Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
June 17, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM U.S./ET (GMT-4)
Larry Bonfante, CIO of the U.S. Tennis Association, will discuss the skills and approaches that your rising IT leaders must learn to be effective in an executive capacity.
How to Handle Your New CEO: Managing Turnover at the Top
June 18, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
Turbulent times have increased turnover at the top. Find out what Council CIOs have done to "break in" new CEOs—build relationships, set expectations, educate on the role of IT.
Mid-Market CIO Panel: Tips and Techniques for Improving Vendor Relationships
July 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
We'll highlight relationship priorities and best practices identified in a Council study, and we'll interact with a CIO panel on the approaches they've used to improve strategic vendor partnerships.
Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Assess Your Business Leadership Skills with the Council's new benchmarking tool. Rate yourself in change leadership, strategy, customer focus and more.
Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!
October 16, 2007 — CIO —
The tech industry in America is faced with intense competition from foreign vendors, most notably India. Although painful at times to American technology service providers, the rise of offshore competition creates quality options for outsourcing and creates value for your company.
I am an American, and I look at the world and at business through the lens of my red, white and blue-colored glasses (metaphorically speaking—I don't really wear glasses). I take pride in the individual achievements of great Americans like Ben Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Jack Kilby and Bill Gates who have spawned many an industry. It is because of achievements like theirs that I believe anything is possible in America.
The success of Americans is due to many factors and influences, but no achievement would occur without the work ethic that produces the desire to "get it done." We like to believe in being patriotic and insist that we "buy American" and forgo any trade outside the good ole US of A. However, we wouldn't have the economy we have without access to the goods and services from other countries. (For the other side, see "Eight Reasons Why Outsourcing to India Could Hurt Your Business."
I have seen the need to import services as I seek to deliver for my clients; therefore, I have embraced the so-called flattening of the world and now regularly utilize firms in India to help deliver my projects and operate my business. I offer to you, from my own experience, the reason why you should consider outsourcing your technical work. And although outsourcing options exist in Eastern Europe, the Pacific Rim and Latin America, I will use India as my reference point for the sake of this article.
1. Achieve more with less. Everyone in business is under constant pressure to produce ever-increasing volumes of work to generate more revenue using existing staff. With outsourcing, you can utilize your existing staff to manage outsourced projects. Your staff manages the outsourced team, thus improving the output of each staff member. Outsourcing leverages several factors, including your staff's experience and the productivity per individual.
2. Real-time access to skilled people. Business is not a steady, constant stream. You can never fully predict what situation the next day, week or month will force upon you. Ensuring you have the appropriate number of staff with the appropriate skills for the current workload is next to impossible.