Rewriting the Rules of Enterprise IT: CIOs Turn to Integration, Low-Code, and AI to Modernize at Speed
As enterprises accelerate digital transformation, IT leaders are confronting a stark reality: the old rules no longer apply. The traditional debate about “build vs. buy” has collapsed under the weight of complexity, speed, and scale. CIOs today must now manage hybrid ecosystems composed of SaaS platforms, legacy systems, custom apps, and rapidly evolving AI technologies.
In this vidcast interview with BizTechReports, Tiago Azevedo, CIO of a leading global software company, explains how integration, not ownership, has emerged as the new core competency. Drawing on his experience in enterprise architecture and technology modernization, Azevedo offers a candid view into how low-code platforms, coupled with artificial intelligence, are enabling faster, smarter decision-making at scale—and why governance and policy automation are more important than ever in a fragmented, fast-moving digital landscape.
Here is what he had to say:
BizTechReports (BTR): Tiago, the idea that enterprises must choose between building or buying their technology solutions has dominated IT strategy discussions for decades. But that seems to be breaking down. Why?
Tiago Azevedo: That’s exactly right. The “build vs. buy” debate assumes a level of architectural simplicity that just doesn’t exist anymore. In reality, most organizations already have a mix of off-the-shelf software, SaaS tools, internally developed applications, and legacy systems that have been extended over time. You can't just pick one model anymore. The real challenge today is integration—how to ensure all these systems communicate, exchange data seamlessly, and deliver cohesive user experiences. Integration is no longer a back-end concern. It’s a strategic enabler.
BTR: What’s driving this shift from “systems of record” to “networks of record,” as some analysts are calling it?
Azevedo: Speed, differentiation, and digital scale. Ten or fifteen years ago, the strategy was to invest in a single monolithic platform—an ERP system, for example—that would handle everything. That worked when processes were relatively static. But now, competition can come from anywhere, at any time. You’ve got digital-native startups launching products in months. Customers expect digital experiences to work flawlessly across channels. The only way to stay relevant is to connect and orchestrate your existing systems while building new digital capabilities on top. That’s what a network of record is—it’s not one system; it’s a cohesive architecture made of many interoperable parts.
BTR: So how are CIOs managing this complexity? What kinds of architectures are emerging to support this composability?
Azevedo: We’re seeing a move toward highly modular, composable architectures. These are systems built with the expectation that components will change, evolve, or be replaced. APIs, microservices, and data fabric strategies are all part of this shift. What’s critical is openness. Every component—whether it’s a cloud service, legacy application, or custom-built tool—must be designed to integrate easily. That means CIOs are looking not just for functionality, but for extensibility. They’re asking: “Can this solution play well with others?”
BTR: You’ve also argued that integration has become a competitive differentiator. Can you elaborate?
Azevedo: Yes—think about it like this: Every organization has roughly the same access to infrastructure, platforms, and vendors. What differentiates a company isn’t what it buys—it’s how it brings those pieces together to deliver unique value. Integration is what enables that. It’s how you combine internal systems with partner data, user interfaces with automation logic, or legacy data with AI models. If you can’t integrate quickly and securely, you can’t compete. Integration is no longer a means to an end—it is the engine of innovation.
BTR: Where does low-code development fit into this emerging environment?
Azevedo: Low-code is about time-to-value. In a composable, high-change environment, waiting six months for traditional software development cycles doesn’t cut it. Business needs evolve too fast. What low-code offers is a way to build secure, scalable applications in a visual way, with automation built in. This doesn’t mean it replaces traditional development—it augments it. It allows experienced engineers to work faster, and in some cases, allows less technical users to contribute safely within defined guardrails. When used properly, low-code can accelerate development by an order of magnitude—and that has profound implications for innovation and agility.
BTR: And how does artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, interact with low-code and modern enterprise development?
Azevedo: AI has two major roles here. First, it increases developer productivity. A good AI model can generate boilerplate code, build interfaces, create data structures—essentially handle the repetitive parts of development. That’s a huge time-saver. Second, AI is starting to power application generation itself. Instead of hand-building everything, developers can describe what they need—a workflow, a user interface, a data interaction—and the platform can generate a fully working application that can be fine-tuned afterward.
This is not theoretical. We’re already seeing full applications created from business requirements documents using generative AI models. The result: apps built in hours that would’ve taken weeks or months with traditional methods. That kind of acceleration is a game-changer for any CIO under pressure to deliver fast.
BTR: What about governance and control? With all of this speed and automation, how do organizations ensure they stay compliant and secure?
Azevedo: That’s a critical question. Speed without control leads to chaos. The good news is that modern development platforms—particularly low-code environments—allow for embedded policy enforcement. Governance is no longer something you bolt on afterward; it’s baked into the architecture. Access controls, data permissions, lifecycle policies—they can all be automated and enforced within the platform. So even if different teams are building different components, they’re operating within a common set of rules.
BTR: That sounds like a shift in how IT leadership must think about software development—from centralized command-and-control to distributed responsibility with centralized oversight.
Azevedo: Exactly. The future of IT leadership isn’t about dictating how every app is built—it’s about enabling the organization to build safely, efficiently, and in alignment with strategic goals. That means setting up the right platforms, processes, and guardrails so teams can move quickly without creating technical debt or security risks. It’s a new balance between empowerment and control.
BTR: Can you give an example of how this approach has changed outcomes in practice?
Azevedo: Absolutely. One of the most powerful examples I’ve seen involved a CIO who was initially tasked with upgrading SAP and modernizing mainframe systems—a massive undertaking in terms of time and cost. But rather than sinking resources into a long, risky upgrade cycle, they took a different approach: expose the data via APIs and build new digital interfaces on top. In just a few months, they created modern applications that delivered business value without replacing core systems. That CIO won a national award for innovation—not because they rebuilt everything, but because they integrated and extended strategically.
BTR: So the key is not necessarily to rip and replace, but to build value around and across existing systems?
Azevedo: Precisely. Legacy systems often contain critical data and business logic. You don’t throw that away—you augment it. With the right tools and strategies, you can use that existing foundation to build new experiences, automate workflows, and launch digital services. That’s the promise of composable IT: reuse what works, extend what’s possible, and deliver faster.
BTR: How do you see this landscape evolving over the next two to three years?
Azevedo: We’re at the beginning of what I would call the automation-first era of software development. Tools that combine AI with low-code are starting to act less like toolkits and more like collaborators. We’ll see the rise of application generation platforms—solutions that don’t just assist in development, but actually create applications based on high-level input. This is going to reshape how CIOs think about capacity planning, outsourcing, and talent. It will also shift the focus from development execution to strategic orchestration.
BTR: Final question—what advice would you give to CIOs who are evaluating how to modernize their architecture today?
Azevedo: Start with the business need, not the technology. Ask what your customers, employees, and partners actually require—and then work backward to determine the systems, integrations, and applications needed to deliver that experience. Invest in open, composable platforms. Prioritize integration. Embrace AI and low-code where it makes sense—but don’t lose sight of governance. This is not about building everything fast; it’s about building the right things fast, and ensuring they can evolve as your business does.