While once a resource for various tech projects, corporate IT departments have accelerated their expanding roles as drivers of business outcomes during the pandemic, observed CDW CTO Sanjay Sood in a discussion on Tuesday.
In one of his first public appearances as CTO, Sood addressed a CDW Tech Talk in a session titled “Driving Business Evolution: The Marriage of Technology and Leadership.” Bob Bragdon, CSO senior vice president and worldwide managing director, solicited thoughts from Sood about the role of technology in transforming business.
In response, Sood emphasized the potential for tech to automate simple processes and thus enable human beings to spend more time in substantive work, such as developing strategy.
“Historically, with a lot of traditional companies, IT has been a utility. It’s there to help the business run,” Sood said. But, he added, “machines can do a lot of things more efficiently and faster than humans.”
Devices cannot replace human workers in many cases, but they can make people faster and more intelligent, Sood said. Businesses should explore ways in which tech can automate tasks and provide people with more time to drive business outcomes forward.