Most senior business leaders today understand that data is a core business asset. They also understand that they need to leverage it for better business outcomes. What they don’t necessarily understand is how to do it. So when I was at the CIO 100 Symposium in Los Angeles, I sat down for a chat with... more
Informatica recently published a Data Strategy Playbook to help CIOs create a comprehensive and successful data strategy that connects all the data across their enterprise. I had the chance to sit down with one of the contributors, Monsanto CIO Jim Swanson, to talk about what does and doesn’t work in building an effective data strategy.... more
This time I’m recommending a super-practical manual for profitable transformation. The Technology-as-a-Service Playbook is a snapshot of disruption and provides tactics and strategies for succeeding with the “anything as a service” business model. Thomas Lah and J.B. Wood have perfectly captured the sense of upheaval among technology companies as subscription-based models become our norm and... more
If you’re a CIO, you’ve probably been through an experience like this: You’re leading an enterprise-wide digital transformation effort. You’ve created the cross-functional steering committee, developed the strategies, architected the technologies, and created a realistic roadmap that includes reengineering the business processes needed to make the transformation a success. Everything’s on track. Until you start... more
“We don’t want to come to work to build a wall, we want to come to work to build a cathedral.” —Simon Sinek, Start with Why CIOs can’t succeed unless they can communicate. Whether we’re convincing our C-level colleagues to support complex, cross-functional programs, persuading our staff that our strategy will enable their success, or proving... more
This is the final post in my short series on CIO relationships across the business. Read the overview and the posts on the CEO and CMO dynamics. Believe it or not, IT’s role in the enterprise is not to make other functions happy — even though IT provides technology to help business teams meet their... more
(Note: I’ll be finishing my series on CIO-CxO relationships in my next post, looking at the CISO. Check out thoughts on the CEO and CMO, but first, the latest book on my reading list …) The first book to make it onto my reading list for 2018 is a big one—in every sense of the... more
This is the third post in my series on CIO relationships across the business. (Previously: The intro and the CEO.) Informatica hired a new CMO, Sally Jenkins, within six months of my arrival as CIO. Since we were both new, it gave us a chance to build a CIO-CMO relationship from scratch by getting up... more
This is the second post in my four-part series on CIO relationships across the business. You can read the first one here. Even though data and technology are critical to every business today, too many companies keep CIOs on the sidelines during business discussions that drive the organization. Instead of helping to make critical business... more
Building relationships is more important to the CIO’s role than ever before. To make a real impact, it has to be. But let’s get one thing straight: if you’re defining “building relationships” as asking your peers what they want from IT in the next fiscal year, you’re doing it wrong. If you see your job... more