A common concern among CIOs today is operating their IT departments as a business. In a way, these CIOs are beginning to think like COOs. And as they do, they’re implementing changes that lead to improvements in their operations. They’re managing their workflows more strategically and effectively, and that pays dividends for customers. As IT leaders bolster IT operations, they’re also adding value to their companies.

So how can an IT team intent on internal improvement ensure that its transformation helps the company as whole? I tell my clients to tackle such initiatives in three distinct steps.

New technologies get a lot of attention. In fact, you probably hear a nearly constant stream of discussion about technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, machine learning and the Internet of Things. Sometimes, it even seems impossible to avoid the acronyms for these technologies — AI, VR, ML and IoT.

By comparison, radio frequency identification is largely ignored outside of certain trade journals. Retailers, however, should pay attention to RFID, which has provided the retail industry with a way to identify and track inventory for the past 15 years.

When it comes to IT standards, the ITIL (formerly an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework is different from regulatory standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and HIPAA. While those standards require organizations to demonstrate compliance or risk harsh consequences such as fines, the ITIL framework is a voluntary set of best practices for organizations to follow to ensure that they’re aligning their IT services with the needs of the business. It’s both nonprescriptive and nonproprietary.

ITIL 4, the first major update of the framework since 2007, largely emphasizes the same values and priorities as previous versions. However, ITIL 4 was designed to keep up with recent trends in software development and IT operations. Here are four of the most significant changes to the ITIL framework.

Today’s unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — can be programmed to accomplish a slew of important jobs. In fact, drones are poised to radically improve many public safety applications, from fire departments using drones with sensors to locate people trapped by fire, to rescue teams sending drones to locate lost hikers in our vast national parks — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Drones themselves are already highly sophisticated and largely commodity technologies. What makes a drone application special are the sensors, software, flight services and data analytics that users bring to bear.

Microsoft isn’t retiring its Skype for Business Online solution until the summer of 2021, but we’re already seeing a growing number of organizations transitioning to Microsoft Teams. Businesses are finding that their employees really respond to an environment that ties together collaboration tools such as chat, file sharing, calendar, voice and video.

While it’s exciting to see users adopting a powerful tool on their own, it’s also important for organizations to be strategic in how they roll out and support Teams. Here are three ways to ensure your Teams deployment improves operations and helps your organization achieve its business goals.

When I first began working on technology integration projects for merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, success was difficult to come by. But I’ve found again and again that organizations can head off roadblocks by giving IT teams a seat at the table alongside executive leadership early in the process.

Help ensure the success of your M&A by reading up on the four topics IT and business leaders should discuss from the start.