To reach the heights of IT leadership these days, IT knowledge and expertise often isn't enough. Companies are looking for IT professionals with "business IT" knowledge, including an understanding of customer behavior, financial analysis and personnel management, reports Ann Bednarz at Network World.

Michael Morris had been working in networking and communications for more than 10 years and held a number of certifications, including Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE). But when he decided he wanted to advance to running application groups, he went back to school for an MBA. 

"The best thing the MBA gives me from a skills standpoint is the ability to really look at business decisions, quantify them from a financial perspective, apply certain principles, and derive an ROI from any type of activity," Morris said. "That's key, because there aren't a lot of IT people who can really do that."

IT pros at all levels are learning business skills to better convert business objectives into technical requirements. They have to know basic financial analysis, personnel management and how to create cross-disciplinary teams, said Tom Silver, senior vice president, North America, at tech jobs site Dice.com.

Getting an MBA isn't easy or cheap, however. For Morris, it took 28 months while working full time. "It was two nights a week for classes, and then homework on the other weeknights," he said. "Usually one day a weekend I'd have to do a full day of homework to keep on top of things. It certainly took away from my free time--I didn't play much golf--but it was manageable."

An MBA is viewed differently in IT than in other sectors, and it is compensated differently as well, staffing experts say.  It does not automatically bring a higher salary at the outset. "If you're looking to capitalize on a higher-paid position in a technical field because of the MBA, you're not going to get it on the entry point," said Jack Cullen, president of IT staffing provider Modis.

For more:
- see Ann Bednarz' article at Network World

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