SPOTLIGHT ON IT THE BOARD ROOM FROM THE HELP DESK TO CIOs and IT departments have become major factors for engineering firm success DOMINIC BUGATTO BY BOB VIOLINO Information technology, or IT, has come a long way from its days of mainly "keeping the lights on" and managing the desktop help desk. The CIO and IT department have increasingly significant roles in the day-to-day business operations and longterm strategy at engineering firms. The change reflects the growing importance of technology in society and business as a whole over the past several decades. The increased reliance on technology has created a workplace where engineers have a greater awareness and preference about end-user device choices as well as an opportunity and skill set to solve many IT support problems on their own. Engineers are more knowledgeable than ever about the applications they use to do their jobs. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 ENGINEERING INC. 39