Anand Ruhela
Head IT - Sikkim Manipal University

Responsibilities of the CIO
CIO can be in the pivot role of “Change Agent” by developing Customer Centric IT / Digital Strategy by touching all customer connecting points and identifying the way of transformation for reducing time to market, enhancing the customer experience and creating the actionability visibility in the customer data apart from addressing all internal business specific area by digitizing them for overall all efficiency.

Key priorities for 2021
COVID 19 pandemic scenario created the need of business continuity which is the topmost priority along with a hybrid working environment where some people working from home and rest are in the office connecting remotely on virtual platforms and bridging the gap of a distance irrespective of their location. In view of the above topmost priority addressing the current challenges and opportunity to leverage the technology as well as curbing the increasing threat evolved as a result of enhancing the digital footprints in the organisation.

Adopting Work-From Anywhere
COVID-19 has really ramped up the entire culture of the organisation where they are forced to adopt the work from anywhere culture for the employees as a consequence official environment has converted into a  hybrid working model, and in such a difficult time it was an opportunity for us to enable the digital platform with capability of communication with collaboration where all the employees, students, doctors and patients can have virtual meet, chat, Call and collaborate and sharing the data & contents at one place in secure mode.

Whether it is chat, calls, or video, anyone can engage at any time, bringing everyone closer.

Documents, photos, videos, chat history, and meeting notes are always there, so it’s easier to work together. This enables all the employees to stay in just one place instead of jumping around.

Redesigning IT & Security strategy
Under heavy stress of IT Security, SD-WAN technology helped us a lot in supporting the new business needs. The technology makes it easy and cost-effective to provide connectivity securely and continuity of business operations interrupted along with central roll out security policies across the networks. Redefined Security Policies, SOP’s and strategies that we have enabled in response to the pandemic helped us to create a foundation for Cybersecurity that will sustain in future too.