They include Provision/Assistance to Senior Executives on IT Acquisition and Management, Integration of a Sound IT System, Up-keeping/maintenance on present IT architecture, Input on the development of Enterprise Strategies along with specific plans regarding hiring and future employee training, Et Cetera. The image above gives a larger view of activities that a CIO would participate in. It is not an insult to assume that the range of CIO responsibilities is so wide that it would be quite challenging to expect one person to have all these skills.
Having to keep precedent with the latest technologies, managing an implemented IT System, and providing decisions to senior executives is quite a handful. The Clinger-Cohen act also implies that the CIO is entitled to a staff of individuals that can together help meet the competencies, and can create a suitable office environment. Ironically the act does not mandate appropriate funds be allocated to the CIO position or to any of the activities he/she is in control of. There is a pun made of the CIO acronym, instead of ‘Chief Information Officer,’ its ‘Career Is Over. In the beginning days of IT implementation, this would have certainly cracked a couple of laughs. This was often said by people who did not understand upcoming technology; back in the 50’s and 60’s was almost everyone in the general society. Communities back then didn’t believe that all these new-fangled “Computers” would catch on. Early concepts such as E-mail was thought to be “kid stuff” and irrelevant to the business world. Information Technology (IT) is the CIO’s domain. As the business world evolves, the CIO role will evolve with it.
The Essay on Information Technology 15
... fall under the Information Technology umbrella. What exactly does Information Technology entail? Essentially information technology is all about using ... order to have a job in the field of Information Technology: ● CISSP certificate (Information Security) ● ISSAP certificate ( ... CIO,) who is the head honcho of the whole shabang. The Top 10 Technical Skills Needed for a Career in Information Technology ...
In the early times, IT had a very insignificant role in an organization thus the CIO role would follow suite. But as we have seen throughout recent history, IT has grown to become an integral part of the business world. The CIO is in the prime position to take on greater business responsibilities and control. CIO, Career Is Over? This joke has lost its luster. One would say the joke itself has evolved as well; ‘CIO? Career into Opportunities. ’ What is the main task of the CIO? Back in the 1950’s it was simply to deliver competent IT operations and oversee the computer mainframe on time and most importantly on budget.
By the 1970’s, the CIO was overlooking integration of systems and maintenance of expensive hardware and software. In those days if the IT system failed, daily operations could still recover and continue. The CIO was charged with recruiting and finding a way to pay highly skilled people to use technology that new to the business scene. Faulty equipment and flawed software are just a few of the problems faced in IT. It comes as no surprise as to why the CIO is seen as a “Techie” and not as a business man. Today, IT is rooted in business. If the IT system fails or even comes short of normal operation parameters, the organization suffers.
In the past decade or so the Internet has grown exponentially. With all the new electronic platforms, intranets, and user interfaces, Chief Executive Officers (CEO) could no longer ignore technology and had to use these tools to stay competitive. In the past, the CIO often reported to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
At that time, IT was seen as a cost center rather than an asset and a key competitive attribute. As we see IT growing more important in the business world, it becomes clear why more and more CIO’s today are reporting straight to the top.
This is a great opportunity for CIOs; with a direct chain of command to the highest business executive, the chance of succeeding in this complex and rigorous role greatly increases. The CIO role will always keep its roots in the comprehension and appreciation for technology and the benefits it can have for an organization. With this newly gained spot with the senior management; the CIO has to now spread this appreciation throughout the whole enterprise. It has become clear that a CIO today needs not only technological, but business leadership skills; that along with a good grasp of the organization’s strategy.
The Term Paper on Business Organization
IntroductionThere are many types of business in the business world. Form the small one to the large one. Choosing the form of business organization is an important decision because it can be critical to the success or the failure of the business organization. Each form of business organization has its advantages and disadvantages.Things that can be taken to consideration in choosing the type of ...
A CIO’s problem solving abilities need to be top notch. He or she needs to be able to ask the right questions of a team and be available almost 24 hours a day. This ensures that if a’ business critical’ system goes astray, the CIO is able to immediately intervene. Being on time and on budget used to be the only standard for IT projects. Now the CIO must be active in almost every aspect of a program’s investment and development. If an organization is deciding whether to spend millions of dollars on a project, CIO input is crucial.
