Redefining IT risk in post-pandemic world

Antonio Vázquez sees the potential for problems everywhere.

Vázquez, who started in January 2021 as the first CIO at tech company Bizagi, offers a lengthy list of areas where something could go wrong: security, data privacy, compliance, vendor relationships, cost management, employee access to systems, staffing, and IT projects.

He’s thinking about whether employees understand and follow the company’s cybersecurity policies and standards; whether his vendors and suppliers will modernize at a pace that meets his company’s needs; whether supplier costs will spiral; and whether transformational investments will deliver the experiences that customers want — or instead jeopardize the relationship with them.

“From the moment you think about projects, contracts, or new procedures, you also have to think about risk,” Vázquez says, noting that the past year has shown everyone that new, unexpected risks can arise at any time.

He adds: “The landscape has changed quite a bit, and maybe two years ago we felt we had everything under control. Now we see we sometimes don’t. You could have in place the best documents and standards but suddenly something happens and everything changes.”