Building An IT Organization That’s Ready for What’s Coming

By: Keith Bradley, Vice President of IT & Security at Nature Fresh Farms and Elevate User Community Vice President

If you work in IT, you probably know the feeling: that moment in the evening when your brain refuses to shut off because it’s anticipating the next big challenge.

I’ve had a few of those lately. And while the topics range from AI to storage capacity to the evolving nature of leadership, they all boil down to one thing: how do we build an IT organization that’s ready for what’s coming and support the teams who are innovating for our consumers every day.

The AI pressure cooker

Let’s start with the obvious. AI is everywhere. The demand from across the business to “look into AI” is intense, and I’ll admit we’re trying to figure it out just like everyone else. The Nature Fresh Farms team is small, and we pride ourselves on doing things in‑house. But with AI, the truth is we can’t do it alone. We need outside help, and the question becomes: how do we invest smartly? Is there even real ROI in AI right now?

To tackle that, we’ve launched an internal AI series for our leadership team. We’re bringing in actual experts, people who live and breathe this stuff, to walk us through what AI is capable of today, how it’s evolving, and most importantly, how leaders should think about it. For us, it’s about building foundational literacy before we make major moves. We test, learn, and ensure every move adds real value for the consumer. If we’re going to integrate AI into our strategy, we won’t do it blindly.

Taming the beast of siloed knowledge

Another thing that keeps me up at night is the constant battle to capture institutional knowledge and keep it updated. If you’ve ever tried documenting your network, you know the pain. It starts off great, and then reality hits: the upkeep takes time, time we don’t have. Before long, the documentation stops reflecting reality, and we start losing control.

So, I’m exploring how AI can help us break down those silos and make our IT knowledge more accessible and continuously refreshed, so our teams can move as nimbly as our growers and supply chain partners, keeping everything flowing seamlessly from greenhouse to consumer. Imagine a system that not only stores knowledge but helps maintain it, surfacing outdated content, prompting SMEs, even auto‑updating certain elements. We’re not there yet, but this is the direction I’m pushing toward. It’s becoming a necessity, not a nice‑to‑have.

Leading in an industry that never stops moving

Being an IT leader today is like trying to stand still on a moving walkway, except the walkway keeps speeding up. Technologies shift, threats evolve, expectations rise, and the team looks to us to know what’s coming next. That’s a lot.

My personal challenge is staying informed and helping my team stay informed without burning everyone out. I’m actively experimenting with new ways to keep information flowing: micro‑learning, tighter vendor partnerships, and leveraging internal SMEs more intentionally. And honestly, I’m still figuring it out. But I know that if I’m not growing, my team can’t either.

The storage squeeze

And then there’s storage, the ever‑expanding beast. No matter how much we plan, we always seem to need more. But with supply chain uncertainty and fluctuating costs, scaling at the right time—and for the right price—feels riskier than ever. Today’s lead times and pricing volatility remind me a little too much of the early COVID days, and not in a good way.

Right now, we’re looking at expanding our storage environments to give ourselves some breathing room. Demand is rising and parts availability is unpredictable. Planning in this environment is a balancing act between urgency and fiscal responsibility.

Final thoughts

These are the things that sit with me long after the workday ends. AI readiness. Knowledge sustainability. Leadership in a fast‑changing landscape. Storage strategy in a shaky supply chain. They’re not small problems, but they’re solvable.

And maybe that’s what keeps me going: the belief that with the right conversations, the right partners, and the right mindset, we can turn these challenges into opportunities that keep Nature Fresh Farms moving forward, delivering the fresh produce our consumers love. After all, solving complex problems and enabling the teams that make it happen is what IT has always been about.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: DELL TECHNOLOGIES