Digital operations

For all sorts of reasons -- some of them justified, some not -- IT has earned a reputation as the place where good ideas go to die. It's time to change that thinking!

Redesigning the structure of the IT organization and the role it plays in the company is a huge job, and not something you can do on your own (or even with your own leadership team)! You’ll need help from allies throughout the company.

Today’s CIO has a once-in-a-career opportunity to build an organization that can fulfill a very real need: that of in-house consultant. For many IT organizations, that won’t be easy, but no part of digital transformation is. For IT, it’s a complete change of mission, from one of control and gatekeeping to one of support and advice.

Do you have a process for determining how (or even whether) you should respond to users on racial and social justice issues? Here's my advice for getting some digital policies and processes in place.

Consumers are paying attention to racial and other social justice issues now, and they’re demanding that brands do the same. Do you have your processes defined to address the issues correctly?

How do you create policies that act as guard rails, giving employees a high degree of freedom within a framework established to minimize the possibility of making a mistake?

When COVID-19 erupted into our lives, we had to adapt quickly, working from home despite what our digital policies might say about security and personal devices.

I urge IT professionals and digital policy stewards alike, to broaden the scope of discussions to include other situations that may require a change in digital policies such as changes in technology. And here is how to get started!

Natural disasters -- hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, etc. -- disrupt “business as usual” for both you and your customers. One way to avoid disruptions is to create sound digital policies. Let's delve into the how and what to get this done!

How many times do you hear that IT is slowing down the digital marketing process, focused so much on security that Marketing can’t be responsive to user needs? Or how many times does it seem like Marketing is not giving any thought to serious operational considerations, such as backups and disaster recovery?

Coronavirus means revenue loss for many organizations . But what positive impact, or opportunity, can your business realize amidst such a crisis? The answer is "significant," so long as you have the right policies in place.

What will you start/stop/keep doing in 2020 to best utilize your time in sharing and learning digital practices? I’ve sorted through my reflections and plans.

While I certainly don’t think it’s necessary for you to learn about things like processors and RAM, I do think it’s important to understand how the internet affects our lives both personally and as a society. Here is a resource to steer you in the right direction.

It’s not business as usual! The rise in data protection laws is impacting your digital marketing and online operations.

Katie Quinn, the wife of Lewiston, CA's fire chief used social media to provide key information and a sense calm during the recent Carr Fire. Depending on your organizational culture, industry, and maturity, you should think twice before replicating such a governing model. Or if you do, you might want to reach out to Katie for some training!

Is your company US-based and assuming that GDPR doesn't have an impact since you don't have offices in the EU? Wrong!

Regardless of the ongoing tax legislative discussions outcome, one thing is certain – we will continue to pay taxes. All of the digital capabilities required to make our lives easier are available today. While it is too late to impact 2017 taxes, 2018 and beyond is open for improvements. Let’s start applying data and technology to create a better tax game.

June 18-20, 2018, Chicago, IL

March 20-22, 2018, Las Vegas NV

Listen up marketers! If you have not heard of the GDPR or if you assumed that you’re in the clear because you’re in the U.S. rather than the EU, here is what you need to know.

Here is how you incorporate existing standards into your own set for organizational use.

There are no perfect sets of standards, but you can come close with these tips.

Nothing! As long as you use them in the right way. Here is how.

Don't re-create policies and silo digital requirements. Instead, extend organizational policies to include digital.

What is the difference between a good and a bad standard? It's contents of course!

Quality tools are not inherently bad or a poor investment, but you need to understand their capabilities and the value they will add to the organization.

Deciding exactly how many standards authors you should have, and how many is too many, is exactly what we tease out during digital governance framework definition efforts.

There is more to standards than writing down guidance. Here's what it takes to get them adopted and used.

The idea that you need to tie standards development to a redesign or any other milestone or event is a myth.

You are likelier to engage more colleagues and develop a culture of collaboration if you understand the difference between a standard and a guideline.

No matter how thoughtful and well-intentioned your policy ideas are, you’re not going to be on the front lines of putting them into practice. Developers and designers will, which is why they can play the indispensable role of telling you what’s possible and what isn’t.

There are many times when a standard operating procedure is appropriate. Here is how to determine when you should create yours.

A review of key questions to ask and determine whether you are dealing with personally identifiable information (PII).

How can you ensure that your organization is protected and prepared when (not if!) an audit occurs?

Once you have identified who in your organizations should be tasked with establishing digital policy, it is time to assign official duties. I have provided a good list to get you started.

Creating and maintaining digital policies is, by nature, a team endeavor. But you also need someone to lead the team.

A good digital policy repository will enable digital workers to self-service to guidance, and you will have a higher rate of compliance.

Organizations have historically relied on IT for technical systems execution and, with the rise of websites and associated digital operations, that norm continued. So why can't IT own digital policies?

In using online services and products, users give up aspects of their privacy, and that seems to be acceptable up to a point. But how do you know you are not crossing that line?

Many U.S.-based companies extend their service and product reach into Canada with the assumption that our northern neighbors have the same regulatory and legal requirements. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Stand up a functional policy program to align your organization to individual accountabilities for digital. In doing so, you can stop your organization from failing and begin to celebrate online integrity of your digital operations.

Why an organization should have a linking policy, one which states when it is acceptable to link from their website to another.

Details on the new security framework is available for industrial Internet of Things (IoT).

While you may feel secure with you content publishing approach, there may be significant risks associated with the actual content and the channels you are using for your organizations

Why not look at the policies developed by other organizations and copy them?

If you have not yet defined a data breach policy and a corresponding “first 48 hours” response plan — now is the time.

Change management practices for good content management system adoption.

So if you are thinking about cleaning up your existing site or migrating to an entirely new platform, this is the time to consider how you will govern your content and the principles around it, from written work to access.

Your digital channels (and you!) deserve a lifetime of happiness, whether you see that as making it to your silver wedding anniversary or having someone with you into your golden years.

Weeding, you see, is the process of cleaning out your information collection in the same way you would your garden. All at once, or periodically.

The reality is that most organizations will be less efficient and less effective.

A few years ago, it would have been unheard of to have a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) in an organization.