Strategies and Trends for Information Technology Leaders
These are extraordinary times given what businesses have dealt with the last couple of years and most CFOs still wear a look of anxiety on their faces. The good news is about two-thirds of the CFOs I talk to believe business prospects are better now than last quarter. To be effective in 2010, CIOs should…
Being the smartest one in the room is not easy position to be in. In IT you face this situation regularly; especially when you are in a roomful of non-IT people and you need to make progress on a discussion about technology. You know the answer. You get there before everyone else. It is frustrating…
Today’s CIO encounters many challenges handling security and regulatory mandates that extend far beyond the once-simple duties of maintaining firewalls. CIOs are today’s corporate first responders to spot insider theft or illegal activity, recover lost or deleted data, and to ameliorate poor document retention. Even before 2008’s financial meltdown, courts realized that the amount of…
Reduced budgets, reduced workforces and reduced resources often equate to reduced patience on the part of employees. In an uncertain or stressful business environment, it’s not uncommon to see greater staff conflict. Poor working relationships not only deplete morale but also lead to a decline in productivity—the last thing you need when you are trying…
Recently, in speaking with a group of executives who are in transition, I asked a question about how each person approached networking. While there were many similarities, to my surprise there were also varying degrees of doubt about what worked and what didn’t. The conclusion was that networking is more of a learned skill than…
Where you may see a problem Jeff Catlin, CEO of Lexalytics, an Amherst, Mass. based developer of analytical software tools for business, sees a potential solution. “Today’s social media increasingly can be used to solve problems―if you know how,” said Catlin. Hop aboard because this train is now leaving the station. Growing numbers of CIOs…
Tight budgets, the specter of uncertainty, higher customer expectations and increased pressure to do more with less are just a few of the challenges facing IT managers today. On top of this, they must continue to develop an organization that can be effective in a business environment that is increasingly ambiguous and reactionary. In order…
Almost overnight it would seem Twitter has come out of left field to take over the micro-blogging world (or, depending on your perspective, create it). From CNN to the Fortune 500, Twitter is making huge in-roads into the our culture. You can use it to post whatever’s on your mind or search it like a…
IT’s alignment with the business is critical to the success of an organization. My experience as CIO of Mannatech, Inc., working with business executives to achieve results for our supply chain management project, confirmed this to me. Such alignment often entails the willingness of key leaders to collaborate and focus on the execution and delivery…
So, you think your IT clients are demanding? Walk a day in Alan Cullop’s shoes and you will see the world from a whole new perspective. Cullop is the CIO of NetJets, a Warren Buffet-owned company that caters to the extremely rich and extremely demanding. First of all, if you’re part of Berkshire Hathaway (Buffet’s…