Roundtable: Priorities for Surviving and Thriving in Lean Times (Calgary)
On April 7, 2016, The IT Media Group travelled to Calgary, where it hosted 13 IT executives, most of them from the oil and gas sector, at its CIO Master Series roundtable, “CIO Priorities to Survive and Thrive in Lean Times”.
John Pickett, IT Media Group VP Executive Programs, moderated the discussion, while Chris Makkreel, Head of Solution Engineering, represented event sponsor Salesforce.
While oil patch IT organizations have often had relatively smooth sailing in the face of Canadian economic downturns, this time around they have been hit hard due to the steep decline in oil prices. This session explored strategies IT leaders are taking to minimize the impact of these sizeable cutbacks.
Participants discussed a variety of ways they are dealing with lean times. One CIO talked about improving the quality of information management, which has helped his company in divesting many smaller businesses it has acquired, while providing other benefits such as enhancing process efficiency. Another talked about using Business Intelligence, especially as it relates to SCADA, to identify areas where the business can save money without the need for significant investment.
Other strategies included: decommissioning high-priced applications in favour of moderately priced solutions that will do the basic job with less functionality; improving senior management governance, leading to better long-term IT investment strategies; cutting back on solutions that require expensive support personnel; and moving away from the cyclical boom-bust IT investment approach that has long been the norm in the oil and gas business.
You can view the discussion of these and other key points in the highlight videos below.
Session Highlights Videos
Adding Value Through IT
In the Oil and Gas industry the economic cycles have created challenges for IT to keep up and to show value.
IT Governance in Oil and Gas
Corporate leaders in oil and Gas place far greater emphasis on operations than on internal services, including IT.
Scaling Back in Hard Times
The severe drop in oil prices has put pressure on CIOs to find ways to cut back on investment and find creative ways to maintain services.
Post session interviews
Chris Makkreel - IT-Savvy Business Leaders Will Change the Game
Greg Bratton - A Measured Approach to IT Cost Management
About CIO Master Series roundtables
Roundtables produced by The IT Media Group provide the ideal format for frank and open discussion among IT executive peers, allowing them to explore issues in depth, with a judicious amount of expert facilitation. These sessions are designed specifically for small groups of IT leaders, enabling them to take away practicable new approaches, validate their own thoughts, brainstorm ideas, and share their successes and their pain.
IT executives interested receiving notification of upcoming CIO Master Series roundtables, please complete the VIP membership form, including business email address.
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