In most cases, CIOs rightly focus on aligning IT strategy with the overall strategy for the business, and they attempt to meet those objectives in the most efficient manner possible. However, management’s short-term financial targets (eg. quarterly earnings) often force IT leaders to look for quick solutions to meet specific problems, as opposed to building a longer-term vision and executing upon it.
Once the “short-term” solution is applied, however, it frequently becomes part of the permanent systems landscape, because IT is required to move onto other urgent issues.
This issue becomes even more prevalent after a series of strategic acquisitions. CIOs are nearly always forced to meet the immediate financial goals of the transaction and must make difficult decisions that pit short-term financial success at odds with long-term strategy.
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Source: IT Strategy