private sector

The CIO's first 100 days

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

Just like a new President moving into the White House, a new CIO has 100 days to get it right. The new CIO must figure out quickly what steps to take immediately in order to get consensus early. There is little time to waste. Here are some tips from Maurice Chenier, the former CIO for public works and government services in Canada. His guidance transcends borders, certainly applies to the private IT sector and is important for every CIO to remember:

Develop an agenda
Ensure that current assumptions are clear and valid
Prepare a draft CIO/IT budget

He's got plenty of other tips, but the most important ones center on having a plan, not flying by the seat of one's pants and being sure that colleagues are involved.

For more on the CIO's start:
- See this CIO.co.uk article

ALSO NOTED: How a CIO can make customer service fly;Top 10 IT jobs get raises this year;

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

> How a CIO can make customer service fly. Article
> Top 10 IT jobs get raises this year. Article
> Former CIA CIO enters private sector. Article
> Everything you want to know about Bush's '09 budget. Article
> Israeli tech companies make a pitch to Microsoft. Article

And Finally... Is your job safe? Article

Federal CIOs have problems, too

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:59:59 -0500

The private sector isn't the only place where CIOs have one headache after another. The federal section has its problems too. Michael Carleton, the new CIO at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, said that the changing business complexion of federal IT suppliers, ever-tighter federal budgets, and new contractor personnel identification hurdles are making it harder to successfully complete federal IT projects. The proposed HHS budget for 2009, set to be released on Feb. 4th, is flat. And the workload is still high, he told a group of contractors on Jan. 30 at the Industry Advisory Council.

Another big issue, he said, is that fewer vendors with success in commercial markets are now competing for federal projects. That leaves the terrain in the hands of a small number of players who have plenty of experience in federal projects, but may not be as capable as others in bringing best IT practices to federal agencies. "We're getting more and more prescriptive," with the government's technology requirements and that's leading to higher costs and greater risks for federal IT suppliers, Carlton said.

Not only that, the feds are getting tougher with their requirements as well. Contractor personnel with even minor credit or legal problems could face protracted delays in obtaining basic clearance to work on federal sites, Carleton said. So while the grass might seem greener on the other side of the fence, it really isn't. Let us know what you think in the comments. Is it better working in the federal sector or the private one?

For more on the harried life of the federal CIO:
- See this GCN article

IT jobs could head overseas

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

An IT trade group warned last week that business will head overseas unless Congress raises the annual cap on H-1B visas that allow foreign workers to hold positions in the United States. The Software & Information Industry Association said that it is a critical time for tech talent, and if there are not enough workers available domestically, the jobs will migrate to locations where tech workers are available. SIIA president Ken Wasch said keeping the tech industry growing will require immigration reform. Unless there are more workers to do the job, "we're creating an incentive for the industry to create knowledge centers outside the United States," he said.

Software industry workers are paid on average about $75,400, about 78 percent higher than the median wage for all workers in the private sector. The fight over H-1B workers and immigration reform, has been part of the presidential campaign debate, although Congress failed last year to enact any reforms. U.S. IT companies complain that there are not enough highly trained U.S. workers, and various surveys suggest that American companies will be losing their edge because there are not enough technology workers available in the U.S.

For more on IT jobs in jeopardy:
- Check out this ComputerWorld article

Federal cybercrimes growing

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

It's really no surprise that cybercrime has been increasing in the federal government, and it's just as likely that it is growing in the private sector, too. The Veterans Affairs Department, the Transportation Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and several other federal agencies have been hit by attacks in the last two years. As a result, the Congressional High Tech Caucus is looking at the issue and will likely try to deal with it by pressing for more funding for agencies.

The federal space is ripe for many kinds of solutions. Some agencies are turning to information security management tools to deal with these kinds of threats. Other agencies are looking at replacing older low-tech solutions with higher level ones. The job of the CIO is never done in either the federal sector or the commercial one. With cybercrime on the rise, it surely is important to find the best ways to protect your system and to make sure your databases are insulated from theft.

For more on cybercrime in the federal sector:
- Check out this Washington Technology article

Business Intelligence blossoms

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Business Intelligence, for companies large and small, is alive and kicking in the private sector. There are many companies offering BI tools, including SAS, SPSS, MicroStrategy and Actuate, and you will see plenty of activity in the market space this year. "Go beyond the core tools of reporting and analysis and you'll see lots of data-mining and statistical tool vendors, as well as industry-specific developers," IDC analyst Dan Vesset told InfoWorld.

