Phil Jordan, CIO, Telefonica

Technology trends that will influence business

I am interested to see the advances in wearable technology, the internet of things and an explosion in smart sensors and I am really excited to see how the interface and interaction with smart devices will change with voice, touch and gesture etc.

Technology challenges in meeting Enterprise needs

The big technology challenges for 2014 continue to be all about being Digital! It will still represent a material challenge to many businesses and industries. Enterprises will continue to focus on simplification and automation of processes and products to drive customer interaction online, to transform enterprise systems of record to become new systems of social engagement and to blend customer and other data sources into real-time actionable insight.

My main wish is for laser like focus on the end to end customer experience as we take businesses into the digital world rather than be consumed with buying new layers of technology to tackle things like Big Data. The winner in the digital world will be the one with the best and most complete multi-channel experience.

The winner in the Digital world will be the one with the best and most complete multi-channel experience

Current challenges in the business

I would like to see the entire enterprise applications landscape mobilized fully and to have the capability to have core business applications driven from multiple platforms including smartphones and tablets. Many of the ‘traditional’ enterprise applications do not have a UI that is consistent with user demand and behaviour for 2014, some bold modernization needed! Nothing keeps me awake at night, but the possibilities and opportunities of digital, social and mobile networking get me excited.

The role of a CIO

Two key drivers have changed my role and the CIO role (in general) in the industry.

The first is the scale of business transformation going on in the industry positions the CIO as the leader of strategic change and IT as the key enabler of transformation. The other is of course, Digitalization; this is also serving to position IT and the CIO as a key differentiator for the future. 2014 is a great time to be in IT!

My word for a CIO

My experience is the best. CIOs have some key things in common. They are business leaders first and IT second; elegant communicators who are able to simplify messages and always put in business context; quick to realize that the workplace is a key perception leader even if a fraction of their scope and finally find the balance between being bold but pragmatic to drive the business forward in short term whilst building for the future.