Rebranding IT for the modernized IT mission

“Every department I’ve taken control of, I have rebranded on day one before getting into the details,” says Joe Puglisi, former CIO and now investor, advisor, and board member. “It should be BT for Business Technology, and I emphasized that the B comes before the T. It sends a signal inside the department to stop focusing on the wires in the wall and start thinking about the business. It broadcasts to the rest of the company that there’s a new sheriff in town and that we are all about the business and not just focused on technology for the sake of technology.”

Similarly, Davis prefers the name Business Solutions Group or BSG. I, on the other hand, prefer the Digital and Transformation Department. We can debate the department’s new name, but we can’t ignore the fact that substantive changes to the delivery model are required. Tyler James Johnson, co-founder and CTO of PrivOps, says, “If we’re rebranding, unless we’re also transforming, then all we’re doing is putting lipstick on a pig.”

Rebranding IT requires redefining the mission, goals, and operating principles. What that means differs by company, and here are a few questions to consider on what the brand and mission should address depending on business objectives: