 V V Rao, Group Head-IT, Suzlon Energy
The CIO’s role is fundamental in gaining shared commitment to the introduction of new technology in the organization. Understanding present and future technology needs is essential. Therefore, at Suzlon, we always do technology planning with a five year horizon. While selecting a new technology we keep in mind the technology trends and how our processes could aligned with it.
At the same time, we are prepared for exceptions. When we decided to acquire a company, this has not been factored in our IT strategy nor in the business plan. But we didn’t shirk away from the challenge and did our job efficiently.
A CIO should have the ability to recognize when the corporate focus is absent from the existing information management function i.e. when functions are merely serving the immediate demands of part of the business rather than the whole.
We have built our IT architecture in such a manner that even if we have to scale up four times we have that capability. This architecture includes data center, network and software.
How a CIO plays his role in the company is important. With a positive approach and strong communication skills, a CIO should always keep innovating and build new technology essential for business.
At Suzlon, the IT team has always been taken into confidence or consulted on various issues of technology integration.
When you meet people you always learn from them and the knowledge keeps accumulating. This helps when you are in a corporate culture.
My management philosophy is to deliver results consistently and in sync with business goals. IT should always believe that they are service providers within the organization.
Being in a service industry the management mantra for me is to constantly upgrade myself. You need to opt for the best IT solutions in the market and also how to manage them in the organization.
My role model is Mahabharata’s Bheeshma who kept on learning.
Management Tips
- You will benefit if you are always ready to learn
- Do the job that’s assigned to you
- When faced with a challenge; be confident
- IT is a service
- Understand business
--- As told to Ashwani Mishra
|