Technology Strategy is Business Strategy

Darryl Maraj, Chief Technology Officer, TBC Corp, Former Global CIO, GA Telesis
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Episode Summary

In this episode, Darryl Maraj and Markus Zirn discuss Darryl’s recent success augmenting human work processes with generative AI. Darryl shares real AI use cases, including how he automated a process with gen AI that involved 36,000 emails. They talk about why “IT-Business alignment” is an outdated concept in the era of the AI Integrated Enterprise. They explore how technology is now a crucial part of the business strategy, fostering alignment across organizations. Throughout, they unpack important concepts including composability, fusion teams, democratization, and so much more.

  • Episode Key Takeaways

    Episode Key Takeaways

    • Technology strategy is business strategy: Technology shouldn't be an afterthought - which is why IT/business alignment is outdated. Technology needs a seat at the strategy table. It should be seen as a partnership. This shift in mindset can lead to better collaboration, innovation, and overall success in achieving goals.

    • AI as a watershed moment for business processes: With the democratization of AI, it is no longer in the hands of the gatekeepers. Everyone has access to it and it should be used as an interpreter to accelerate business processes.

    • The need to rethink business process innovation: Rethink your approach to business processes–they are more than just operations. Treat your business processes as products to continually iterate and improve. 

    • The importance of implementing an agile approach to delivery: We all need to adopt an agile mindset, specifically when it comes to delivering advanced technology tools. This can provide significant value to end users, ensuring a sustained competitive edge in an ever-evolving market.

  • About Darryl

    About Darryl

    Darryl Maraj is Chief Technology Officer at TBC Corp, and formerly the Global CIO at GA Telesis. At GA Telesis, he led both the Digital Innovation Group, the company's fifth division, and the Global IT Group. Across his career, Darryl has harnessed his innovative acumen to spearhead strategic digital transformation.

    His industry recognition includes the prestigious titles of 2021 South Florida CIO of the Year and 2022 National Orbie Award Finalist. His innovative solutions, such as Blockrails in the real estate domain, demonstrate Darryl's ability to transcend boundaries with technology.

    A proud alumnus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Darryl holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. His commitment to education and technology growth extends to his past involvement on the FAU Information Technology and Operations Management board.

    Darryl most recently served as the 2022-2023 Chair of SouthFloridaCIO, solidifying his commitment to fostering technological growth and progress in the South Florida community. His leadership style focuses on fostering a culture of sustainable and innovative practices, empowering the next generation of IT leaders to explore, experiment and create high-impact solutions.

  • Top Quotes

    Top Quotes

    “You can bring massive value into your industry using some of these tools, and guess what? You need an orchestration tool for all of the systems that they have to talk to. You need APIs so that you can tie it back into your functional systems, whether it's your technical records management system, whether it is your ERP system. That's why I love the phrase “AI squared.” That's where the automation and integration part comes in. You can have all of this information, but you need to operationalize it to have some kind of business outcome and be able to take action against it.”

    “When you say aligning IT to the business, it means that IT is an afterthought to some degree. The business is happening and IT needs to catch up to the business. And I think what the pandemic and other events like that in the last couple of years has proved is really, if you're thinking of IT as an afterthought, or you're thinking of technology, I should say, as an afterthought, then your company is going to be behind.”