Changing over to a new software system doesn’t usually make the news unless it has a price tag like the one that Mayo Clinic is paying to consolidate their Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. The Rochester Post Bulletin reported that the clinic will pay about $1.5 billion for this project that will not be complete at all Mayo locations until October 2018.

The price tag reflects the huge scope of the initiative that also includes updates to the clinic’s network, security upgrades and a whole lot of training for staff. You can bet that this IT investment is no gamble for Mayo administrators, and that their decision to move forward was backed by solid data regarding the return that they expect to receive from the initiative. That’s just how SMB executives would like to make their decisions about IT investments.

What does it mean to leverage technology? Before you can picture how IT strategy can be used in your business, look at some examples of how others have leveraged IT to solve problems and make improvements. This mini case study is an example of how overcoming a workflow constraint resulted in increased productivity and eliminated a daily frustration.

When I was a teenager, a visit to an accounting office was where I first became interested in technology. What really struck me was that the accountants got to use computers all day to do their work. Sure, I tinkered on machines back then, and even built computers for my friends, but it wasn’t working with the hardware that hooked me. It was the idea that technology could be used to get work done. Today, technology isn’t just how work gets done, it’s how business operates, and it can be leveraged by modern CFOs to help them achieve success in an environment that requires them to wear many hats.

Christopher Buse has a daunting job. As Assistant Commissioner and CISO for Minnesota IT Services, he’s the guy that the state relies on to keep government networks and data safe 24 hours a day. Ask him what concerns him the most and you might be surprised at his answer. It’s the end users and the computers they use to do their work every day. That’s what he told an audience of financial leaders at the MNCPA Management and Business Advisors Conference in Minneapolis this month.