Folks have been speaking about IT and business alignment for the reason that Nineties. But, regardless of a long time of marketing consultant engagements, analyst pronouncements, inner reengineering tasks, and Agile scrums, we do not appear to know if all that work on alignment has made a distinction.
Now, recent information on the subject hints at some progress on IT and enterprise alignment, tempered by considerations that outdated or inefficient processes might quash efforts to undertake next-generation initiatives, reminiscent of artificial intelligence (AI).
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Greater than eight out of 10 enterprise leaders say IT has been doing an excellent job of maintaining with enterprise wants, a latest survey finds. The survey, commissioned by Celonis, coated 1,217 senior enterprise leaders — of which 300 respondents lead IT departments — and reveals 81% consider IT “is ready to help the enterprise on the velocity required, indicating the central position IT now performs in supporting transformation.”
That concentrate on transformation additionally goes into new areas and is paving a pathway for AI. Eighty-one p.c of executives say well-preforming IT processes will assist harness AI initiatives. Conversely, greater than two-thirds (68%) specific concern that suboptimal course of shortcomings might “maintain again additional profitable implementation of AI — in addition to automation and different rising applied sciences — within the subsequent two years.”
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High elements driving course of optimization embody curiosity in harnessing rising applied sciences, reminiscent of AI (70%), chopping prices (69%), and aggressive pressures (64%), the survey reveals. Examples of key processes which might be important to transferring ahead with superior applied sciences embody the next:
- Asset administration
- Auditing
- Backup and restoration
- Enterprise continuity
- Capability planning
- Change administration
- Configuration administration
- Cybersecurity
- Operations
- Launch administration
- Service request administration
- Software program growth
- Testing
- Person entry/person expertise
- Vendor and outsourcing administration
On common, 55% of IT processes are operating as they need to, the survey reveals. That proportion may sound spectacular, but it surely additionally signifies that near half of processes reminiscent of “IT service administration or incident response are operating in a sub-optimal approach,” the report’s authors level out. “And naturally, there is a excessive probability the 55% of processes which might be seen as totally optimized may nonetheless be improved.”
Due to this fact, many IT leaders and professionals are nonetheless struggling to optimize IT processes, which has far-reaching implications for his or her companies, the survey reveals. For starters, greater than three-quarters of IT leaders (78%) say a scarcity of visibility is holding them again from reaching larger course of optimization. Complexity is one other problem, cited by 56% of IT leaders.
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IT leaders “are finest positioned to grasp the foundations enterprises should lay earlier than AI can actually ship on its promise,” the survey’s authors state. “As we have seen, 81% of IT leaders say curiosity in harnessing AI and different rising applied sciences is a significant component driving the necessity to optimize processes within the subsequent 12 months.”
The implications of sub-optimal processes on IT spell hassle for the enterprise. Sixty-one p.c of executives say underperforming IT prices time and reduces productiveness, and 41% consider it results in a scarcity of effectivity that prices cash. But with well-designed IT processes, companies will see income development (cited by 51%), value discount (46%), and larger flexibility (41%), the survey reveals.