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How a CIO rebounds from job loss

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

You're fired! Maybe it's never happened to you. Maybe it never will. But CIOs have very high stress jobs with plenty of risk. Just ask Stuart Scott, the former CIO at Microsoft who was recently fired. While it might have a devastating impact on your career, it doesn't have to be the end of it. With a good reputation and positive job skills, even getting thrown out the door might have had a net positive effect. "There's a long list of people who have had pretty terrible ousters and not recovered from them," says Martha Heller, managing director of ZRG's IT leadership practice. "But executives can recover if they play their cards right," she adds. (Heller is also a career columnist for CIO Magazine.) Scott has already been interviewed by three recruiters, and his name is up front and center on a long list of possible CIOs available for work. That's good news. But every CIO in this position still has to roll with the punches and figure out how to open his next act. Scott will still have to explain the reasons behind his termination. And it probably won't be enough to rely on a Microsoft statement that Scott was terminated because he had violated company policies. David Reff, president of executive recruitment firm David Reff & Co., says Scott's 17-year tenure at GE and his Vanderbilt MBA will be assets as he moves forward. "The future is still open for this guy because of his background and pedigree," he says. "He can write a book, join the boards of companies or he can get into consulting." Just what advice would you give Scott, and have you rebounded from a bad day at the office? Let us know in the comments.

For tips on picking up from termination:
- See this CIO Magazine article

Demand for IT talent overwhelms supply

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Keeping pace with technology trends, satisfying business goals and committing to innovation requires top-notch IT talent, but demand is outstripping supply. To find qualified IT candidates, CIOs have to look longer and harder than ever before. And because of the dearth of qualified candidates, IT professionals hold all the cards, requesting--and receiving--higher salaries and more perks. CIOs don't have much choice but to meet those demands if they want to draw top-quality talent. And the demand shows no sign of abating, especially for candidates with expertise in cutting-edge technologies and experience handling crisis situations.

Read more about the dearth of qualified IT candidates:
- read the article at ComputerWorld

ALSO:
- read this on the difficulty of hiring IT talent
- and this on attracting good candidates

Wi-Fi Alliance moves toward certification

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Initially, the Wi-Fi Alliance said that it had no plans to certify the growing numbers of "pre-n" routers and cards as work continues on the draft 802.11n standard. However, the organization seems to have changed its mind after realizing that the standards process will likely take longer than expected (certified 802.11n gear probably won't be available until early 2008) and that the rash of new products hitting the market will require some form of certification. Everyone involved in wireless development and adoption are applauding this turn of events.

For more on what the Alliance hopes to accomplish:
- read more on the decision at CIO Today

Citibank under fire for not disclosing data breach

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 19:01:35 -0500

In the latest news related to data breaches and loss of confidential customer information, Citibank is under fire for not disclosing which third-party partner is responsible for the data breach that impacted debit card users abroad. Analysts call the event the largest "PIN theft" to date. While Citibank reissued cards and has taken action to prevent further data theft, the financial giant is refusing to reveal what exactly happened and what partner was involved.

For more on the latest data breach incident:
- read this article at Computerworld