The CIO-CFO relationship grows

The average tenure of CIOs has become notoriously short, writes Steve O'Connor, an executive with ITM Software, in CIOUpdate. "Often (as insiders will sometimes share), these firms are caught in a vicious cycle--hiring each new CIO with the belief that his or
her strengths will somehow fix the problems caused by their predecessor's weaknesses. Since no CIO is perfect, however, the cycle can run for many years, resulting in thrashing of priorities and untold missed opportunities," he writes. O'Connor says that technical savvy is still indispensable in any IT group, but in addition to the underlying technology, CIOs must understand how the computing services and products depend on each other and fit together. CIOs should also have extensive management experience and financial acumen. "The CIO must truly understand the other business units in the enterprise, each with its own goals, metrics and end-customers. These are, after all, the CIO's direct customers," O'Connor writes.

For more on the skills required for the CIO position:
- read the article in CIOUpdate