The shift to Web computing is already happening, even if it may not be noticeable in your workplace. Near ubiquitous high-speed Internet access is giving your company’s employees access to Web-based applications at home. Inevitably, they will find and use the applications they like best. Soon CIOs will be faced with a choice, says Dave Girouard, general manager of Google’s enterprise division. “The CIO can be the source of the tools, or he can take the hardball approach and try to shut them down.”The thing is, says Girouard, people are going to use them either way.History bears this out. “A lot of the innovation that ends up in front of CIOs starts off in a user’s home,” says Paul Kedrosky, executive director of the William J. von Liebig Center, a venture capital firm. “Think back 20 years ago. The rear guard action would have been to make sure that my users aren’t buying PCs when I am not looking.”CIOs who don’t want to be marching in the rear of change can start taking small steps today. H&R Block CIO Marc West says that CIOs should think twice about every client/server application they install. “If you are a PeopleSoft customer who’s going to have to upgrade to Oracle, you should be seriously questioning that investment,” says West. “Do you need to keep all that information in one application? Maybe some things don’t belong in PeopleSoft.” As Internet-connected devices like PDAs and cell phones become more popular (and IDC research shows that they will soon outnumber PCs), employees will demand access to information through them. And since these devices aren’t powerful enough to run client/server applications, it will be up to CIOs to provide Web-based applications for those employees or risk, as Girouard says, “losing their constituencies.”Or, as Sue Feldman, IDC vice president of content strategies research, puts it, “CIOs have to become part of the network.” Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe