level executives

Get hip to IT alignment

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

IT alignment will save you money if you know what you are doing. But plenty of CIOs don't have a clue what IT alignment really is. Once they get it, they will understand that they can use this technique to strategically build business value. Here's how to make it work:

Develop a written list of the company's strategic business goals.
Plan to redeploy IT.
Audit a completed project.
Get other C-level executives on board to use IT as a strategic catalyst.

For more on using IT alignment:
- See this CIO Magazine article

For more tech stories from the Fierce CIO network:
> Firewire gets faster but not fast enough. Article
> Layoff watch: Symantec. Article
> In Russia, BlackBerry eats you. 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

Networking and relationship building is key to success

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

A large part of management is about networking and building better relationships, but networking does not always come easy. CIO Executive Council members discussed relationship best practices at their recent General Assembly in Carlsbad, Calif., and offer these tips up in CIO magazine. First off, identify your targets. For many CIO, it's other C-level executives. For Tom Langston, CIO at $2.1 billion SSM Health Care System, it's new hires. "Whenever I see a new president or VP arrive, I make it a point to introduce myself and emphasize the value of his/her role as an IT customer," Langston told CIO. Once selected, it's time to meet and greet. Many CIOs say they have created formal documents to track relationships. Next, use your personality to your advantage and realize that it's important to make all of this a part of your job, not unlike finding time for exercise and reflection.

For more on networking:
- see the article in CIO

Phishing targets C-level execs

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Do you know where your senior executives are? Or at the least, do you know what sites they're visiting? According to a report by MessageLabs, a Web and messaging security provider, phishing and targeted attacks are way up-and in several instances, these attacks have been specifically targeted at C-level executives. On Sept. 12th, more than 1,100 C-level and senior management executives became the target of an attack, eWeek reports. The emails, which purported to be from a recruitment company, used a Microsoft error message to persuade the victims to click on the RFT attachment. The attachment contains an executable program that drops two files onto the computer, which are in turn used to pass sensitive information back to the attacker. Separately, in September, one in every 87.2 emails was a phishing attack. The number of phishing emails accounted for 56 percent of all malware threats intercepted in September, the report says. The report notes that these attacks are getting a lot more sophisticated with the spread of phishing kits--specifically there's a kit called "rock phishing."

For all the details on phishing:
- see the article in eWeek

Today's state of insecurity

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0400

It was quite a surprise to read that the personal information of 1,200 eBay users was posted online this week. Luckily, as you'll read in our first story, it looks like there was no security breach of the network and it appears that the exposed credit card numbers were not valid. Still, it focuses our attention on the large number of hackers who are out there, waiting and ready to pounce on our data.

I had the opportunity this week to meet with Michael Barrett, the CISO of PayPal, which is now owned by eBay. We talked a bit about the state of security in general and discussed how he and other C-level executives, including the CIO, collaborate at PayPal. I have to say, he has a pretty realistic view. He noted--much to the dismay of his PR reps--that no enterprise can ever be fully risk free, but went on to add that none of us live risk free lives either. The question really is, how much is the right amount of risk to absorb, and what do you have to do to get to that acceptable level of risk? A fortress mentality--the idea that you can keep the bad guys away by building walls and trenches around the enterprise--will not, by itself, help you understand risk or get your organization to that level. What is needed is a culture of security in which people throughout the enterprise have a common understanding of what constitutes risky behavior, and then apply security measures accordingly, as they develop new business processes and collaboration links within and between their enterprises.

In this issue, I also link to an interesting interview with a convicted hacker. In his words: breaking into computers at telecom companies was "so easy a caveman could do it." This 23-year old begins his two-year sentence in federal prison today. Let me know what you think about the state of security--or insecurity-- in your network. -Patty

