The primary role of information technology (IT) in any business is to provide information that can drive an organisation forward.
So says Chris Jones, chief executive office of Digiterra, a management consultancy company specialising in business to IT alignment.
IT departments in most business have lots of data they are holding but if it's not turned into information, then it is of little value in the decision-making process, says Jones.
According to Jones, IT departments need to provide a means to a data continuum, which he describes as turning data into information, which will lead to knowledge, then wisdom that the executives can apply to form a business strategy.
To enable decision making, Jones is of the opinion that IT in business should not only be about the technical element, but also understanding business indicators in order to provide better management reports.
IT leaders have to align their strategies with the business, there has to be data management structures, platforms and processes that will enable provision of information, states Jones.
There should be optimum communication between executives who make business decisions and IT managers who oversee the technical component and storage of data, he says.
He adds that to get value from IT, enterprises must make sure that employees have access to its tools from anywhere to implement a business process.
Also, to better inform the business in strategy change and decision making, there has to be data governance which can minimise the risk of using the wrong data and insure data accuracy.
In conclusion, Jones says there should be a restructuring of how IT functions in order to apply correct strategies to the business.
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