Kerrie Campbell, CIO of Flinders University in South Australia (and PaperCut client), readily describes herself as “a very odd CIO”. This surprising term belies her extraordinary knowledge.
In a recent interview with ThinkCIO , Kerrie shared three lessons she’s picked up over the years:
- How to make tomorrow’s tech relevant today
- The underrated importance of being customer-centric
- Always ask business what’s NOT a priority
The biggest takeaway I had from the interview was her positioning of IT in the workplace:
Increasing IT’s importance
“The success of IT in the future will depend on how we deliver constant value to the business,” she says. “You become a valued and trusted partner. Rather than some “IT” that’s done to them, we’re doing it WITH them.”
Kerrie’s view is one we share at PaperCut. As a bunch of ex-sysadmins and developers, we’re well aware of the importance of positioning an IT department as something more than a shared service or help desk. The value a well-run, progressive IT department can bring to a workplace is constantly underestimated.
The customer-centric IT department
Ok, there’s something else that I love about her story … the shift to being customer-centric. Instead of benchmarking against IT roadmaps, Kerrie’s tracking her department’s progress and success against the IT success of her various customers - students and teachers alike.
Take a few minutes to read Kerrie’s story and lessons – they’re well worth learning.
