Crafting and implementing a successful technology strategy is hard to get right. Often, the focus is on buzzwords, there’s a lack of clarity around direction and alignment with the business objectives doesn’t come naturally.
So says Anael Granoux, founder of Strategy Reignited, who has been working in the field of strategy for over two decades. He says there’s a tendency to overcomplicate matters and the creation of a technology strategy usually results in a hefty document full of jargon and buzzwords that don’t make sense for the business. “If you have a 500-page strategy, you don't have a strategy, you have distraction.”
He says success comes from an obsession over clarity and the use of a "short, crisp and actionable execution framework".
With the fast pace and changing dynamics of the business world, especially where technology is concerned, there’s a temptation to outline complex solutions.
ITWeb Security Summit 2026:
Running under the theme: “Redefining security in the face of AI-driven attacks, fragile supply chains and a global skills gap”, the Cape Town leg will be held at the Century City Conference Centre on 25 and 26 May, followed by the Johannesburg event at the Sandton Convention Centre from 2 to 4 June. Click here for more info and to register.
“In strategy, there's an idea that the more complex, the better. In essence, strategy is simple – we understand where we are as an organisation, what's happening around us, where we want to be, what success will look like, and how to bridge the gap between the earth and the moon. Then we break that strategy into key steps.
“The role of leaders is to simplify, to offer clarity on the direction and on the actions to be to put in place to get there,” he says.
A strategy, says Granoux, should be able to be distilled into four pages, at most.
In collaboration with Craig Rosewarne, MD of Wolfpack Information Risk, Granoux is hosting a workshop at the upcoming ITWeb Security Summit in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. The pair have worked together previously, helping an insurance company fine-tune its IT strategy. They’ll be guiding workshop participants through a similar process to create a workable IT strategy that aligns to business needs.
“We want to give them some ideas, tools and practical frameworks that they can implement down the road,” says Granoux.
One hurdle that often occurs when formulating technology strategy is a lack of alignment with business objectives. The IT function will be convinced that it has the correct solutions, but the business is going in a different direction, which results in frustration because the IT strategy isn’t delivering the business impact. This is where Rosewarne comes in.
“While Aneal will set the scene around strategy, I'll show how we can align the IT and technology side of things, and actually support the business,” says Rosewarne.
The workshop, Rosewarne adds, will not just focus on the theoretical, but also include practical steps and exercises, and is suitable for executives of different levels and even groups.
“Come as a team – bring the CIO, the CISO, the CEO, the chief risk officer. With the interactive part of the workshop, a team can sit together and get some ideas. But it's not limited to CIOs or CISOs; it's for anyone who is ambitious and wants to learn about what is relevant in discussions with business and furthering their career.”
The workshop runs on the morning of Monday, 25 May in Cape Town and on the morning of Thursday, 4 June in Johannesburg.
Share