The CIO has to be able to influence and persuade colleagues to support policies that are relevant to the organization. Any program, project, or policy, not only needs to be on time and budget, but also has to be able to deliver a value that is expected by the organization that makes it. CIOs are often proficient when it comes to the technological discipline of an organization, but what of their management related abilities? Is it beneficial to an organization if the CIO is only technologically capable, but is not in touch with the other business functions?
CEOs and CFOs are going to want someone who is adept with cost control and is meticulous when it comes to details. IT and technological awareness will always be two of the prime strengths of a CIO, but many have had to change their philosophy to make up for a lack in managerial aspects. While jobs in the past were often black and white and strictly technical, current problems require more creative solutions. Problems today often involve people rather than equipment and require direct management. Sometimes all the information will not be there and the CIO will need to make a decision on what is available at that moment.
CIOs are increasingly taking a larger role when it comes to creating a business strategy. With all these refinements, the relationship between the CIO and CEO changes as well. Since one person does not know everything, the CEO must have someone they can consult who has specialized knowledge regarding an IT issue or technological question. The CEO needs someone that understands the interworks of the organization. With this relationship, the CIO now can interact with the CEO and help him understand the potential that IT can have.
The Essay on In What Ways Have Large Business Organizations Changed
In what ways have large business organizations changed in recent decades? Large business organizations have changed in recent decades in a few ways. Some of this ways are that are not always a conventional bureaucracy, they are more open and flexible, the technology used, and the political and economic trends are always changing. Plus there are others, but I’m going to elaborate on the one I had ...
At this point the CIO no longer has to sell the IT Paradigm, he can be sure that his skills and knowledge were valued at the highest level. CIOs manage future change in a company’s IT structure. He is able to identify what functions need to be changed to improve performance. With new techniques and tools such as Business Component Modeling or Service Architectures, the CIO can develop and implement effective and dynamic strategies that will bring the IT and business sides together. IT should be in tune with the organization. Instead of being reactive, the CIO should be proactive to change.
CIOs are the catalyst of innovation. As IT continues to grow in importance in every business situation, the role of the CIO will grow more imperative as well. The CIO position in the future will continue to broaden and become more indispensable. The CIO is the Champion. They are communicators; they must be able to explain what IT is and what it means to the organization. Along with technical knowledge, they are demanded to have adept business skills comparable to anyone in senior management. The CIO position is stepping in to the spotlight of the business world. The role has come from one of support to leadership.
Decades ago CIOs had to negotiate, even beg to become a part of an organization’s strategic process. This is the opposite in today’s world. It is a necessity for the CIO to be present for strategic planning in an organization. Assessment and Reassessment are the key attributes of contemporary Strategic Planning. In many organizations the strategic plan is reviewed monthly or even weekly. Coincidently, reassessment is a defining characteristic of the IT realm as well. Since IT is strongly interrelated in the business environment today, it is self-evident that the CIO takes a spot in the creation and assessment of the Strategic Plan.
What specifically should he do once in the board room? The CIO should report and give insight to technological change that could have an effect on the organization. Why else would they have been invited? Functions such as Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Resource Management have brought IT right to the executive’s table. The main task the CIO must complete is aligning the Organization’s vision with the rapidly changing pace of technology. In the past when technological advancements did not have such short life cycles, an organization could make a confident assumption about business stability three to five years in the future.
The Business plan on Business Model and Strategic Plan
For any journey the path must be defined with clear and recognizable details for it to be successful. The concepts of markers and landmarks which define the direction of a journey apply to that of any business. We need detailed plans and objectives as well as landmarks and directions we would like the business to travel. The objective of Two Brothers food truck is to create a trusted and popular ...
Now with tech life cycles being as short as one year, how does one account for such change? Three or five years in today’s time could represent a whole generation of changes as compared to the previous. Is it even possible to plan that far ahead now? Yes it is. The trick is to predict how soon a new technology will be assimilated through society. This is where the CIO’s role as a technical analyst becomes most valuable to the senior executives. For example, there has been a significant push by vendors for wireless technology across the nation.
