Govt CIOs urged to embrace IT convergence

Australian government chief information officers need to be more pragmatic when dealing with the needs of their users, an analyst firm has said.

Speaking last week in Canberra, Ovum research directors Steve Hodgkinson and Kevin Noonan said the IT landscape was increasingly fast-moving, posing a direct challenge to the CIO's authority to keep it in check.

The proliferation of mobile devices, apps, cloud compute, software design, social network and connectivity innovations brought complexity but also opportunity.

Such fast-paced innovation could perceivably undermine the ICT management agendas of large government agencies.

But Hodgkinson urged CIOs to embrace the pace and create a more collaborative approach to securing their enterprises.

"Most CIOs are 'anti-proliferation' because of the costs, inflexibility, and security risks of fragmented, piecemeal technology adoption," Hodgkinson said.

"[But] proliferative innovation [of devices, apps, cloud compute, software design, social networking and connectivity] fuels a cycle of 'more is better' innovation moving at unprecedented speed.

"Individual consumers love the choice and immediacy, and the applications are becoming surprisingly relevant and useful. It's a better way [of working]."

Hodgkinson cautioned CIOs that being seen as "anti-proliferation" could lead to a perception among users that they were also "anti-innovation".

He urged them to escape the traditional command-and-control mindset, warning that any attempts to clamp down on convergence could come at the expense of the CIO's personal credibility and authority.