Consolidation: Ready, set, go

Consolidation is the name of the game. Whether you are a CIO at a big company or a small one, change is always in the air. That's good in the overall scheme of things. But it may not be so great for you and your career. Just remember, those in technology will always be needed to keep the systems running and to trouble shoot if there is a problem.

Yet, there are more and more obstacles facing the CIO these days. Little problems like IPv6 and the looming expansion of the Internet that will require CIOs to figure out how to expand their system to fit with the rest of the expanding world. There's also e-discovery, a relatively new endeavor unleashed by the federal government a year ago. It will require companies to figure out ahead of time how they can be ready for an electronic search of documents if they get an order to turn over material in a court case. And then there is the ever-present threat of security breaches. Don't be taken by surprise if your system is successfully hacked one day--if it hasn't happened already. Although Oracle lost out on its first big bid to take over BEA, there are plenty of other deals in the making, deals that could make or break your current employer. Make sure you are on the top of your game at all times and be ready for change. -Judi