There is no question that wireless capability will be a large asset to not only future customers, but current employees as well. At this point, CIO must ponder whether to propose an extensive investment on the upcoming of wireless ability, or open up the idea with the executives and wait to see what the customer does in the future. A CIO must be careful not to jump on any bandwagons without thorough investigation of how the investment will stand in the future. Sometimes even the act of technology reconnaissance can lead to new organization opportunities and openings.
CIOs need to be the authority on technology interpretation when it comes to strategic planning. This means that the CIO must be fluent in the two languages of Business: accounting and finance. The CIO must understand a technology will impact those aspects of the business and be able to translate that impact in to business terms. This means more than reciting acronym soup; the CIO must bridge the gaps between IT and business operations. Sure, the CIO may be a great technologist, but he must show that he understands the business and the ramifications of technology on it.
If that is accomplished, the entry ticket for strategic planning is guaranteed. Then the CIO’s IT background can be applied for a business advantage. Financing and IT share much common ground when it comes to processing information; therefore they make a great pair in strategic plans. Both the CFO and CIO should consult each other. The CFO should take notes from the CIO on the importance of a technological possibility and the CIO has much he can learn from his financial colleagues regarding money. CIO involvement in the strategic plan is beneficial for everyone from the IT department up to the CEO.
The Business plan on Strategic Planning Paper Plan Process Business
The history of strategic planning begins in the military. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, strategy is 'the science of planning and directing large-scale military operations, of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the enemy' (Guralnic, 1986). Although our understanding of strategy and applying strategic planning in management has been ...
This helps prioritize funding for projects and helps promote communication between department executives. Good strategic planning is also an innate insurance policy against poor decisions and future risk. As said by Carl Wilson, Executive Vice President and CIO of Marriot International in Washington DC, “If I hadn’t been involved in strategic planning for CRM, I might have been inclined to go out and implement something without knowing how our heads or marketing, finance, and operations were looking at it. And I might have messed it up. ” At the end of line, Strategic Planning is about success in the work and marketplace.
Since IT is an integral part today in the plan for success, it is imperative that the CIO does his job well. In today’s businesses, the CFO demands that the IT systems are able to operate with near real-time reporting and able to control a wide assortment of accounting and financial functions. The CEO wants the IT system as a tool to help gain or keep a competitive advantage against competitors. The CIO is there to make these standards happen swiftly, smoothly, and at the lowest cost possible. All CIOs share the same responsibility of making the organization’s IT system satisfy the needs of the employees.
From the accountants to system analysts, all the individuals need the system to meet their own specific objectives. The CIO is there ushering the system by supporting any activity that can enhance the organization’s mission. The outcome of all work and care of the IT system is structural network. This network enables quick response and automatic control reporting through the organization. There is often an array of cables running from every room of the complex, feeding in and out of a networking center containing all the networking devices that make the cross-organization communication possible.
The Term Paper on Customer Identification and Risk Management System
Customer Identification and Risk Management System Banking- a word which means to bank upon something for welfare and to progress in life. In banking if customers depend upon a bank to fulfill their financial needs, a bank has also to bank upon them for deploying its funds properly for growth. It means it is two way traffic. A bank is taken as big support to everyone doing a financial activity, ...
This support network structure is the backbone the whole facility relies on. It is the culmination of decades of work and funding. No single person understands it all. There is no all inclusive document on how to rebuild it. Yet the organization depends on it and can not function at its best with out it. This leads to the question, what if the system structure is damaged? Tampered with? What if a natural disaster strikes? There are countless events that could happen. The CIO’s job also includes making preparations for the organization’s IT system in the event of a disaster.
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a complex set of analyses, preparations, and procedures with a single goal: keep the business operating after a disaster occurs while helping to resume normal operations. A DRP is not a list of all the organization’s current systems or a manual for reproducing them. It is an action plan for providing business critical functions with the resources they need to function. The need for a DRP will as much as technology continues to evolve today. The needs for a DRP mean assessing how and why an organization has arrived at its current status.
