The truth about technology strategy

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Most executives love to talk about cutting-edge technologies. But after three decades in this field, I know that the boring stuff makes or breaks your technology strategy.

Technology infrastructure is like plumbing; it is invisible until it fails. But when it fails, everything stops.

Organizations watch their million-dollar analytics investments become useless when outdated servers finally fail. Those with systematic hardware refresh cycles avoid these disasters, saving millions while others scramble for emergency replacements. The cloud hasn't changed this fundamental reality. It's just shifted where the responsibility lies.

Consider backup and disaster recovery. Basic. Boring. Essential. Organizations that invest in regularly tested recovery systems survive catastrophic attacks while those that don't face devastating consequences.

Network security follows the same pattern. The most effective security strategies don't come from buying every new security product. They come from thoughtful architecture and proper segmentation. A well-designed network often provides better protection than a poorly designed one stuffed with security tools.

Data governance might be even less exciting than infrastructure, but it's just as critical. Millions are poured into analytics platforms while the quality of the data is neglected. Sophisticated models fail because the underlying data is too fragmented and inconsistent to yield meaningful insights.

The winners in data analytics aren't the ones with the fanciest tools. They're the ones who commit to the tedious work of data governance. They spend most of their time on data quality and only a fraction on analysis…it isn’t glamorous but it is effective.

Digital transformation suffers from similar misconceptions. Digital transformation isn’t about chatbots or mobile apps but the unglamorous work of organizational and process change. Simply digitizing paper processes yields minimal benefits. Success only comes when organizations fundamentally rethink how work should happen in a digital environment. This requires deep, often uncomfortable changes to workflows and responsibilities.

The human element can't be ignored, either. Millions go to new systems but pennies to helping people use them. The best digital initiatives dedicate a portion of their budget to ongoing training and support. Systems only deliver value when people use them effectively.

Technical debt might be the least sexy topic of all. No one wants to talk about the accumulated cost of development shortcuts. However, many organizations have discovered that most of their development resources are trapped in maintaining legacy systems. Only a tiny fraction remains for innovation. Smart organizations address this systematically. They assess systems against current standards, dedicate a meaningful percentage of development time to reducing technical debt, and track it like a financial liability.

Making the case for these investments isn't easy. No one wants to fix what isn't visibly broken. But successful technology strategies focus on these unglamorous practices: budgeting for the full technology lifecycle, establishing clear accountability for data quality, investing in people and process change, and systematically addressing technical debt.

None of this will make headlines. It won't impress anyone at conferences.

But it works.

In technology strategy, what works is what matters.

If you found this post helpful, consider sharing it with another executive grappling with AI, technology, and data. If you want to explore AI and other Technology strategies, grab some time on my calendar, and let's chat.

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