Conference discusses need for efficient IT strategies

2nd March 2018

Alice Matthews

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More than 750 IT managers from various industries gathered at the 'Hamburger IT-Strategietage' conference on 22nd and 23rd February 2018 to discuss current strategies, requirements and management approaches as well as the topics of more efficient IT structures. The motto of the event was 'The Next Level of Innovation - From the Laboratories to Business'. It became very clear that for many IT departments it is no longer only necessary to focus primarily on IT infrastructures, platforms or applications, but to focus more on their strategic effects.

The fundamental element is the economic benefit that IT ultimately drives forward for business and for new business models arising from digitisation.

The topic of digitisation has now reached all corporate agendas and to-do lists, but the innovations themselves are often driven more by customer requirements than by the companies themselves. It is important that companies recognise these customer needs and understand them as a requirement for innovative innovations. Finally, come out of their comfort zone and are willing to break new ground and embark on an implementation process. In an increasingly dynamic world, the issue of agility has also become an important factor for entrepreneurial success in order to keep up with the pace of the transition from the analogue to the digital world.

"At the IT strategy conference in Hamburg, it was once again shown that digitisation has arrived in the' here and now' and that it will continue to progress. Anyone who is not consciously addressing this issue and all its consequences today may be too late for tomorrow. The drivers and makers of digital transformation should increasingly plan on a Group-wide and global scale before they are suddenly overtaken by the others," said Andreas Wartenberg, Managing Director of Hager Unternehmensberatung.

The implementation of innovative transformations presents many IT organisations with the challenge of dealing with security issues in addition to numerous disruptive elements. The analogue world has been well protected and well-structured for many decades. The influence of the digital world on the mixing of both environments has been neglected in many cases. In many cases, the necessary adaptation measures resulting from this have not been sufficiently implemented.

Leadership is also a central factor for the success of the CIOs
Despite all the major challenges associated with digitisation, the topic of leadership should also be given a central focus. This was also evident at the 'Hamburger IT-Strategietage' conference 2018. In addition to the visions and the knowledge of the right methods, strong personalities and competent leadership qualities are required in order to rethink the appropriate corporate culture and organisation and to fill them with life. The technology only serves as a tool and supporter.

Conclusion
The path from the analogue to the digital world already exists, but it still needs a lot of upgrading work in order to show up in the 'map' all over the country.