Accessing Digital Media on Any Physical Device

Laura Cruz, Global CIO, MDC Partners

Device Management and Security

The biggest challenge is device management and security in a world where consumerization of IT is growing so quickly. Gone is the day where exceptions are made for executives only. Particularly in such a creative, tech-savvy environment, every employee expects to use the hardware and software they want, when they want. As a result, employees are often using personal devices in addition to their professional ones. A wish would be for simple, cost effective and turn-key management solutions to protect corporate data while providing for personal data at the same time.

Dynamic Workflow Integration

In the Media & Entertainment business environment our biggest IT challenge is affordable and simple digital asset management solutions that provide dynamic workflow integration. There are an overwhelming amount of digital assets that need to be stored, managed, searchable and archived. Most of the solutions today are either very expensive, require tons of bandwidth to backup offsite or live in the cloud, or require an  organization to change its work processes to adapt to the product. Keeping up with the continuous requests for new solutions is what I worry about the most.
 

There are an overwhelming amount of digital assets that need to be stored, managed, searchable and archived

Big Data and Analytics Play a Critical Role

There are no longer boundaries on what or where one consumes media and entertainment. Consumers expect to access digital media on any physical device. The work/personal use boundaries are also shrinking. “Big data” and analytics are playing a critical role in defining and understanding how media and entertainment content needs to be distributed. Data limitations of the past need to be lifted, adaptive technologies need to be leveraged, and greater collaboration (often global in nature) needs to be implemented to support progress.

My Role as a CIO

My role as CIO has changed significantly. With the take-off of cloud services and cloud-based applications, I no longer lose sleep over the day-to-day operations. My energy and attention is now focused on strategic opportunities and efficiencies for the enterprise, as well as helping wherever possible to provide the tools and solutions that enable the business to compete and build revenue.

Lessons Learned as a CIO

No matter what, IT is a service organization. The services have evolved over the years from providing the tools and resources to support the end-users in the company, to also enabling business efficiency and increasing margins. The relationship between IT and the business is now a critical component to success. CIOs need to meet with, ask questions of, and align with business leaders on what IT can do to help them be successful. IT
is no longer a back office function, but to be effective and foster true collaboration, customer service skills are still critical.