In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations must continuously adapt to stay ahead. At the heart of this transformation are leaders like Samina Sheriff, an accomplished IT and Strategic GCC expert with over two decades of experience in Enterprise Solutions and IT Infrastructure Management.
As Director of Digital Transformation at a not-for-profit organization, Samina plays a crucial role in aligning technology with business objectives, optimizing resources, and establishing standardized global practices. Having worked with industry giants like Unilever, Symantec, Hewlett-Packard, and Flora Food Group, she brings a wealth of knowledge in scaling Global Capability Centers, implementing automation and AI in IT service management, and driving IT infrastructure modernization.
In this exclusive interview for CXQuest.com, Samina shares her insights on leveraging digital transformation for enterprise success, navigating the challenges of IT modernization, and the future of Global Capability Centers (GCCs).
Digital Transformation & Enterprise Solutions
Q1. Digital transformation is often viewed as a buzzword. From your experience, what does true digital transformation look like in enterprise solutions?
SS: True digital transformation of enterprise solutions means the end-to-end change in the way businesses operate, basically, how they deliver value to customers. This would include aligning technology to business objectives and creating a more collaborative atmosphere across departments where the data is seamlessly integrated. Customer-centric innovation typically will supplement the functionality that allows highly personal experiences through the use of AI and analytics in omnichannel approaches. Real-time visibility into predictive analytics, affording good forecasts and traffic optimization, is what drives data-driven decision-making.
Besides flexibility and fast delivery, agility and scalability are possible through the combination of cloud-native infrastructure and agile practices. In addition to these, there will have to be a cultural and organizational transformation to create a digital-first mindset that entails continuous upskilling of employees.
Furthermore, for advanced cybersecurity measures and compliance with regulatory standards, there should also be heightened investment. Royally speaking, a real digital transformation must lead to tangible results: efficiency, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence associated with a more agile, customer-focused, and innovative organization.
Biggest Roadblocks
Q2. What are the biggest roadblocks organizations face when implementing large-scale digital transformation, and how can they overcome them?
SS: Large organizations looking toward digital transformation on a large scale are often faced with serious challenges in strategy, technology, culture, and execution. Some of the major barriers include an unclear strategy, cultural resistance, outdated legacy systems, data silos, skills gaps, inadequate change management, security risks, and budget constraints. To deal with these, organizations need to develop a clear digital roadmap that is in tandem with the corporate goals, establish a culture of innovation through effective change management as well as continuous employee training, and adopt a phased modernization approach for the legacy system replacement.
Investing in strong data governance, developing up-skilling for the workforce, and structured frameworks of change management could further facilitate the transition. Then, trying such things as assuming zero-trust security models and doing compliance becomes safeguards against the cyber attacks, while concentrating on important projects with a measured outcome, thus saves costs and displays ROI. Addressing these barriers strategically should ultimately lead to sustainable growth, operational agility, and customer-centric innovation for organizations.
Improving Operational Efficiency
Q3. Can you share an example where a technology-driven initiative significantly improved operational efficiency in an enterprise?
SS: Siemens improved the operational efficiency of manufacturing processes by an industrial IoT (MindSphere) environment and digital twins. In the backdrop of the intricacy that comes with managing large-scale operations, Siemens interconnected machinery for a real-time data feed and used digital twins to simulate and optimize workflows. Such technology facilitated real-time performance monitoring, predictive maintenance to avert equipment failures, and process simulation to vet and improve operations. With that, Siemens saw productivity soar by 20%, maintenance costs cut by 30%, and agility, which manifested in speedier process adjustments and responsiveness to market changes. The whole data-driven approach transformed global manufacturing at Siemens, cleaning out inefficiencies and facilitating better decision-making.
Automation & AI in IT Service Management
Q4. AI and automation are reshaping IT services. What are some key trends in AI-driven IT service management that businesses should watch?
SS: With the new technology of AI and automation, IT services management has changed progressively with service improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and improved user experience. Some of the main trends are intelligent automation and self-healing systems, which can autonomously discover and fix problems, and therefore minimize downtime, as well as AI-based chatbots, which give customers 24/7 service without being able to carry out basic tasks. Predictive problem management draws on machine learning to proactively prevent problems from occurring, while AIOps uses big data approaches to optimize monitoring and performance.