While a number of big companies--such as Business Objects, Cognos and Hyperion--were acquired by SAP, Oracle and IBM, there is still room for companies to flourish and grow, says Rob Tholemeier, a former industry analyst turned private investor. As Tholmeier puts it, "Clearing out the old-timers leaves a huge vacuum for the dozens of innovative players ready to strut their stuff.'' And as companies struggle to find new ways to use the data they already have, they will continue to look for the tools to help them take the information in hand to new ways to enhance the market.

For more on the bright future for Business Intelligence:
- Check out this InfoWorld Article

Should you be training your successor?

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

You love your job as a CIO. It's the best job you have ever had. But maybe you should have a reality check and see if you should be training your successor. It may be a painful idea for you. It takes time and energy to identify and train the person who will replace you one day, according to a column in The Wall Street Journal. It's a basic rule of management and one that is often skipped. Only about half of all public and private corporate boards have CEO-succession plans in place, according to a survey by the Center for Board Leadership with Mercer Delta Consulting. Just look around you and see how many CIO vacancies there are in both the private sector and the government. And think about the changing role of the CIO. What was once an easily defined position is now one of many challenges and changes.

A survey of 130 CIOs and senior IT executives by the Society for Information Management found that the position is not a rock solid one. The average tenure of those responding to the survey is 4.1 years. An almost equal number said they've held the position for a year or less and nearly 27 percent have held it for seven years or more.

"Succession planning isn't an event, it is a process that is best managed over three, five, even 10 years," because it involves building a pipeline of talent, says Joseph Bower, a Harvard Business School professor and author of The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning. Yet, "a lot of CEOs are focused mostly on getting through the next quarter, and they ignore the hard work of grooming future leaders," he adds.

For more on this management tip:
- See InformationWeek article

Chaos across the pond

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:00:00 -0500

It was a bad week in England when it was disclosed that the personal identity and banking details of 25 million Britons had been lost in the government's internal mail system. The outrage and fallout was similar to several cases that have occurred in the United States when both public and private sector data went missing.

The British government says that it does not know how two compact discs containing the material disappeared. That is not too different from some circumstances here in this country. And it raises the issue of how to protect data around the world at a time when electronic files have become the norm everywhere, not the exception. "Half the country will be very anxious about the safety of their family and the security of their bank accounts, and the whole country will be wondering how on Earth the government allowed this to happen," said the opposition Conservative Party's shadow chancellor, George Osborne.

More importantly, the world is still in its infancy in protecting electronic data and merely saying it is protected does not make it so. There are plenty of tools on the market to restrict access to data, to back it up and to keep it protected. The big question is: are you protecting yours? You should take a second look at what is under wraps and inaccessible to anyone but a very small circle. -Judi

U.S. selects 29 companies for $50B Alliant project

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The U.S government this week selected 29 companies for an IT services project dubbed Alliant, which will be the main contract for purchasing IT services for the federal market during the next ten years. The project is worth an incredible total of some $50 billion. 66 companies bid on the project; winners include AT&T, IBM, Accenture and Lockheed Martin. Notably missing is Verizon Business, which bid on the project but didn't make the cut. Alliant will support projects like eGovernment, logistics and financial systems. "Alliant is a key component of [our] portfolio of technology solutions," said Jim Williams, GSA's federal acquisition service commissioner, in a statement. "With its expansive scope, access to the best in class in the private sector and ability to provide customized solutions tailored to agencies' unique IT needs, we can again prove that GSA is at the forefront of serving the acquisition needs of the federal government."

For a full list of winners and to learn more about the deal:
- see this Network World article

SPOTLIGHT: Counties toiling to boost Web data security

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:01:34 -0500

The private sector may want to take a lesson from the public sector when it comes to online data security. It seems counties across the country are reviewing online documents and removing any personal identification information, such as Social Security numbers, that were inadvertently posted and accessible online, in the rush to provide online services. The data retraction efforts are costing local counties some time and money--but that's nothing compared the cost of an embarrassing data breach or loss. Article