Communications Divide: Making Data Resilience a Boardroom Priority

It is universally acknowledged that once people reach the C-suite, the requirement for technical and functional expertise is quickly eclipsed by the task of good leadership. The process typically starts before reaching the upper echelons of the organization: MBA enrolment, industry networking, mentorships, advanced training programs, and many more. But one of the harder truths for C-suites to realize is that in today’s high-stakes environment, good leadership is defined by how one enables technology to transform the business.

The communications divide

Once a cost center but now a competitive edge, technology continues to top business agendas in different ways (e.g., in 2024, Lenovo found AI spending amongst AP organizations was forecast to increase by 45%).

However, determining what technology to invest in causes divergence between leaders and their peers due to differing perspectives on what platforms and services can bring the most value. C-suite leaders are driven by business needs and budgets, IT leaders more so by keeping the lights on while simultaneously incorporating new technologies such as AI and cloud services. On top of this, digital fluency amongst C-suites has always typically remained a challenge.

For example, executives are often interested in outcomes such as cost control, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency. However, IT teams often focus on technical metrics that reflect the digital health of the company, such as RTO/RPO (recovery time/point objective), backup frequency and patching.

Despite a misalignment in priorities, one good thing is that both C-suite and IT leaders agree that the No. 1 goal of technology in any business is to perform and transform at the same time. This ultimately comes down to being data resilient.

Kicking business goals with data resilience – together

Data resilience is an organization’s ability to maintain continuity; i.e., withstand and recover from data-related disruptions or failures. The concept is not as mainstream as AI or cloud computing, but data resilience benefits businesses in other ways that they may not realize:

• Supporting AI-powered systems which rely on the efficient movement of data across platforms
• Supporting multi-cloud strategies, enhancing cost-effectiveness. Hybrid cloud solutions blend hosted infrastructures, private clouds, and on-premises IT, which strikes a balance between cost, performance, and availability. This harmonious integration paves the way for additional technologies like automation, machine learning, and AI
• Building stronger awareness of the data environment, enabling vulnerabilities and exposed sensitive data to be rectified or protected

In a landscape rife with threats, data resilience plays a key role in not only maintaining operational continuity but enabling enterprise strategy. The cost of neglecting data resilience in a data-driven world is much greater than investing in it.

The concept of data resilience is the universal language required to bridge the communications gap between the C-suite and IT. This is the one boardroom agenda item that will help achieve organisational alignment on technology priorities and secure investment on the right resources the business needs.

Closing the gap with the right language

The elevator pitch to explain the importance of data resilience in the boardroom is that it is no longer just a safety measure, it’s a core enabler of business growth, trust and innovation.

(i) Growth

Data resilience is a far-reaching discipline that includes backup and recovery, crucial in today’s age of AI where securing data is more important than ever. Data resilience is an important pre-requisite to leveraging AI to produce actionable insights for executives, such as identifying compliance risks or areas of inefficiency. This is a significant growth opportunity, helping businesses move beyond technical compliance to delivering a competitive advantage.

(ii) Trust

The most trusted organizations are also the most resilient. McKinsey & Co’s Digital Trust survey found trustworthiness and data protection to be nearly as important as price and delivery time. Data resilience ensures data is protected, critically important as breaches are inevitable, and organisations need to be prepared to mitigate the impact and recover quickly when they occur.

(iii) Innovation

As the value of data grows, so do the opportunities to leverage its potential to maintain a competitive edge. Data resilience allows organizations to do this to reap measurable business benefits such as improved compliance, increased uptime and operation, and enhanced customer satisfaction — innovative milestones in any business’ transformation trajectory.

By making data resilience a core part of boardroom discussions on technology, IT enables the C-suite to fulfill their role in using technology to grow and innovate, whilst still meeting their responsibility to contribute to overall digital transformation efforts.

The sooner C-suite and IT leaders learn to speak in the same language, the quicker both parties achieve their goals.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CDOTrends. Image credit: iStockphoto/Cemile Bingol