| | JUNE-JULY 20178Modernized Grid TechnologiesYou have been executing the role and responsibility of a CIO in various organizations since the start of the millennium, when the gravitas of a CIO role in the organization actually began growing. How have you seen the evolution of this role over the years, from your perspective as the CIO of a large utility organization?The CIO role has evolved dramatically from technician to now business partner and strategist. The more successful CIOs are those who focus on being engaged business people and leaders, and then technologists. CIOs today have a unique vantage point to see across lines of business and look at the art of the possible of how process improvement or technology can better enable business imperatives. My peers and I across other utilities also focus our discussions more on next-generation leadership qualities and how to improve the business, drive efficiency, reduce costs, and serve customers better. What are some of the challenges faced by electrical supply utility companies today that technology has proved to be adept at solving?Utilities and all companies deal with the conflict between consumer technology and business technology where people complain about the technology they had to give up when they came to work. I see much of that gap narrowing with cloud-based technologies that are more ready for the demands of the business. Cloud-based technologies have allowed us to move more quickly from concept to implementation in months or weeks in a few targeted areas. I would expect these solutions will continue to evolve and continue to challenge our assumption of what actually resides in our data centers. Todd InlanderIN MY OPINION>By Todd Inlander, VP & CIO, Southern California Edison
< Page 7 | Page 9 >