Rethinking the IT Organization in the Digital Economy

Abstract

Digital disruption is everywhere. “Success” is a fast-moving target. The pace of business continues to accelerate, yet decision-making structures in many corporate and government organizations remain slow. In many cases, organizations themselves are their biggest barrier to surviving and thriving.

The supply of technology talent is not growing quickly enough to meet demand, and the average tenure for an IT professional at any one company is only three years. Cybersecurity threats are constant and growing. Technologies are more widespread than ever, yet they evolve quickly and rarely offer a sustainable competitive advantage. While individual tech products may be commodities, bringing complex systems together to ensure resiliency, scalability, security, real-time processing and an exceptional customer experience remains a major challenge.

So how do corporate IT teams shift their mindset, strategies and tactics to stay relevant and add value in an ever-changing environment? It may sound intimidating — but it is also incredibly exciting and rewarding. IT professionals and leaders are uniquely positioned to understand the full scope of their organizations — support them, improve them and reimagine them.

Join us for a discussion on the technical, cultural, process and talent challenges — and solutions — facing IT leaders in today’s complex corporate landscape.

Speaker Bio

Jo Abernathy is the Chief Information Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, where she is responsible for technology strategy and operations. She brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across key technology domains, including application development and integration, data and analytics, infrastructure management, data center operations, and digital transformation. Abernathy has led numerous large, complex initiatives under challenging circumstances in a highly regulated environment.

Under her leadership, the IT organization at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has received multiple awards for innovative uses of technology, including Computerworld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Abernathy has been featured in CIO Magazine for her work in IT transformation and employee engagement. She has spoken at various technology events hosted by the CIO Executive Council, the North Carolina Technology Association, the Triangle Technology Executives Council, and Women in Technology International. In 2020, she was named CIO of the Year by the North Carolina Technology Association.

A lifelong North Carolinian, Abernathy holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in business administration from UNC-Greensboro. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Bryan School of Business at UNC-Greensboro.

Abernathy also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the North Carolina Coalition for Fiscal Health, Child Care Services Association, and SustainableIT.org. She is a board member for Well.co and a member of the Governor’s State of North Carolina Information Technology Strategy Board.