Digital Enterprise Q/A with Upcoming Keynote, Bill Murphy!

Digital Enterprise & Data are playing a larger role in business today than ever before, which is why we’re bringing together technology leaders for 2-days of problem-solving, brainstorming & exclusive access to industry research. On September 30th, our Digital Enterprise & Data Virtual Assembly kicks off with seasoned technology leader Bill Murphy, former Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone & founding Chief Technology Officer for Capital IQ. Presently, Murphy is a Managing Partner at Cresting Wave, a board member at Accurics & a Senior Advisor to McKinsey.

Leading up to his keynote address, we interviewed Murphy on some of the leading trends & challenges technology leaders are facing today. Interested in Attending the Full Keynote? Go here to RSVP for the Virtual Assembly. 

Q: COVID-19 has given a renewed value to technology – how do you think this will impact digital enterprise as we approach the new year?

BM: I am an optimistic person so I think the silver lining of COVID is the change and technology adoption that has been driven out of necessity. Change management is always the hardest part of technology leaders’ jobs and a catalyst is really important to make things happen really fast. I think the key is to learn from how people were on-boarded to Zoom and other remote work and replicate that formula with other projects and changes in the future.

Q: What advice do you have for leaders that are struggling to make the most of their customer intelligence in an evolving digital landscape?

BM: Understand the organizational dynamics on why it is hard to succeed – think about changing the conditions for success and not just on the tools.

Q: So many businesses have been forced to shift their strategy to digital-first. In your experience, have you noticed any common mistakes or challenges that other organizations were struggling with?

BM: The most common mistake so many organizations make is to always focus on the “quick wins” — this mentality makes the hard, long, foundational projects difficult to get prioritized and leads to mountains of technical debt. The business leaders don’t understand it and the technology leaders have a hard time explaining it and then when companies need to pivot to use more technology they can’t do it effectively. Everyone then blames the tech teams, but they typically are fighting with legacy issues and are undermanned in the battle.

Q: What is your opinion on the role of automation in today’s digital enterprise – is it the solution to our problems or has it yet to mature enough to make an impact?

BM: Yes, it can solve a lot of problems but it needs to be embraced at the top of the house to get people to get it implemented — it is not just a technology project, the whole organization needs to get behind it

Q: We are so excited to have you join us next month as our Virtual Assembly Keynote Speaker. Can you give us a preview about the message or story you want to convey to our audience?

BM: During this pivot in my career and as I begin my next chapter I realized I have been doing this for 25 years and have amassed a lot of lessons in that time. Hopefully I can share them and prevent others from making the same mistakes I did along the way.