CIOs: Not the casual boys and girls of summer

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

With summer coming to a close, retail stores shifting their floor motif's to "back-to-school" and students are working on their "what I did on my summer vacation" essays. Just don't ask CIOs to produce such a missive. Many CIOs and other C-level executives have yet to take their summer vacations. Indeed, a great article in CIO Magazine is even wondering if the CIO job has become an "extreme job." Recruitment firm Harvey Nash released a survey earlier this year of 172 CIOs that found that nearly 20 percent of them worked more than 56 hours a week. About 4 percent put in more than 65 hours a week. And a not completely atypical prototype of the hyper-C-Level-exec can be found in Clyde Thomas, CIO and executive vice president of global operations and technology for eFunds, a $600 million financial services company. Thomas is pumping out nearly 70 hours a week. He's got a huge job overseeing five data centers in the United States and two abroad, managing 450 people who serve 6,000 users overall. "We do millions of transactions every minute. If something goes wrong with our technology, I want to make sure I'm involved in fixing it," he tells CIO. "Do I like handling conference calls [after midnight]? No. But if you're running operations for a company of this size, you do what you must." Still CIOs and other "extreme jobholders" do appear to love their jobs. A separate study contends that a majority of these folks love what they do and thrive under the pressure. In fact the study explains that rather than feeling exploited, "the long hours make extreme jobholders feel exalted." Clearly, globalization is also to blame for keeping CIOs at work longer.

Is your job extreme?
- read the article in CIO

How happy are C-level execs? Apparently, not very

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:01:39 -0400

They may be making more money than ever and taking their businesses to record levels of profitability, but exactly how happy are C-Level executives? The surprising answer: "not very," according to a new report from ExecuNet, an executive recruitment firm based in Connecticut. The company surveyed 2,149 executives with an average salary of $221,000 and found that nearly half (48 percent) were "not satisfied" or only "somewhat satisfied" with their current jobs. Fifty-two percent of the dissatisfied executives say they are planning to leave their companies within the next 12 months. Leading this high-rent pity party were IS and IT executives. Only 41 percent of the group expressed contentment with their jobs. Sales and marketing execs were slightly more satisfied, although not by much: sales execs had a 42 percent satisfaction rate, while marketing had 44 percent. Exactly what's everyone so down about? Limited advancement opportunities, lack of challenges or personal growth opportunities, and difficulties with workplace culture. Compensation, it appears, was the least of their concerns.

For more on unhappy execs:
- read the numbers and weep in this eWeek article

Study: Senior execs approve of Web 2.0

Wed, 09 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The vast majority of C-level executives view the sharing and collaboration inherent in Web 2.0 technologies to be an excellent way to increase revenue or margins. The study, sponsored by FAST, found that large companies have begun using Web 2.0 tools and methods to create online communities to help with product marketing and development. They are also creating blogs or wikis to communicate better with customers and share knowledge both inside and outside of the company. The study's authors expect to see a rapid acceleration in the Web 2.0 adoption curve as business leaders recognize the value of community-sourced information made accessible and actionable via search technology. Eventually, they expect to see Web 2.0 principles change how organizations innovate and execute.

Read more about how enterprises are using Web 2.0:
- read the article at Social Computing

ALSO:
- read this about Web 2.0 as a competitive maneuver
- this about Web 2.0 for the enterprise
- this for reasons to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon
- this on wikis entering the corporate consciousness
- and this on tapping into the world of social networking

The changing role of the modern CIO

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

The driving forces changing the business world at large will change the role of the CIO. For example, CIOs with experience setting up or operating IT shops in the Far East will be in greater demand as collaboration with companies in China and India reach a zenith. Another example is the demand for access to content anywhere, anytime. As a result, CIOs who can exploit new alternatives in content delivery, as well as those who know how to collaborate with partners, other C-level executives and supply chain managers, will be in great demand. Other areas of demand for CIOs will include those who can create a competitive advantage for their companies via IT; those who can deliver reliable, scalable solutions in the area of social networking and web-based marketing; and those with security expertise and understanding. Keep your eyes open: your job is changing right under your nose.

Learn more about the changing role of the CIO:
- read the article at Optimize

Is there a shelf life for CIOs?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:01:39 -0500

In his editorial this month, Optimize editor-in-chief Brian Gillooly asks whether, eventually, the skills of the CIO will be absorbed by other C-level executives. Some believe that this is the case, while others believe that CIOs will take on an even more strategic significance and will assume a different, even more effective role, such as "Chief Innovation Officer". Gillooly says that how well CIOs demonstrate that they are up to the task and their ability to take calculated risks will determine their future.

For more on this:
- read on in Optimize