"Businesses without a social media presence and strategy will need to move quickly to develop them in order to stay relevant"

Dan Granieri
Senior Technology Officer
Ascension Insurance

Dan is responsible for technology and innovation at Ascension, including the evaluation of IT processes, implementation of new technologies, and developing strategies to support specific business initiatives.

Steering transformational initiatives within the business environment that typically required IT

One example of a transformational initiative that requires assistance from IT is the process of defining Ascension to our customer base and to our employees. Ascension has grown rapidly and changed significantly through recent acquisitions, so we are in the process of creating a new culture and defining who we are as a company. Two major components of this process are the redesign of our internet web site and completely rebuilding our corporate intranet. The new internet web site will be a marketing tool used to inform and educate visitors about Ascension.
The new corporate Intranet will be a communications portal used by all Ascension employees, helping us create a fun culture built around teamwork and collaboration.

Manner in which data is used to head off problems and complications before they happen

I am a firm believer in using data to drive the decision making process. It is critical for us to gather meaningful data in order to solve problems and develop business strategies. Setting up proper data warehouses is critical to our effort of consolidating data, and then using that data to create positive outcomes that will impact every aspect of our business. Recently, this has led to many operational improvements with our third party administrator units.

The areas in business environment where solutions do not yet exist or not up to the mark, and which if existed, would've made job easier

One major pain point impacting businesses is the exchanging and integration of data. There have been many advancements to address the challenges of integrating data from different systems and platforms, including Electronic Data Exchange (EDI). However, many industries are still grappling with the negative impact to processes and productivity that are caused by incompatible systems. Technology providers have more opportunities to develop better tools and build more open and flexible solutions to help businesses overcome these challenges.

Technology trends impacting enterprise business environment

Mobility, Cloud and other technological trends are growing rapidly and being embraced by everyone across all industries. I believe that businesses without a social media presence and strategy will need to move quickly to develop them in order to stay relevant. This applies to mobility as well. Consumers and our workforces are becoming more and more reliant on mobile devices. Businesses will need to continue investing in the development of new solutions built for mobile platforms, or begin embracing cloud solutions that are mobile device friendly.

My roles and responsibilities as a CIO

The CIO role has always required a deep understanding of current technology and trends. In recent years, my emphasis on becoming a better business partner has increased dramatically. This means more of my time has been devoted to the overall goals and strategies of the business. Additionally, learning as much as I can about the industries in which I work has become equally as important as the emphasis on technology.

Lessons learned and advice for fellow CIOs

One important lesson I have learned over the years is the importance of flexibility and adaptability. The teams we build, and the solutions we buy or build, will need to be flexible and adaptable to the changes that will surely come our way. Business goals and strategies will change, and customer and employee needs and expectations will change as well.