Understanding Tomorrow's CIO
The next generation of top tech execs will be a different breed. Here's what sets "Insightful CIOs" apart and what software vendors need to know to connect with these key customers.
By Ashwin Rangan, MarketShare Partners
Jul. 13, 2009
The headwinds of a struggling economy are still blowing. CIOs at companies around the world are struggling to cut costs and continue to leverage technology as a competitive advantage. The lingering sense of uncertainty surrounding today's business environment will change CIOs behavior profoundly for the long term.
Tomorrow's CIOs will be more than just technology evangelists and visionaries. The new world of globalized business demands that the CIO be a business driver who uses IT to make the business more competitive in the rapidly changing business environment.
No longer will the CIO wait to be told what needs to be done. More often, the CIO will see the way forward and choose the correct technology path to get there. Software companies must revise their game plan in order to sell to Tomorrow's CIO.
What's Different about Tomorrow's CIOs
The line between technology and business is rapidly becoming indistinguishable. The new role of the CIO reflects this dramatic merger. Here are three key ways in which tomorrow's leaders will differ from those of the past.
1) Business value-driven goals -Software solutions that are brought into the company must be value-driven. No longer will CIOs simply check the "___" box (for example, "CRM" or "BI") with a brand name solution. There needs to be a hard-boiled estimate of how a particular solution will grow revenue, improve productivity in hard dollars, cut costs - or better yet, all three.
2) Business background - Historically, CIOs were the most tech savvy executives in the company. Tomorrow's CIOs often come from the business side of the company. And their business counterparts - in Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Finance and so on - are quite techno-savvy. So yesterday's "superior technology" pitch will no longer play in the CIO's office. These CIOs ask "why" instead of "how"?
3) Open mindedness - The rapid emergence of the "consumer enterprise" means that all business users are well aware of the potential for new models such as SaaS, mashups, applets and mobile computing. Tomorrow's CIOs will embrace the potential of these technologies to advance the business rather than resist their advances wholesale.
Yesterday CIOs will be regarded as naysayers who stand in the way of progress. Many companies know that their investments in sound, established on-premise enterprise software solutions have not come to bear fruit - even hundreds of millions of dollars later.
A New World View
At the highest level, "Tomorrow's CIOs" are Insightful CIOs. They are alert to changes in the IT space, aware of changes in the business that is served, and vigilant in ensuring that IT's relevance to the business is never compromised.
Given the role of the CIO and the nature of this individual's contributions, the question that is often asked is, "Should the CIO be a business person with IT knowledge, or a technical person with business understanding?" The answer to this question has changed over time.
-
Tomorrow's CIOs will be more than just technology evangelists and visionaries. The new world of globalized business demands that the CIO be a business driver who uses IT to make the business more competitive in the rapidly changing business environment.
No longer will the CIO wait to be told what needs to be done. More often, the CIO will see the way forward and choose the correct technology path to get there. Software companies must revise their game plan in order to sell to Tomorrow's CIO.
What's Different about Tomorrow's CIOs
The line between technology and business is rapidly becoming indistinguishable. The new role of the CIO reflects this dramatic merger. Here are three key ways in which tomorrow's leaders will differ from those of the past.
1) Business value-driven goals -Software solutions that are brought into the company must be value-driven. No longer will CIOs simply check the "___" box (for example, "CRM" or "BI") with a brand name solution. There needs to be a hard-boiled estimate of how a particular solution will grow revenue, improve productivity in hard dollars, cut costs - or better yet, all three.
2) Business background - Historically, CIOs were the most tech savvy executives in the company. Tomorrow's CIOs often come from the business side of the company. And their business counterparts - in Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Finance and so on - are quite techno-savvy. So yesterday's "superior technology" pitch will no longer play in the CIO's office. These CIOs ask "why" instead of "how"?
3) Open mindedness - The rapid emergence of the "consumer enterprise" means that all business users are well aware of the potential for new models such as SaaS, mashups, applets and mobile computing. Tomorrow's CIOs will embrace the potential of these technologies to advance the business rather than resist their advances wholesale.
Yesterday CIOs will be regarded as naysayers who stand in the way of progress. Many companies know that their investments in sound, established on-premise enterprise software solutions have not come to bear fruit - even hundreds of millions of dollars later.
A New World View
At the highest level, "Tomorrow's CIOs" are Insightful CIOs. They are alert to changes in the IT space, aware of changes in the business that is served, and vigilant in ensuring that IT's relevance to the business is never compromised.
Given the role of the CIO and the nature of this individual's contributions, the question that is often asked is, "Should the CIO be a business person with IT knowledge, or a technical person with business understanding?" The answer to this question has changed over time.
-
