Intelligent CISO Issue 25 | Page 74

LEADING BY EXAMPLE TO EMBRACE THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ The ongoing global Coronavirus health crisis has forced a new way of working for most organisations, with offices now closed and employees working from home. Intelligent CISO’s Jess Phillips speaks to Mohammed Arafat, Presales Director, Micro Focus Emerging Markets, about the crucial role IT leaders must play in leading this change and ensuring their businesses have the digital infrastructure and tools to survive during these unprecedented times. he COVID-19 T pandemic is challenging us to instil a new change in our everyday behaviour and engagement model. Local governments are taking proactive measures and implementing controls to respond to this unique situation, including locking down cities, limiting social gatherings and suspending schools. Public sector organisations, corporations, financial institutions, education systems and enterprises are reacting and adapting to those measures. Nevertheless, the wheel of the economy needs to keep rolling. And guess what? Technology is here to help the economy to adapt to the ‘new normal’. Working from home is the new significant change and CIOs are now under pressure to make sure that business services are neither affected, nor compromised. Embracing Digital Transformation over recent years has contributed to businesses today having a crucial dependency on technology. Therefore, availability and ongoing improvement of a company’s digital services are required Technology is here to help the economy to adapt to the ‘new normal’. Mohammed Arafat, Presales Director, Micro Focus Emerging Markets in order to survive, while also continuing to offer services without any performance degradation or availability issues. CIOs today are leading the change and are responsible for ensuring the company can survive during this crisis. The current operational processes and IT capabilities need adjustment and tuning to address the new issues and challenges as a result of the unanticipated amount of load and connection due to the working from home model. Most large enterprises have developed a Business Continuity plan and the process is typically tested every six months to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s 74 Issue 25 | www.intelligentciso.com