| | DECEMBER 202119CIOReviewKen Ponder is a veteran IT executive and organizational leader with over 35 years of experience driving technology initiatives with long-term impact programs. During his college years, he worked part-time in a warehouse for Texas Instruments around Speak and Spell--a series of electronic hand-held child computers. This drove his interest in technology, and he started learning programming languages such as RPG and COBOL. In the initial years of his career, he worked in the financial industry as a programmer and senior network engineer. Later, he worked in Enterprise Architecture, global infrastructures, and ERP applications across various industries. Specialized in implementing and managing IT process improvements, developing standards for design, and acquiring and managing geographically dispersed resources, Ponder eventually geared up his career to become a CIO. HOW HAS THE INDUSTRY EVOLVED OVER TIME, AND AS A LEADER, HOW HAVE YOU ADAPTED TO RESPOND TO THESE TRENDS?The IT industry has gone through many changes over the decades, from mainframes to networking to web hosting to cloud. Organizations are moving away from traditional PBXs to voiceover IP and Microsoft Teams calling. All the Desk equipment that contribute to CapEx will depreciate in the next five years. The business world is moving from the traditional CapEx and accumulation of assets to the OPEX model. The challenge for CIOs is not about staying current with trends but educating the non-technology executives about By Ken Ponder, Chief Information Officer, Viskase Companies, Inc.CXO INSIGHTSMEASURES BUSINESSES SHOULD UNDERTAKE AMIDST THE CHANGING IT LANDSCAPE
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