Most everyone would say “The recovery needs to be fast. ” “Fast” is a relative term in the IT world and has changed through time. In years past, fast could mean responding to an incident within a couple days. In today’s standards fast means being able to react with in a couple of hours with an immediate answer of what happened and why. Years ago, IT systems merely provided reports. Now, IT systems are part of production and operation control itself. One of the most important parts of the DRP is determining the most critical system functions and to define the organization’s meaning of “fast. As expected, the CIO will be the authorative figure in this decision. The CIO will know what “fast” means and what the outcome will be if the response time is not met. The CIO understands what different functions work to support day to day operations. A DRP protects people, equipment, and information: the three entities of recovery planning. Knowing how these entities work together to meet organizational goals and provide daily operations are at the core of the CIO’s domain. Without this, no DRP can prevail. Disaster Recovery (DR) can and has been shown to work.
In light of many disasters that have happened recently, prepared organizations survived and flourished; unprepared organizations slowly went under and ceased operations. Of the organizations that did bounce back from recovery, they made it clear that DR planning is everyone’s responsibility, not just the recovery coordinator or manager. The CIO must accept the task of informing all levels of an organization and emphasize the responsibility of each person to implement a successful DRP. The most important portion of a DRP is a Business Impact Analysis (BIA).
A BIA is a document that identifies the most mission critical functions and what resources are required for the fastest recovery and states how they interact with other functional business areas. From this information the DR planner can make objectives and establish recovery strategies for the DRP. The first step of a BIA is to limit the scope and determine the environment of the system(s).
This establishes the framework of the plan, and states whether the plan will safeguard a single building, a campus, or the whole organization. Second is to categorize organization functions through an interview process.
This will give the DR planner alternate perspectives of all functions of the environment in question. It will also provide an opportunity to learn from the people who know their job the best. This collected data helps refine the plan objectives. These interviews will give insight as to which business functions are the most relative and time critical. The ranking of functions answers the question of what should take priority (given the cost and schedule constraints).
The interviews also give the DR Planner a chance to answer those cliche questions of “If a big disaster happens, the company is finished anyway, and why should I care? “Why should I care about the organization? ” While collecting data, the DR planner can answer these questions and announce the benefits of how a DRP protects not only the organization, but the employees as well. The third step to weigh recovery strategies and costs. The CIO stands at the core of IT, operation processes, and organizational policies. This is the most effective location to balance and strategize on methods that would best serve the recovery effort and be cost effective. After DR strategies and the appropriate funding is approved, it is time to document the actual procedures.
There are two types of DR procedures: Action Plans and Information Sheets. An Action Plan is a document that clearly specifies which action(s) to perform. An Information Sheet is a document that provides the data required to fulfill the action(s) in the Action Plan. Action Plans start the implementation of the recovery strategies. For example, activating a reserve system for a critical business function may require some key individuals to travel to a location, power up a system, perform a readiness test, and call the command center. Along with some instructions included, this would constitute an Action Plan.
An example of an Information Sheet might be a Phone Roster of the individuals needed for a plan, or locations of any key areas that are mentioned in the Action Plan. It is the in the duty of the CIO to review these DR procedures to make sure they are concise, simple, and user friendly. The development of strategies and the physical documentation are tasks that are best chosen by the CIO to staff of his selection. Since the CIO is actually not involved of the details, this gives him the vantage point of an employee reading the DR procedures to see if the preparations and instructions are understandable.
In Disaster Recovery, the CIO is the protector of simplicity in the Disaster Recovery Plan. This is a role best suited for the manager of the Information Technology in a High-tech world. In today’s environment, the business realm is riddled with risk. Risk is innately present with the coming of new and updated technologies. The CIO and any related IT employees must be vigilant to the problems that can arise and the devastating effects risks can have on an organization’s financial integrity and its customer reputation. CIOs need to realize that merely managing risk is not effective or sufficient.
It is almost mandatory for a CIO to know the in’s and out’s of an organization’s IT system to help mitigate risk for not only the IT department, but for the enterprise as a whole. The CIO needs to help pave a way for employees to raise their roles from that of a low impact follower to that of a high valued leader. It needs to be a combined effort of the whole organization to retain a greater level of risk awareness. This high risk environment gives an opportunity for IT leaders to develop an effective risk management plan. A CIO’s attention is divided in multiple directions.
There are auditors that want all information to be meticulously documented that pertains to IT and its control. CFOs want the most refined data at real time speeds. CEOs need organizational wide information to make strategic decisions. There is even stress from external actions such as outsourcing. On top of the CIOs channels of communication being stretched across the whole organization, functions of the business are being outsourced out of the company itself and diminishing the CIO’s strategic look. This eliminates any safety that might have been in place for those exported functions and increases possible risk.
