Speaker: Michael J. Hedges, VP and CIO, Medtronic, Inc. Topic: The New IT organization Disruptor - Consumerization of IT Date: May 11, 2012

Abstract

Consumerization of Technology; Every day I hear the drumbeat of “IT Consumerization” and how this will change the Information Technology organizations for good. What makes it different than tech revolutions of the past?  I believe, as many of my CIO peers do, the answer to this very question will forever change how we acquire, interact with and leverage information technology for enabling business in the near future.

IT consumerization despite being the latest ‘buzzword’ still holds somewhat of an inconsistent meaning for many.  The most common definition of "IT Consumerization" is that of IT organizations being asked to manage a mix of enterprise/business and other consumer devices (and solutions).

Today, consumer devices and solutions are more rapidly able to take advantage of the latest technological innovations, leveraging location, touch interfaces, game technology, voice recognition, video/audio integration etc.  Most of these technologies were not even available for commercial use five years ago.

It is being presented as an interesting contrast to traditional enterprise IT, which is typically perceived to be slow, non-responsive, expensive, non-intuitive and complex.
In addition to that, IT consumerization is expected to shift control of technology-related decision out of the hands of IT organizations.  It has little to do with a change in technology and a whole lot more to do with a change in expectations.

As traditional IT organizations keep turning out relatively uninspired solutions the questions I am asking are “What does this mean for today’s centrally managed
IT organizations and how will they be organized and governed in the future”?

Biography

Michael Hedges, Medtronic, Inc., vice president and chief information officer, was named a 2010 Top 10 CIO Breakaway Leader by the CIO Leadership Network for having shown outstanding ability to effectively adapt, innovate, and capitalize during challenging economic times.  Before his appointment as Medtronic CIO, Mr. Hedges held positions as Medtronic’s international information technology director and vice president of Enterprise Applications.  Mr. Hedges joined Medtronic in 2000 after holding IT leadership positions at Prime Computers, British Aerospace, Shell Oil, and Eastman Kodak and serving as a technical communications specialist with the British Army.  Under Mr. Hedges’ IT leadership, Medtronic has received many industry awards including InformationWeek 500, PilotHouse Best Overall IT Innovator, and Computerworld Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT.  Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology – alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.