CEOs

What do CEOs want from their CIOs?

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

The CEO always knows what he wants from a CIO, but he can't always get it. A CIO.com blog written by Chris Potts points out that CEOs want to make sure they get the best talent they can from a CIO. Not only that, he points out that the more people are doing the same old things, the more outdated it is. "The people I'm really interested in are the other 1 percent, and whether I'm one of them," he writes.

For more on the CEO and CIO:
- See this CIO.com article

Worldwide shortage of IT workers

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:59 -0500

Here's something you either already knew or suspected: nearly 60 percent of CEOs, CIOs and other C-level executives continue to report that there is a shortage of fully qualified IT staff worldwide. A survey, by the IT Governance Institution, conducted between July and October 2007, reported that 93 percent of 749 executives surveyed said that IT is very important to their overall corporate strategy. Nearly half of those polled said IT service delivery problems are the second most common ones they have experienced with IT in the past 12 months.

"We are seeing an increased demand for qualified information technology professionals throughout the industry," said Lynn Lawton, international president of ITGI, in a statement. "Without a well-trained, fully-staffed IT department, the bottom line is that many organizations around the world are needlessly sacrificing money, productivity and competitive advantage."

For more on IT staff shortages:
- See this Network World article

The long way home

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

You may think that you have a long commute, but there are plenty of executives going to extremes. A survey conducted by the executive search firm, Korn/Ferry International, found that executives would rather spend three hours or more commuting than relocate to a new job. Over half of the 198 Korn/Ferry headhunters who responded to the online survey said that convincing candidates to move for a new top position is getting harder today than it was in the past. That's a remarkable finding considering the high price of gas, the time that commuting takes out of an executive's life and the demands of a tough job. The survey found that 70 percent of respondents say more candidates are opting for longer commutes rather than moving. And that commute might mean taking a plane or driving for more than 90 minutes each way. Does this sound like the good life to you? Are you a person taking a long commute to a great new job rather than relocating for a shorter drive to the office? We'd like to hear your thoughts on this subject. Does telecommuting some days of the week work better for you?

For more on growing commuting time:
- Read this CIO Magazine article

Yahoo on hot seat over China

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Congress took aim at Yahoo last week over its alleged collaboration with a communist regime. The issue was hot: Should a global Internet company turn over information about a Chinese dissident? The information resulted in the jailing of a Chinese journalist for 10 years. It included emails about pro-democratic efforts, and it was part of the Chinese case against the journalist. ''While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies,'' House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, said angrily after hearing testimony from Yahoo's chief executive Jerry Yang and general counsel Michael Callahan. Callahan said that in going into future markets such as Vietnam, ''I would hope to have a structure in place...[so] that we would be able to resist those demands.'' It is a lesson that other companies need to learn as they extend their reach globally and face legal demands from foreign governments. What does the future hold as technology becomes part of the international marketplace, and companies do not know exactly what they face from hostile governments?

For more about Yahoo's dilemma:
- See the New York Times article

Are your executives asking the tough questions?

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

With dozens of books on the subject of innovation, and growing pressure from CEOs to see more of it from their IT organizations, one expert asks: do people really get the "so what" factor? Mateen Greenway, an EDS Fellow based in London, and chief architect for the EDS EMEA Manufacturing Industry Affinity Group, believes that many C-level execs miss the point of innovation. He explains that innovation is not about just coming up with clever ideas. "Creativity is about coming up with the idea, innovation is about applying the idea to obtain value," or about "bringing creative ideas to life." He has come up with a set of principles to determine whether your company has an innovative culture. To start, you have to ask yourself some tough questions like:

Do you really know what business you are in, and what you are trying to achieve in the future?
Do you understand where the value in your company comes from, and can you articulate what you want to achieve through innovation?

In terms of who innovates, "Innovation teams mix together many disciplines and this requires the participation of people who are pre-disposed to inter-disciplinary working. Often these people have degrees and experience in many different subjects, cultures and disciplines and have worked in different specializations," he writes in CIOUpdate. He also adds that innovators are made, not born--meaning there's hope for all of us.