Hyper-automation brings together AI and robotic process automation (RPA) to merge highly complex workflows into a one-click process, while intelligent ticketing speeds up service request processing through automated classification and routing. Using natural language processing (NLP) in any system, smart desks communicate with service agents in a better way. It is now possible to have available and contemporary resources that are readily available for faster resolution of issues by having intelligent knowledge management. Service personalization provides IT support in a way preferred by users for more satisfaction. AI usage is also increasing, and it will soon become crucial to introduce AI governance in order to provide ethical implementation, transparency, and regulatory compliance. All in all, AI-driven ITSM is beginning to migrate into proactive models-bringing the possibility of faster services, costing less, and improving user experiences-critical for businesses striving to be competitive in the digital world.
Balance Between Automation and Human Expertise
Q5. How can organizations strike the right balance between automation and human expertise in IT operations?
SS: This should be strategically achieved and balanced between human expertise and automation in IT operations. It creates room and control that one can balance both. Clear automation boundaries should be drawn between systems monitoring and automating repetitive tasks, and reserving human intervention for complex problem-solving and decision-making. Applying a hybrid operations model, such as a human-in-the-loop approach, assures automation for routine tasks and addresses exceptions that are attended to by skilled professionals. Integrating AI tools that help human experts in predictive analytics and decision support with the human-in-the-loop model enhances collaboration.
Constant upskilling in AI and automation technologies lets employees complement and supervise automated processes. An intelligent AIOps and self-healing system adoption implements intelligent automation and heads toward problem anticipation and resolution before they are visible. However, automated activities with clear governance will be supervised such activities by accuracy, bias, and performance with human oversight regarding ethical and operational ownership. User-centric deliveries, therefore, balance speed and empathy in automation. The feedback loop also re-evaluates and continuously adapts to have effective workflows. With this blend of creativity and contextual intelligence, organizations would gain added resilience in their operations, along with very effective delivery of IT services.
AI Integration Challenges
Q6. In your experience, what are the most common challenges when integrating AI into IT service management, and how do you recommend addressing them?
SS: Integrating AI into IT service management (ITSM) offers significant benefits but also presents challenges. Common issues include integration complexity, data management, security and compliance, and operational inefficiencies. AI tools can automate routine tasks, enhance decision-making, improve user support, and enable predictive maintenance. To address these challenges, careful planning and coordination are essential to ensure compatibility with existing systems. Maintaining a current Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is crucial for accurate metadata and relationships. Collaborating with security teams ensures AI platforms comply with security and compliance requirements. Leveraging AI for routine tasks allows IT teams to focus on complex issues, while predictive analytics can foresee potential failures and enable proactive problem-solving.
Scaling Global Capability Centers (GCCs)
Q7. You have extensive experience in establishing and scaling Global Capability Centers. What are the key success factors for GCCs to drive business value?
SS: Global Capability Centers (GCCs) create business value through enhanced operational efficiencies, innovation, and strategic deliverables. To thrive, it is imperative that it aligns itself with the objectives of the parent organization while supporting its core functions and driving digital transformation. The development of talent and retention through upskilling programs, innovation development, and career advancement opportunities will provide an impetus to tap the potential of a skilled workforce.
Automation, AI, and data analytics fortify processes for achieving operational excellence. Innovation on the part of emerging technologies, such as cloud computing and AI, coupled with cross-functional collaboration, will accelerate new business models. A customer-focused supported by agile frameworks permits GCCs to provide custom solutions while efficiently scaling up delivery. Value additions such as strong governance frameworks and risk management provide compliance and protect intellectual property, while cross-border collaboration enables knowledge sharing. Defining clear KPIs to measure performance and impact further cements strategic value. In focusing on these areas, GCCs could transform into key enablers of business growth, innovation, and operational excellence.
Agility and Operational Efficiency
Q8. As organizations scale globally, how can they maintain agility and operational efficiency while managing cross-cultural teams?
SS: If they maintain cross-cultural teams for operational agility, organizations operating worldwide must find a balance that supports collaboration, adaptation to different work styles, and technology. Explicit strategies involve creating a shared vision and communication protocols to direct teams across various regions; promoting cultural-intelligence training and adaptive leadership; agile frameworks and flexible work models for fast decision-making; using high-end collaboration tools to trigger cloud-based systems for uninterrupted workflow; and decentralizing decision-making so local teams can fast-track market needs. Harmonized core processes with local adaptation ensure a trade-off between global efficiency and regional relevance. Inclusive leadership practices that appreciate differing viewpoints and promote cross-cultural teamwork are essential, coupled with the measurement of performance through global metrics and region-specific KPIs for process optimization. These strategies build on sustaining agility, operational efficiency, and promoting innovation within global teams.
