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Why IT visibility is vital for the C-suite in an unpredictable era
The intelligent enterprise: a tech blueprint for the C-suite
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Why IT visibility is vital for the C-suite in an unpredictable era
As business complexity grows, IT visibility is vital for the C-suite to streamline costs, curb risks and lead effectively. Technology Intelligence delivers the insights needed for smart, strategic decisions
Christine Horton
In association with
Christine Horton
In association with
In today's digital age, technology isn't just a tool for IT—it's the lifeblood of modern enterprises and a critical foundation for every business initiative. However, this deep reliance on technology necessitates a new kind of visibility, one that transcends traditional IT siloes and empowers each and every function with the technology data they need to make better decisions and drive better outcomes.
All too often, businesses realise the importance of this visibility too late—after a costly cybersecurity breach, failed compliance, or the revelation of unplanned expenses stemming from a lack of IT transparency. The numbers are startling: over half (53%) of IT teams report difficulties in achieving complete visibility into their technology investments. The stakes of this visibility gap are high. Nearly a quarter (22%) of global IT leaders have faced audit costs exceeding $5m (£3.8m) over the past three years, a sharp increase from 15% in 2023.
The growing complexity of enterprise IT environments further amplifies this challenge. As organisations rapidly expand into cloud ecosystems, adopt containerization, and embrace Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), over two-thirds of IT leaders admit their companies are acquiring more SaaS and cloud services than they can effectively manage.
Closing the visibility gap
As CIOs orchestrate these hybrid landscapes, they’re tasked with more than just meeting the demands of the business—they must also reduce IT costs, mitigate security risks and integrate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), which brings its own set of challenges. Addressing these needs requires a new approach—one that extends beyond traditional ITAM and FinOps practices. The solution? A unified view of the entire IT estate, offering actionable insights that allow teams to act decisively and strategically in support of business growth.
Why is this so crucial? Because CIOs’ success hinges on accurate, real-time data. ITAM and FinOps professionals increasingly recognise that their data isn’t confined to IT—it influences critical functions like security, risk, compliance and ITSM. However, one persistent roadblock remains: the lack of a unified, consistent view of technology data. Teams frequently operate with fragmented datasets, leading to inefficiencies, inconsistencies and missed opportunities.
The cost of fragmented data
“Tool sprawl isn’t accidental,” explains Michael Luney, director of product management at Flexera. “Each new tool designed to solve a problem introduces slightly different data, creating gaps instead of clarity. This results in overlapping information that lacks the consistency needed for effective collaboration.”
These inconsistencies are especially problematic when different departments have conflicting views of the same technology assets. To ensure alignment across the organisation, it’s essential to standardise naming conventions, categorisations, device types and applications. Only then can seamless communication and collaboration flourish, enabling everyone to work from the same data foundation.
Technology Intelligence: the game-changer for modern enterprises
This is where technology intelligence becomes transformative. It provides a comprehensive, unified view of IT data, spanning hardware, software, SaaS, cloud and containers. But more than that, technology intelligence turns raw data into actionable insights by ensuring data is clean, consistent and contextualised to the business. It correlates critical factors such as security vulnerabilities, obsolescence and organisational structure to make the data meaningful and relevant.
In an era of economic uncertainty, having a single, overarching source of truth for technology data is essential
“Flexera’s Technology Intelligence Platform is designed to solve this exact problem,” says Kevin Miller, director of product marketing at Flexera. “It offers organisations full visibility into their hybrid IT inventory, from on-prem hardware and software to SaaS and cloud resources. It pulls together data from multiple sources, cleans it for consistency and categorises assets using Flexera Technopedia—our world-leading, human-curated technology reference library with over 5 million products. This data is then correlated with information on security vulnerabilities, obsolescence and sustainability. Our platform provides CIOs with a single source of truth, enabling every team in the organisation to share a unified view of IT assets.”
Transforming data into strategic advantage
When organisations harness technology intelligence, data ceases to be a static resource - it becomes a dynamic asset. A unified view of technology empowers businesses to cut unnecessary costs, reduce security risks and eliminate application sprawl, ensuring that every team, from IT to finance, speaks the same language. It’s not enough for data to be accessible; it must be accurate, meaningful and capable of driving better outcomes across the board.
“Data needs to be actionable, and it’s only actionable if you have a unified view,” Miller emphasises. “Technology intelligence enables different teams to operate from their respective vantage points, but with a shared, consistent language.”
Strategic alignment in uncertain times
In an era of economic uncertainty, having a single, overarching source of truth for technology data is not just advantageous—it’s essential. A unified approach to technology intelligence equips CIOs to ensure that all departments work cohesively toward shared goals, backed by reliable, high-quality data.
“Achieving a single, trusted source of technology data empowers organisations to make strategic decisions with confidence,” says Miller. “Whether it’s implementing new initiatives, realising efficiencies, or prioritising investments, a unified view provides the entire C-suite with the transparency and insights needed for success.”
