How the remote work revolution evolved the CIO role

The role of Chief Information Officer, or CIO, has been a key C-suite position for close to four decades. However, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say the role has evolved more in the last two years than ever before. A large part of this change can be attributed to the pandemic and its resulting decentralisation of the workforce.

According to the Regional Australia Institute, 70,000 Australians migrated into regional cities during the pandemic. That number is set to grow, with 2023 seeing an increase of 17% over 2022 — an unsurprising trend as living and housing costs continue to rise. However, this influx hasn’t translated to an exodus from city-based employment. Instead, Australians are embracing remote work, changing how organisations need to operate and manage the day-to-day experience of employees.

As remote work becomes a defining aspect of the modern workforce, technology takes a leading role in facilitating this transformation, enabling seamless connectivity and digital collaboration. Where the role of the CIO has traditionally been siloed and geared toward technology decisions, it is now charged with providing and maintaining a positive work experience. In fact, a recent Lenovo survey of over 650 CIOs found that nine in 10 are actively addressing team management and talent acquisition and retention, as well as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their organisations.

What are CIOs concerned with now?

Before the move to a remote workforce, CIO decisions were based on servicing the organisation as a whole. This meant determining which hardware devices and software services would best work with the established infrastructure. Given new parameters and working preferences, CIOs now have to cater to a blend of remote, hybrid and onsite workers, all with differing needs and personal requirements.

Similarly, in a decade where digital agility is key, CIOs must work closely with their counterparts in finance and human resources, as technology decisions now directly impact revenue and talent acquisition. A double-edged sword, this extended influence has resulted in CIOs having a greater voice in the boardroom but has also caused their job to increase in complexity.

Who can CIOs lean on to navigate this changing landscape?

The challenges presented when servicing a split workforce are unique and ever changing — mostly because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each business has different operational requirements, causing IT teams across Australia to feel the proverbial stretch in terms of both manpower and financial investment.

To alleviate this pressure, CIOs can turn to external vendors who offer Workplace as a Service (WaaS) — a combination of Device as a Service (DaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS), which is custom built to the unique requirements of an organisation. Engaging a WaaS vendor has far reaching benefits — close collaboration with CIOs and IT teams helps deliver an end-to-end solution, inclusive of existing system audit, solution deployment and day-to-day management.

Similarly, out-sourcing hardware management enables organisations to ensure increased customisability for the end user, regardless of their work preference. These configurations are made and managed at the source, giving IT professionals the time to solve business-critical challenges. Establishing dedicated client service-desks helps employees with technical issues and further increases time savings for IT teams.

Many vendors also offer buy-back/offset or device recycling programs, which removes obsolete hardware from circulation and offers credits toward new purchases. This helps organisations reduce e-waste and stay on-track with ESG goals, as well as ensuring access to the latest technology.

A diversified workforce requires the right technology solutions for their use-case to ensure productivity and a positive work experience. The decisions made by CIOs now have a greater impact than ever before and it is imperative that they provide the tools necessary for their employees to maintain their business’s competitive advantage.

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