Role of GCC
Q9. How do you see the role of GCCs evolving in the next five years, especially with advancements in AI and cloud computing?
SS: In the coming five years, Global Capability Centres (GCC) are going to change into Strategic Innovation Centres leaving behind their functionality as Cost-Saving Hubs. Technology has been converging on a high level, notably artificial intelligence and cloud computing; these will enable GCCs to take decisions based on real-time insights and predictive analytics and create faster, data-driven results. Besides empowering them to have international degrees of operational agility and scalability, cloud computing would also enable easy global integration and better disaster recovery.
Repetitive tasks are taken care of with Artificial Intelligence automation to offer additional efficiency and better service delivery. These centres also diversify into talent development, building different niches within data science, intelligent automation, and upskilling for their workforce through partnerships with industries.
As strategic business partners, GCCs are to co-own business outcomes and bring forward digital-first initiatives for hyper-personalized customer experiences using advanced analytics with real-time support. Not only will this AI power initiatives on sustainability, but it will also bring robust governance frameworks that ensure compliance and safeguard data. Such innovations will enable the GCCs to consolidate an advanced way of integrating artificial intelligence along with best feature of cloud computing to become hub centers of innovation by transforming the organizations digitally through operational efficiency and building long-term business value to provide a competitive advantage in the global market.
IT Infrastructure Modernization: Trends & Best Practices
Q10. Many organizations struggle with legacy infrastructure. What are some best practices for modernizing IT infrastructure without disrupting business operations?
SS: Modernization of aging IT architecture while catering an operational continuity incurs a strategic and phased approach, which for the most part minimizes risk, creating seamless operation in organizations. Auditing and prioritizing critical systems according to business impact and security vulnerabilities provides a good point to initiate an organization’s modernization journey. A step-by-step modernization strategy based on the gradual advancements, lift and shift, re-platforming, or refactoring enables major transitions without extensive disruption. Leverage hybrid and multi-cloud solutions for flexible workload management while maintaining absolutely critical on-premises systems.
Decoherence of monolithic applications through microservices and APIs will allow for incremental improvements and will establish greater scalability. Deployments will be streamlined with automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) to minimize errors and ensure configuration consistency. Using strong governance, encryption, and disaster recovery techniques, data integrity and security should also be a top priority. The all-important cross-functional team formed will align modernization initiatives with business objectives, while pilot programs and continuous testing of modernization strategies ensure system reliability and validation of the approaches. Insights powered by AI ultimately lead to optimised performance, predictive maintenance, and automatic repair, thus improving operational efficiency. Continuous monitoring frameworks post-modernization ensure that the performance is tracked, resource optimization is done, and adaptability to change is incorporated, as and when the needs evolve. Following these principles, therefore, means organizations would be enabling effective modernization of their IT infrastructure, improving agility, security, and innovation while minimizing operational disruption.
Cloud Adoption
Q11. Cloud adoption is a major driver of modernization. What factors should enterprises consider when transitioning to a cloud-first strategy?
SS: All cloud adoption efforts, be it within an enterprise, would have defined objectives and business goals: deriving agility, reducing cost and enabling innovation. The exact cloud model that best fits a business-for instance, public, private, hybrid, or multi-cloud -depends on business workload complexity and compliance requirement. A thorough application audit decides whether applications are ready for rehosting, re-factoring or retirement.
Strong governance and compliance under industry regulations with hard security frameworks for identity management, encryption, and threat detection end up assuring that data is protected. It enables building of total cost management capabilities through cloud modeling and optimization tools to benefit much more value and economy. Design the environments in the beginning as scalable cloud architectures using microservices and containers for both types of workloads: dynamic and “”growth-allocation” or “”future-use”” sampling.
