| | OCTOBER 20188CIOReviewSHIFTING ROLE OF CIOS IN UTILITY WITH TECTONIC SHIFTS IN ITBy Zeeshan Sheikh, CIO, EntergyHow does a utility increase internal customer satisfaction? In all likelihood, every business asks this question at a certain stage of their existence and it grows with each passing day. Even if the organization is already resource constrained, customers within the organization still want you to fix the world for them. However, it is possible that they don't have enough time to get those resources, change the business process, and then test it. This has become true in all sectors, including energy.With the utility arena increasingly relying on technology, the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is as critical as ever. The role is responsible for introducing new technologies for the business in a way that does not overwhelm employees. At the same time, these need to be easy to learn. On the flip side, CIOs are expected to be proficient in the know-how of business processes while maintaining development.To drive growth and add value, the effort, begins with the deployment of best-in-class software and hardware; however, it doesn't fix a damaged business process completely. CIOs need to understand their organization's limit of adopting new technologies. The business process re-engineering is the strenuous part of every technology evolution, taking the maximum time to make the process highly efficient. Also, it is challenging to find the professionals who know how to do that and who can differentiate between an automated model and the organization's business processes. CIOs should have the ability to explain the `value' story for continuous investments by the company during that upfront time of the business process.Challenges in Utility Technology AdoptionCounting on the number of customers you serve per day doesn't make you worth being called a utility service provider. I come to work every day thinking that I don't own any assets; instead, I manage the assets for our utility owners. I want to be able to win their business every day, think about putting the roadmap together, and care about the outcome.Whether it is a nuclear plant process control system change-out, or security system change-out or website change-out--there's a lot Zeeshan Sheikh
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