For the information on innovation:
- read the article in CIOUpdate

CIOs have a credibility gap to overcome

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

In the rarefied world of big time IT, measurement is King. That, at least, is the position of David Caruso, Senior Consultant with the Cutter Consortium. And as technology becomes more critical to the way line-of-business managers do their jobs, a race is underway to determine what the specific metrics will be, who will set the standards of performance and how they will be met. In the latest edition of CIOupdate, Caruso believes that many CIOs are ceding the measurement of its success to LOB managers because "Too many CIOs face a serious and untenable credibility gap. Even if their performance is stellar, they don't know how to prove it to themselves or to their CEOs." It is different for LOB managers. Their credibility can be easily established by hitting fairly easy to understand (if not achieve) top and bottom line figures that are core to the enterprise's existence. Caruso even has a prescription for CIOs who wish to explain their value contribution in more meaningful business terms.

For more on the credibility gap:
- see the article in CIOUpdate

Microsoft goes to court...again

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Meanwhile, Microsoft has some legal problems of its own (again). The software giant is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that stickers which read "Windows Vista Capable" that were put on some PCs were misleading. One suit claims that Microsoft violated the Consumer Protection Act by affixing these labels without telling consumers they may have to perform upgrades to a "capable" machine in order to run a premium edition of the OS. Meanwhile, another suit alleges that Microsoft unjustly received payment for Windows XP licenses and upgrades from Vista Basic to Vista Premium in a deceptive manner. Late last week, a Washington State judge denied Microsoft's request to dismiss some of the claims. According to Infoworld, the judge is allowing the two plaintiffs' claims to move into the trial phase. The judge did dismiss one claim, which alleged a "breach of contract." The case is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 8.

For more on the lawsuits brought against Microsoft:
- check out the article in Infoworld

Mass targets: evil email with a twist

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Meanwhile, CNET is reporting that personalized email attacks are on the rise. The most recent trend involves an illicit campaign that focused on some 500
executives in what is believed to be the first "mass-targeted" malicious software attack, according to security vendor MessageLabs. Targeted attacks generally bypass security measures by addressing emails to a particular person.; these emails usually contain the name and job title of the victim in the subject line. MessageLabs says that on June 26, it intercepted 500 email attacks targeted at individuals in senior management positions at several companies around the globe. The company usually only sees 10 targeted attacks per 200 million emails per day. Chief Investment Officers were targeted in 30 percent of the attacks, while 11 percent of the intended victims were CEOs and 6 percent were CFOs.

For more on mass-targeted email attacks:
- read more in this CNET Article

ALSO NOTED: Do you have a security/business conflict?; What does the future hold for VoIP?;

Wed, 30 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> Retailers spending $120 billion on IT and communications in 2007. Article

> Palm's new laptop-like device. Article

> The future of VoIP. Article

> Do you have a security/business conflict? Article

And Finally... Tech CEOs reveal their secrets to success. Article

What your CEO needs to know

Tue, 22 May 2007 20:01:36 -0400

The first thing your CEO needs to know is that IT should really be called BT, for business technology. That moniker explains the alignment of IT and business pretty succinctly. Secondly, CEOs have to know what technology is about and how it is changing the business and its customers. Third, sometimes IT snafus aren't the fault of the CIO, but other departments within the organization. Fourth, four players are needed to get business technology right: the CEO, technology-knowledgeable business executives, the CIO, and a tech-savvy player on the board of directors. Fifth, the CIO can't be the driving force behind business process change and innovation. Sixth, technology needs the right process and organization to work effectively. And finally, it's the job of IT executives to help other executives understand what technology can do for the business.

Read more about what CEOs need to know:
- read the article at TechTarget

ALSO:
- read this on communicating with the CEO
- this on teaching tech to your CEO
- and this on how to teach tech to execs