8 | | NOVEMBER 2025IN MY OPINIONRaied Stanley is the Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Southwest Gas Corporation, where he oversees core applications, network, computing, server, storage, and infrastructure solutions. He began his career at ConAgra Foods as Senior Director of Applications and was responsible for program management, infrastructure engineering and operations, application development, portfolio management, and process reengineering. In 2009, I joined the Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha, Nebraska and initially managed computing application systems for various business units. On January 20, 2020, I became the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Southwest Gas Corporation, taking on my current role.PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESS My prior professional experiences have been foundational to the success of Southwest Gas' IT strategy. They have also provided me with the technical expertise, strategic vision, operational know-how, financial acumen, leadership skills, and adaptability needed for effective leadership. These experiences have enabled me to drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and align technology investments with our business objectives.For instance, my experience in various IT leadership roles has helped me develop a clear vision for our technology direction and align the IT strategy with business goals. Leading technology transformations, implementing new systems and managing large-scale projects enhanced my change management skills and ensured successful adoption of new technologies. My experience in optimizing IT operations and processes has helped me lead more efficient and cost-effective technology management. The ability to manage relationships with technology vendors and negotiate contracts ensures that Southwest Gas gets the best value from its technology investments. THE CHALLENGES: IMPLEMENTING COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND SECURE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONSImplementing new technology solutions comes with several challenges, particularly in ensuring cost-effectiveness and security. For me and my team, cybersecurity threats are top concerns, as protecting sensitive company and customer data is critical. This, along with the fact that we are a regulated utility and must comply with data protection regulations, adds another layer of complexity.We have adopted a "zero trust" security model to address these issues. The model involves proactive security measures, regular audits, and staying updated with cybersecurity trends. We have also enhanced our incident response plan.Budget constraints and cost management are another challenge. Balancing new technology investments with budget limitations and demonstrating ROI for IT projects is crucial. We ALIGNING TECHNOLOGY WITH BUSINESS GOALS FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCYBy Raied Stanley, Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Southwest Gas CorporationRaied Stanley
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