“At Flexera, we help organisations achieve this alignment,” Luney adds. “Our teams are passionate about ITAM, FinOps, lifecycle management and risk reduction. We’re constantly innovating to help our customers realise the full value of their data in an ever-evolving tech landscape.”
Looking ahead: the future of technology intelligence
As businesses grow more dependent on advanced technologies, the need for technology intelligence will only intensify. Flexera’s Technology Intelligence Platform lays the groundwork for navigating the complexities of modern IT, enabling organisations to thrive with confidence, agility and foresight.
Understanding the environmental impact of technology
Navigating evolving regulations demands that businesses weave sustainability into tech strategies, lead with innovation and reduce their environmental footprint - all while staying compliant
Sustainability has been on the boardroom agenda – and certainly at the forefront of every business’ customer-facing activity – for some years now. Yet, according to Gartner, only 38% of business leaders say they have embedded environmental sustainability into their decision-making processes.
The first thing the analyst says organisations must do is comply with sustainability-related legislative and regulatory rules.
This should be a priority, certainly as organisations look to strike a balance between innovation and their environmental, social and governance (ESG) responsibilities. The explosion of interest in AI alone means that data centres will account for more than 14% of global emissions by 2050.
“Companies can easily find themselves caught up in the various regulatory nets. And as these nets start to close on more organisations up and down supply chains, everyone becomes someone’s Scope 3 responsibility,” explains Craig Wentworth, principal analyst at tech analyst firm, TechMarketView.
However, the good news is that there are indirect benefits of compliance that business leaders may not be aware of, such as reduced operating expenditure or enhanced competitive decisions.
“There are carrots available to balance those sticks,” says Wentworth. “When analysed in conjunction with wider business data, sustainability data can bring additional context that provides insights into the holistic impact of environmental decisions – enabling companies to balance people-planet-profit dimensions from a position of knowledge.”
Here are five steps that businesses can take to better prepare themselves and mitigate the environmental impact of technology.
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Identify upcoming legislative changes
IT leaders need to stay ahead of updates to any legislation around sustainability that impact technology.
“Organisations must closely understand the specific ramifications for their sector and business. Technology also plays a key role in helping to address some of these legislative requirements through accurate reporting,” says Mattie Yeta, chief sustainability officer for the UK at consultancy CGI.
Firms will need to iteratively review how they benchmark against existing guidance and new addendums, adds Yeta. Coupled with this, it’s essential that processes are updated frequently, and remediation controls are implemented to stay compliant.
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Partner with compliant vendors
ESG reporting remains the most common use case area tracked in TechMarketView’s Sustainability Technology Activity Index, which analyses how emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, cloud, blockchain and 5G are being used in a variety of environmental sustainability use cases.
As environmental regulations evolve, businesses must take a proactive approach
However, it’s a highly fragmented landscape, with many companies making up a ‘long tail’ of small suppliers, says Wentworth.
“It’s therefore imperative that organisations are able to evaluate the market effectively and find tech suppliers which promise the best fit for their particular use case requirement,” he says. “Partnerships are also key – many of these solutions marry tech capabilities with specialist knowledge and expertise from leading players in a particular industry or market segment.”
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Foster a proactive approach to ESG compliance within the IT team
IT strategy and sustainable technology should both be at the heart of any ESG strategy. This is because the IT department plays a key role in helping organisations achieve their ESG goals.
“In order for organisations and IT facilities to be proactive with meeting ESG goals, there needs to be a focus on sustainable IT within the overall strategy. Reinforcing a cultural shift towards being mindful of IT sustainability and overall positioning through training and education gives teams across business units agency to meet ESG goals is an essential first step,” says Yeta.
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Align sustainability goals across teams
Similarly, departments should be aligned on sustainability, with greater collaboration between finance, compliance, and other stakeholders. By baking ‘sustainability literacy’ into the organisation, sustainability issues become business issues and people at all levels, in all roles, understand.
“There needs to be a cultural and top-down attitude to improving and maintaining regulatory understanding to ensure policies and procedures are continuously kept up to date,” says Yeta.
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Leverage data collection
While Scope 1 and 2 emissions related to data centres are largely well understood, measuring the Scope 3 emissions created by complex supply chains covering software, hardware, and IT services is a puzzle many leaders are currently trying to solve, says Daryl Elfield, ESG tech and data lead, KPMG UK.
“Evaluating a supplier’s sustainability efforts can feel like navigating a maze without a map,” he says.
The lack of clear standards, limited data, and risk of greenwashing make it difficult to assess those effort’s true impact. But by implementing data collection into an open, standards-based data model, companies could be better positioned to meet regulatory reporting obligations.
Jim Hietala, VP sustainability and market development at US-based technology consortium, The Open Group, advocates for a common standard by which companies can manage and communicate emissions information in a way that works with organisations’ existing IT environments.
“As a result, more accurate data will become available across the entire supply chain of tech businesses, leading to more transparency and insight,” he says. “From there, companies can take clear steps to meet their ESG goals and ultimately lower their environmental impact.”
The future of environmental tech
As environmental regulations evolve, businesses must take a proactive, all-encompassing approach to their technology strategies.
