• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • CIO Priorities: Increase Cash Flow, Process Efficiencies, IT Awareness

    November 1, 2010 Dan Burger

    On the list of CIO duties and responsibilities, mind reader is the one that rarely shows up but is often required. And the brain silo that needs to be tapped into? The CEO’s, of course. Whether the grand poobah of your company is forthcoming about it or not, his reliance on the IT department grows each day, each month, each year. So that you have a better idea what Mr. Big Cheese in the corner office is expecting, the analysts at Gartner brain-scanned a bunch of top execs and this is their diagnosis.

    Ranking near the top of the revelations brought to light were such things as: a greater interest in IT projects that generate cash and create efficiencies; using IT to enhance the delivery of new product and service innovations; and added pressure to perform data analysis and information inquiries.

    Gartner advises CIOs to not only initiate projects that bring cash to the bottom line, but to make certain the CEO is aware of the contribution IT is making to that extremely high priority. The point is that continuing to do excellent work on your IT island isn’t enough. If the boss is unaware of IT’s value, you are in a position to lose budget to another department that contributes less but talks it up more.

    “Business leaders see very uncertain times ahead in 2011, and they must defend growth despite falling business and consumer confidence,” said Mark Raskino, a Gartner vice president, as he presented the industry trends that were collected at a Gartner Symposium in mid-October. “We all want business leaders who are technology savvy and will work smartly with their CIOs to understand the promise of IT, properly invest in it, and lead the business in its full exploitation.”

    If CEOs think IT has little or nothing to do with making money, they tend to dislike it and not be interested in understanding it. CIOs that allow that to happen are putting a noose around the department’s neck.

    Along those same lines, Gartner’s advice to CIOs is to zero in on business process cost-savings projects. One example is replacing paper documents and filing cabinets with electronic document management and online access. Projects involving e-commerce, e-service, and smartphones also fit into this category.

    “The ‘great recovery’ generation of CEOs will be put into position over the next five years. Those people are in CIO-peer and peer-network positions right now,” Raskino noted. “As a profession we can only reap what we sow. CIOs should identify the people around them most likely to rise to the top job and take time to help them in the late stages of their professional development. Teach, mentor, advise, persuade, support, nurture, and generally cultivate the next business leader you hope to be working for.”

    RELATED STORIES

    Gartner Says IT Spending Growth to Be Tepid Through 2014

    IT Managers Tell Gartner Their Budgets Are Up 1.1 Percent in 2010

    Gartner Gives IT Spending Projections for 2010 a Haircut

    Cloudy IT Is Big Business, Say Gartner and IDC

    Enterprise Software Spending to Rise 4.5 Percent This Year

    China Leading the Enterprise Software Charge in 2010



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags: Tags: mtfh_rc, Volume 19, Number 39 -- November 1, 2010

    Sponsored by
    Raz-Lee Security

    Start your Road to Zero Trust!

    Firewall Network security, controlling Exit Points, Open DB’s and SSH. Rule Wizards and graphical BI.

    Request Demo

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    IBM i 7.1 Supported by 120 ISVs with 300+ Apps, According to IBM Directory Top ERP Apps Run on IBM i 7.1 After All, IBM Says

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

TFH Volume: 19 Issue: 39

This Issue Sponsored By

    Table of Contents

    • Windows Loses to Power 720-IBM i Combo, But Whips Power 750s
    • Infor Taps Ex-Oracle Prez Phillips as its New CEO
    • Young Power Systems Professional Organizations Go Global
    • Mad Dog 21/21: No Bounce in Big Blue’s Belly
    • Avnet and Big Blue See Vertical Gold at Silver Anniversary
    • Reader Feedback on The Hundred Thousand Plus on the Four Hundred
    • The Oracle vs. TomorrowNow/SAP Courtroom Drama Goes on as Scheduled
    • JDA Boosts Earnings on Rocketing Sales in Q3
    • Vendors Gang Up to Create Solid State Drive Standards
    • CIO Priorities: Increase Cash Flow, Process Efficiencies, IT Awareness

    Content archive

    • The Four Hundred
    • Four Hundred Stuff
    • Four Hundred Guru

    Recent Posts

    • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
    • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
    • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
    • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
    • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
    • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
    • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
    • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
    • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
    • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

    Subscribe

    To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

    Pages

    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Contributors
    • Four Hundred Monitor
    • IBM i PTF Guide
    • Media Kit
    • Subscribe

    Search

    Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle