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 »
Public Teleconferences
Join CIO Executive Council members and participate in the following live teleconferences:
* Planning for Succession:
Models for IT Leadership Development, June 23
* Change Leadership at General Growth Properties: A
Pathways Leadership Development Seminar, June 25
* Managing Change: Centralizing Your IT Organization
July 29
Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!
November 13, 2007 — CIO — Every now and then you hear something different, something coming from a different perspective and a different vantage point. That’s when it’s time to sit up and pay attention. Recently, two of the most respected individuals in their fields made the following observations:
“I think you’ll see a much higher degree of technical focus in the CIO and a higher understanding of technology in business across the C suite. The distinction that we’re all so comfortable with—that there’s technology and there’s business—that distinction is going to vanish.” That’s Google CIO Douglas Merrill.
“The role of the CIO is at a crossroads. CIOs can once again reinvent themselves—and enhance their standing, influence and contribution to the corporation—or their role will be marginalized: setters of technology standards, managers of infrastructure...or worse, overseers of a technically savvy procurement shop.” That’s IBM CEO Sam Palmisano.
When I first read these statements, I immediately wanted to check my calendar because I thought I had gone back in time and was listening to Nicholas (“Does IT Matter?”) Carr. Then I started thinking about why these two accomplished men were choosing this particular time to question the CIO’s future when to me it seemed that the CIO role had regained whatever creditability it may have lost and has today more than earned its front row seat in the C suite.
One reason I came up with is that the rapid adoption of consumer IT in the enterprise is causing the computing platform to shift under the CIO’s feet, pushing him to once again immerse himself in technology and perhaps distracting him from the business of being strategic and driving innovation. A year ago it was rare that CIOs would mention mash-ups, RSS, blogs or wikis, Ajax and APIs as topics and technologies they were focused on. Now it’s common.
As Merrill says, “It’s very difficult for classic CIOs to understand how to respond in the best way to this consumerization of IT. The nature of risk management is changing from clean cost-flow across technology to clean talent-flow into technology, which is a very different thing to manage.” And a new challenge for CIOs.
It is this challenge and opportunity that CIOs will need to address in the coming year to ensure that they don’t, as Palmisano warns, get marginalized. Is the CIO once again at a crossroads? I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Stay on Top of the (Job) Market
The CIO Wanted widget is a portable window into the world of exclusive senior-level positions that you'll find posted on CIO.com's job board. Add the widget to your desktop, Facebook page, or any of 20 other online locations by clicking the "get & share" button below.
Just the basics, please. Sometimes we all need a refresher or we need to make sure our team and our colleagues are all on the same page.
Over 25 tutorials on everything from business intelligence to virtualization.