By anticipating legislative shifts, collaborating with compliant vendors and aligning departments on ESG goals, companies can go beyond meeting obligations to seize new opportunities for innovation and growth.
Making sustainability central to IT strategies ensures environmental goals become a catalyst for long-term value and resilience, not just a compliance tick-box, in an increasingly eco-conscious world.
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Three steps to a future-proof technology strategy
To build a future-proof tech strategy, businesses must align with key goals, fuel innovation and prioritise adaptability to secure long-term success
IT leaders today are under pressure.
They must balance innovation and keeping pace with emerging technologies with mitigating risk and anticipating their future technological needs. They must do all this while maintaining regulatory compliance, hitting sustainability goals and sticking with a budget.
Moreover, the widespread disruption we saw in recent years demonstrates the importance of building a future-proof strategy that ensures businesses can remain resilient and agile, despite a barrage of external influences. This requires a long-term outlook, responsiveness and a human-centric approach to technology adoption.
Above all else, a future proof strategy must align with the organisations’ business strategy – surprisingly a key factor that can be overlooked.
“Quite often a strategy is put together, but there’s no ROI or business case attached to it, and if you haven’t got that, then you’re not going to get C-suite buy-in,” explains Asam Malik, head of technology & digital consulting at consultancy Forvis Mazars.
So how can organisations build a successful future-proof technology strategy?
Continuous evolution and adaptation to technology
Emphasise the continuous evolution and proactive adaptation to business models and technologies like SaaS and AI to ensure employees aren’t left behind.
The pace at which technology is developing means that any strategy must be continuously monitored, adjusted, and updated – the emergence of AI is a good case in point. AI platforms software will grow to $153bn in 2028.
“There’s so much disruptive technology on the horizon, any technology strategy has to be a living strategy,” says Malik. “It can’t be one that’s just done and revisited after three years. We must be able to pivot and be agile. Often with clients, we say that if there are any significant developments in technology, you need to then stop and revisit straight away.”
For organisations to truly realise the potential of AI, it has to be used to augment rather than replace. Prioritising the creation of human-centric AI systems is essential, says Deepika Adusumilli, chief data and AI officer, BT Group.
Building a future-proof tech strategy isn’t a one-time task but an ongoing journey
“The first step in striking this balance is taking the time to understand the pain points your colleagues are experiencing, to identify the areas where AI could be implemented to streamline their workflows and directly address these issues,” she says.
“This will allow employees to take ownership over the adoption or use of AI in the workplace, helping to instil confidence in AI systems from the get-go. From a business perspective, this will also help to ensure that all AI implementations are strategic, and likely to unlock the most value.”
Focus on risk reduction, governance and compliance
As the technology evolves, so do the rules that govern it. This year we have seen the introduction of new regulations governing the development of AI, and to protect organisations from the devastating fallout of cyberattack, for example.
“Effective governance practices can assist organisations in identifying both the risks and opportunities associated with using data in AI,” says Carm Taglienti, chief data officer at solutions integrator, Insight.
“While regulations like the EU AI Act are being established, the companies best positioned to comply and engage in responsible and ethical AI practices will possess a deep understanding of their data, business processes, and how their data assets can be utilised for decision making and operational efficiency within their business.”
Indeed, while some organisations might shy away from audits, they must be recognised as a necessary component of corporate governance that provide an opportunity to improve and develop. Risk management is essential, especially when you are running critical infrastructure, says David Martin, CTO at Anglian Water.
“Identifying risks is often done poorly. You have to be able to ask, ‘so what?’ and understand how to take that information and use it to improve your operations and your product and platform development.”
Empower innovation and foster a forward-thinking culture
“Successful technology strategies allow space for change and create an environment in which creativity and safe experimentation are encouraged,” says Adusumilli. “You have to allow for small ‘i’ innovation and big ‘I’ innovation, which is as much about people as it is technology. You have to be able to apply an innovative mindset across all facets of your organisation, and ask people to always think about whether there is a different and better way to do things.”
Similarly, business leaders must manage the cultural shift inherent in embracing innovative technologies like AI. That means businesses should invest time into assessing and understanding which AI implementations will deliver impact and value.
“Innovation for innovation’s sake can lead firms down dead ends and mean they fail to realise tangible benefits available from AI implementation,” she says.
Finally, any future-proof strategy needs buy-in from all stakeholders – not just senior leadership and the all important budget holders, but the employees that will need to continuously adapt to the demands of the digital workplace.
Malik adds: “If you’re going to automate more tasks, you need to put yourself in the shoes of those people currently doing those admin or routine tasks. Talk to them about redeploying them to other value-added activities. You’ve got to manage the cultural change where we’re embedding this as part of our day-to-day work life.”
Navigating tomorrow’s tech landscape
Building a future-proof tech strategy isn’t a one-time task but an ongoing journey that demands agility across the organisation.
By aligning tech with business goals, fostering innovation, and staying compliant, companies position themselves for lasting success.
As technology advances, the real key to a resilient strategy lies in continuous learning, adaptability, and the seamless fusion of human and technological capabilities.