It is important to have a clear change management plan and training for the workforce on the use of new systems to make this change a smooth transition to cloud-native operations. Automating deployments via Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) removes much of the human error associated with traditional manual deployment methods; continuous monitoring ensures optimal performance and reliability. Work with a trusted cloud vendor for some of the services; it should be well-aligned to business goals and hence innovation for the long term. It will help the enterprise ultimately realize operational efficiency, scalability, and speed in digital transformation through a cloud-first approach.
Security- A Top Concern
Q12. Security is a top concern in IT infrastructure. What are some key security challenges organizations should prepare for in a rapidly evolving digital landscape?
SS: Current dynamic digital environments expose organizations to critical security challenges that require proactive procedures for risk-mitigating and asset-protecting strategies. Increasingly sophisticated attacks—such as ransomware, phishing, and advanced persistent threats—have made it imperative that organizations deploy advanced threat detection, maintain continuous monitoring, and perform real-time response. Data privacy, together with compliance with various regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, implies extensive data governance, encryption, and access control. With increased adoption of the cloud, enforcement of identity and access management (IAM), zero-trust frameworks, and continuous security posture monitoring would become crucial in managing security across hybrid environments. The rapid growth of connected devices is enlarging the attack surface, thereby necessitating endpoint and IoT security, strong authentication, and frequent patching. Insider threats and human error can be alleviated through cybersecurity training and behavior analytics. Dependencies on third parties heighten supply chain risk, thereby necessitating thorough audits and monitoring of access.
These zero-day vulnerabilities demand agile patch management and threat intelligence. Although AI aids in security, it also poses risks, thus keeping guard against AI systems. Effective incident response and business continuity planning assure rapid recovery from breaches, undergirded by rigorous IAM practices such as multi-factor authentication and least-privilege access for critical resources. In a connected world, a multi-layer safety concept can assist organizations in replenishing defenses, sustaining operational resilience, and safeguarding sensitive data.
Leadership & Career Growth in IT
Q13. As a seasoned IT leader, what advice would you give to aspiring professionals looking to build a career in IT leadership?
SS: Based on my experience , here is some valuable advice for aspiring professionals looking to build a career in IT leadership:
Embrace continuous learning by participating in training, workshops, and certifications to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies. Developing strong communication skills is crucial for effective leadership, ensuring clear and transparent communication with stakeholders, team members, and customers. Foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing within your team to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance collective brainpower. Building strong relationships with stakeholders, customers, and team members is essential for meeting expectations effectively. Additionally, understanding and managing financial aspects is vital for success.
From a broader perspective, prioritize employee motivation by understanding what drives your team members beyond just a high salary. Seek advice and feedback regularly from mentors, peers, and industry experts to gain valuable insights. Always view your role as “under construction,” continuously evolving with the times and the people you lead.
Continuous Learning
Q14. Continuous learning is crucial in the tech industry. How do you stay ahead of industry trends and upskill in an ever-changing landscape?
SS: Staying ahead in the tech industry requires a proactive approach to continuous learning and upskilling. Engage in training programs and certifications focused on emerging technologies . Utilize online platforms for curated learning programs in AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, and more. Participate in tech workshops, seminars, and webinars to gain insights into the latest trends and technologies. Knowledge can come from people you work with, foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing within your team, encouraging members to share their insights and best practices. Embrace continuous learning by staying in tune with the latest industry innovations, understanding evolving development methodologies, and refining existing skills.
Defining Moment in Career
Q15. What has been the most defining moment in your career, and, in fact, how did it shape your leadership approach?
SS: Each role and experience has been unique and something to learn from and has defined me and in certain cases changed my perspective. One such experience being, leading the global deployment of SAP applications across 42 countries this put to test my expertise in program management and handling large-scale, complex deployments. This reinforced the importance of meticulous planning, cross-cultural collaboration, and effective stakeholder management.
Another one was building an observability platform, this experience emphasized the importance of leveraging cutting-edge technologies and Agile practices to enhance efficiency and drive innovation.
Many such moments have shaped my leadership approach to situations and problems at hand by emphasizing strategic planning, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, enabling me to drive success and transformation in career.
Samina Sheriff’s insights offer a compelling perspective on the future of digital transformation, automation, and IT leadership. In fact, her extensive experience in enterprise solutions and GCC operations serves as a guiding light for organizations striving to innovate and scale in the digital era.
Thank you, Samina, for sharing your expertise with CXQuest.com. We look forward to seeing the continued impact of your work in shaping global IT strategies.
