With digital transformation well under way, IT leaders are expanding their roles to take on business strategy responsibilities, identifying new areas of growth and opportunities for competitive differentiation, according to our 2019 State of the ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã research. Credit: IDG ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã [ ] Welcome to the Winter 2019 digital issue of ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã featuring our annual State of the ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã research. In these pages, you’ll learn how (and why) the top IT leadership role is evolving as ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs take on new responsibilities, how ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs are successfully working with startups to fuel innovation in their organizations, and how to become an influential leader. Contents GROW Cozying up to the cutting edge Competitive advantage is just one motivation behind a growing trend that sees ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs looking beyond traditional vendors to seek out startups to fuel innovation and transform business. However, working with fledgling companies isn’t for the faint of heart. LEAD 6 practices of influential IT leaders Influence is a key leadership skill, but it doesn’t come naturally to most. Instead, it’s something that’s developed and practiced ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs, management consultants and leadership experts say. Individuals looking to become influential leaders need to find the strategies that work best for them. COVER STORY ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs get strategic As digital transformation heats up and the lines between technology and business blur, ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs are taking on a more strategic role. According to our 2019 State of the ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã research, today’s ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs agenda is consumed by work like driving business innovation and developing and refining business strategy. IT leaders are more actively identifying opportunities for competitive differentiation, crafting new go-to-market strategies and technologies, and immersing themselves in market trends and customer requirements to identify new commercial opportunities. VIDEO ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã insights Host Adam Dennison discusses the results of the 2019 State of the ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã report, an annual look at the evolving status of IT leaders in the business. The results of the survey offer an assessment of what has changed over the past 12 months and where ÍæÅ¼½ã½ãs are headed in the next one to three years. Joining Adam are ÍæÅ¼½ã½ã panelists Lety Nettles of Novant Health and John Hill of Carhartt. RUN Modernizing IT: Out with the old, in with the cloud Digital strategy leaders are replacing legacy environments that require significant resources and manual workarounds. Essential to this transition are metrics that measure the core cultural, business, process, technology and staffing changes needed for any infrastructure modernization effort. 5 ways leading organizations excel at digital With technology integral to business strategy, leading organizations are rewriting the rule book for success. These digital vanguards differ from other organizations in terms of their priorities, mindsets and cultural attributes. Learn what sets them apart. [ ] SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe