure, guaranteeing untold hours of calls, meetings, and work to fixing the problem and get systems securely up and running again.

You may find that the hairs on the back of your neck are standing up straight. But don’t fear! There are ways to prepare your department for the aforementioned challenges. Keeping your eye on the future of digital transformation, is one of the best things you can do to improve your organization's IT infrastructure.

Try to think three steps ahead of any project and ask yourself tough questions such as: Have I properly assessed the variables in play? Is there anything I’ve overlooked? Does this project resolve more issues than it can potentially cause? Is this solution set up for the inevitable integration with newer, more advanced technologies? Taking these steps can help to alleviate commons CIO concerns and put these fears to rest.