For better or for worse, business units in some organizations are beginning to take on more and more IT functions. This "empowered business-technology (BT)" model may offer some advantages, but it undoubtedly complicates the already complex landscape when it comes to security, compliance and integration. CIOs can take several steps to minimize the potential for harm, writes Forrester Research analyst Marc Cecere.

Senior IT staff should be moved into more of an oversight or consulting role, Cecere writes in a post at CIO magazine. They will be needed to advise business units on how to make their chosen applications secure and integrated with other systems. 

Negotiation skills within the IT staff will have to be boosted. As end users become increasingly sophisticated about technology, it becomes less feasible to simply say "no" to requests and more vital to know how to negotiate the best outcome for all.

Make it easier for end users to make educated decisions by putting the right mechanisms in place. The IT pros need to teach business people to understand what factors cause big problems so they can avoid them.

"The key to safely exploiting empowered BT is to get ahead of business," Cecere writes. "This translates to having a relationship with the business where IT is aware of business inclinations before they become decisions."

For more:
- see Marc Cecere's post at CIO

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