| | JANUARY 20269CIOReview- Vendor Management: As IT has moved from the on-prem software model to SaaS, it is imperative that we know where our data will be, what type of cybersecurity practices our vendors holding our valuable data employ and understand the liability each party is accountable for in the event of a breach. Most MSA's still carry language related to on-prem systems, and vendors have not yet updated these important agreements to reflect the reality of today providing very limited liability. I see this over and over as our vendors transition us to subscription-based models. It is almost a necessity to provide liability guidelines your company is willing to accept to vendors up front before engaging in any contract negotiations. My recommendation is to sit with your legal counsel and establish those minimum liability requirements to clearly communicate up front what you are asking for as a minimum.Balancing Innovation and StabilityThe concept of digital transformation is not new. It has been happening since the first day a computer was introduced to the workforce. Ever since the first computer, we have been digitizing manual work. The "secret sauce" behind not being disruptive during periods of mass change, such as M&A's or significant organizational changes, is being patient. The latest and greatest buzzword is AI. I think many companies are adding .ai to their URL's and pushing their services as unique because of some AI technology built into their software. The construction industry's primary tools are solid estimating and BIM (Building Information Modeling,) software. Any AI enhancements to those tools will benefit the construction industry. Sometimes we have to provide interim solutions for financial and business reporting while not disturbing business operational tools (ERP, WMS, Supply and Demand Planning systems.) Agreeing to and providing a period where a good integration strategy can be built is key to a successful M&A or major business integration with a close eye on Change Management since "change" is what most people resist and it is where you need buy-in the most.Sage Advice to Budding ProfessionalsMy advice to any aspiring IT leader that is looking at digital transformation and running IT operations is to take the time to learn the business you are working for. Believe it or not, this is a big mistake many IT professionals seeking leadership roles make. Giving yourself the time to spend a day in the field, be it laying wires/cables, carrying bricks and laying rebar, getting your hands dirty in the scorching sun as construction workers do day in and day out, gives you an appreciation for the hard work needed to sustain our businesses and at the same time, we become more sympathetic to the daily struggles construction workers face on a daily basis. This in turn, allows us to think of solutions with the actual challenges the field faces every day. Also, doing the `hands on' work the business does gives us a better perspective of how simple or complex their jobs might be.
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