technology leaders

Putting numbers behind IT budget woes

Judi Hasson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:17:07 -0400

The economic news has been bad, very bad. Every week, there are articles predicting how the downturn will affect the IT industry, jobs and budgets. And as those in the industry know, IT is taking a hit. The latest projection comes from CIO.com which found, in an October survey of 243 technology leaders, that 40 percent of CIOs plan to cut their budgets from last year's level.

The first targets of the cuts will be contractors and discretionary technology projects. Seventy-two percent of IT leaders responding to the survey said they have postponed or will postpone discretionary projects. In addition, 46 percent of survey respondents are already letting open positions go unfilled.

"Until September, we thought the economy would recover in the back half of 2009. Now, not a prayer," says Rick Belmonte, CIO at Lowe Enterprises, a real estate development firm. Belmonte has deferred all new technology development projects until 2010.

For more on economic headaches:
- check out this CIO.com article

Are you too focused on the little stuff?

Judi Hasson — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:01:04 -0400

It's very easy for IT executives to get caught up in many of the small details of the job and lose sight of the big strategic picture. Unfortunately, too many technology leaders may be in this state as they struggle to keep up with fast-paced changes, try to lessen the impact of tight budgets and focus attention on small, manageable issues.

InformationWeek suggests that business technology leaders must begin to shift gears, and focus on the biggest business issues: globalization, transforming processes, driving revenue, customer intimacy, and fostering true innovation.

"In this day and age, if you're a technology leader and you're still preoccupied with aligning IT and business and operating, maintaining, and deploying systems--as important as those responsibilities are--you're behind the curve,'' says InformationWeek's Rob Preston.

For more on dealing with the little stuff:
- see this InformationWeek article

Some CIOs are paid $1 million

Judi Hasson — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:20:43 -0400

It seems, in this world, there are two types of CIOs. The first does quite well financially depending on the size and nature of his or her enterprise, oftentimes, taking home a decent salary, and perhaps receiving a bonus or some shares of stock.

Then there are the CIOs who live the high life. They have a seat at the corporate table next to the CEO, the CFO and other top executives, and they take home very big bucks. CIO.com has complied a list of the top-tier technology leaders and what they made in 2007, based on public records filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the top of the chart was Barbara Desoer, who received $10.5 million in total compensation as global technology and operations executive at Bank of America. Glen Salow, of Ameriprise Financial, ranked second, pulling down $7 million. Robert Carter of FedEx had $5.4 million in compensation, followed by Tim Shack of PNC Financial Services Group and Mark Boxer of Wellpoint with $4.8 million each. Not a bad year's work, if you can get it.

For more on the millionaire's club:
- see this CIO.com article

Gates warns of U.S. tech folly

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

Microsoft founder Bill Gates made a trip to Washington, D.C., last week, his last visit to the nation's capital representing the company. He testified on Capitol Hill and made a speech to Virginia's technology leaders, warning that other countries are beginning to copy the policies that have made the United States the world's top innovator. He said members of Congress are making tradeoffs to keep constituencies happy for the short term at the expense of U.S. competition in the future. "Compared to a taxpayer rebate, putting money into research and development has a multiplier benefit, but it happens over a 10-year time frame," Gates said.

For more on Gates and his point of view:
- see this eWeek.com article

Related Articles:
Gates testimony to Congress. Article
More on Gates. Article
Gates to tech council. Article

Thriving in a changing world

Wed, 02 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

To thrive during the next five years, CIOs must be business leaders first and technology leaders second. Taking on additional business duties is essential to ensuring that you are viewed as a business leader, according to Gartner. But keeping your eyes on the prize may be harder than it sounds. For one thing, CIOs tend to be long-term planners, while CEOs think ahead to the next quarter. And in general, CIOs are more process-focused while CEOs are more outcome-focused. Finally, IT leaders tend to see projects in terms of cost, while business leaders see them through the lens of opportunity. It boils down to this: Focus on only a few things; view projects as opportunities; bring your financial management, sales and marketing, and change management skills to the table as part of your overall IT strategy; make sure you're at the forefront of influence and change; and make sure that you have all of the skills needed to run a top IT organization along with the business acumen to help set strategy for the company.

Learn more about thriving in the corporate world:
- read the article at SearchCIO

Shortage of CIOs on the horizon

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The demand for CIOs is growing fast, thanks in part to large companies now requiring CIOs at the strategic business unit level as well as the enterprise level. What's more, at some smaller firms, first CIOs are being appointed, and there is an increased demand for people with CIO-type expertise among IT service vendors. All of that adds up to a looming CIO shortage. Although it's certainly possible to recruit a CIO from outside of the company, it's far more effective for the corporation if companies must groom future leaders from within. To develop the next generation of technology leaders, it's important to first understand that the CIO role is changing, with an increasing focus on business knowledge and skills, the ability to manage relationships, and overall leadership capability. Companies must proactively develop the attributes they need in their CIO candidates. When grooming from within, make sure to focus on these skills, all of which will be part of the 2010 CIO: strategist, relationship architect, leader, information steward, integrator, educator and utility provider.

To learn more about the role of the 2010 CIO and how to groom from within:
- read the CIO Insight article

Open-source to take root in Netherlands

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:01:37 -0500

In a move to reduce costs and increase leverage with vendors and suppliers, Amsterdam's technology leaders are moving toward open-source technologies, though they won't be tossing out all of their Microsoft systems. The city is one of 10 currently evaluating the possibility of an open-source environment. These municipalities believe open-source software allows for more secure data exchange and storage capabilities.

For more on the move to open-source:
- read the news at BusinessWeek

CIO role expanding beyond just technology

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:01:36 -0400

In the quest to gain the required business-side experience, one CIO went on the production floor and built an engine alongside factory workers to understand the process and gain insight to a customer's business needs. It's all part of the growing career trend for CIOs to become business leaders as well as technology leaders. In addition to firsthand knowledge of the business and production aspects, experts say today's tech leaders also need to step over into other business units, such as marketing and even the legal unit, to begin educating themselves on issues that also involve IT.

For more on the changing CIO role:
- read this article at InformationWeek