I am one of those weird people fascinated by banking, brokerage and insurance. I get a rush from mapping where finance and technology intersect, which is what I did when I created the first online bank for Wells Fargo in the early ’90s. Though banking is what I did for most of my career, an offer from Warner Music Group in 2002 caught my attention. At the time, the music industry was grappling with illegal downloading and how best to get digital music to customers—legally. Although I had other financial CIO offers, they were more maintenance than innovation. So I ventured to where the opportunity and excitement were. I wasn’t hired for my musical talents. I was so ignorant of the industry that I didn’t even know what questions to ask. I was hired because I could help Warner as it expanded in the digital age—look no further than the growing iTunes and ring tones markets, on which we’ve capitalized. I dove in headfirst, spending lots of time with the sales force, the manufacturing division, the record labels—basically trying to understand the industry’s mechanics. I soon discovered that the music business isn’t the Wild, Wild West atmosphere that some may think it is. Most of my job is the same as that of most other CIOs: We operate a global network in 47 countries; we support data centers, applications and desktops. It’s the other part that’s unique and exciting. In banking, you strive for commonality in your corporate message—for example, the company website. But at Warner, each of our 1,250 sites has its own look and feel that reflects each artist’s and label’s creativity. The originality of the content takes precedence over how the site works. The most interesting difference between the two industries, though, is that people work at Warner because they love music. Of course, a lot of people who work in finance love money, but the energy level here is that much higher because everyone is doing what they would otherwise be doing as a hobby. It’s an amazing environment to work in. I haven’t changed that much. I’ve yet to don tight pants and sunglasses or dye my hair green. But I do like to go to our artists’ shows. Do I mingle with them? No. I’m more back-office than center stage. Of course, my teenage girls adore me when I take them to one of our artists’ shows. Which is a great perk. —As told to Thomas Wailgum Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP When natural disasters strike Japan, Ōita University’s EDiSON is ready to act With the technology and assistance of SAP and Zynas Corporation, Ōita University built an emergency-response collaboration tool named EDiSON that helps the Japanese island of Kyushu detect and mitigate natural disasters. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery 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