One would think when you add extra duties and roles; you’d get some extra resources to help balance the transaction. This is not always true, and is often the position many CIOs today are forced in to. CIOs are constantly running in to shortages of resources and have a very difficult time convincing the other executives about allocating extra resources to IT. This is sometimes attributed to how the CIO explains his argument; it’s often done in technical terms. This can sometimes create a barrier of understanding between the CIO and other C-members. CIOs should be careful of approaching a situation from a technical point of view.
It is not favorable for any IT leader to be confined only the needs of his department only. This inflexible and narrow mindset hinders collaboration between business functions and defeats the purpose of the “Organizational” wide strategic plan. With the ramifications of poor risk management being very damaging, CIOs are put on the front line of this issue. In the past, problems could be fixed by simply throwing money at them. Today’s scenarios often require a more innovative and complex solution. Negligence in the area of risk can make even the most stable organizations stumble.
In conjunction with the change in consumer and privacy laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley, organizations with be judged harshly for any deviation. CIOs are faced with a grim outlook if they fail to meet standards. CIOs are charged with the deeds and misdeeds of not only himself but others across the organization. Being a technologist will no longer be enough. CIOs today have to broaden their horizons and develop effective Risk Management skills and venture outside of their IT safe zone. For the CIO to be a critical part of the executive team, thinking and stepping out of the box it not an option.
There are many types of risk that a CIO needs to comprehend. There is IT function risk, organization wide risk, risks of new technology implementation, and strategic risk. The CIO must designate IT pertinent processes and projects that account for the risks and needs of the organization. CIOs have the knowledge and the power do this as a senior manager. They can coordinate assets to help strengthen risk management needs. At this time the CIO needs to be a leader not a follower; they need to be a “Risk Intelligent” CIO. So what is risk to an organization?
Risk is “the potential loss or the diminished opportunity for a gain caused by factors that can adversely affect the achievement of an organization’s objectives. ” Risk has many disguises. Inadequate risk management can lead to exposing the organization to loss and liability. Risk management is not solely a technology factor; risk is often a great factor in people as well. With today’s dependence on technology, the worry about risk and actual risk will follow suit. CIOs not only have to manage equipment and policies, but they have to directly delegate workers as well.
Choosing the right people to manage risk and provide them with the necessary training it just as important as knowing the risk in question. If you do not have the correct person on the job, chances are you will end up with a greater problem than if the risk was left unattended. The CIO must use IT to integrate risk management in to an organization’s daily operations and procedures. CIOs often work to establish a common language to talk about risk across all areas of the organization. A standardized language will minimize miscommunication and simplify future interactions between each other.
The CIO and other C-members should create a risk committee to help delegate risk across the organization. This would allow for the work load to be offset by multiple departments and give multiple risk views. Once a risk committee has been established, the CIO can improve decision making by distributing and receiving relevant information to the business functions that are directly related to the risk being managed. With this, the CIO can harmonize the various risk issues across the organization, and combine them to one single enterprise risk plan.
Risk solutions are not just technical solutions. They involve the intangible characteristics such as leadership and education. Employees and the CIO will have to adapt to the changes risk can bring. So what risk issues do CIOs worry about? What would make a good CIO Nightmare? Weak technology planning, failed projects, delayed system updates, retirement of technology, and other accidents are insomnia inducing effects. All of these can lead to significant costs and unfavorable consequences for a department or organization. Even a CIO’s job security can be at stake.
Many CIOs are being replaced by non technical personnel from outside of the IT field such as HR executives or financial entities. In a time where the world is going more and more technical, why would an organization want a “non-techie” in the CIO position? Because some boards and executives are not worried about cost and complexity, an organization may push for a “non-techie”. They are more focused on industry compliance, Organization governing, and specialized risk management. They see it as “Why should we have this tech guy who is not that skilled in Risk Management as opposed to someone who is greatly specialized in Risk Management. These problems are not the strongest suit for the traditional CIO, while the non-techie CIO brings the position into broader views of the organization and the risks associated. In the career environment, CIOs are constantly trying to prove and show their worth. They have to evaluate what risk management means to IT and the enterprise as a whole; how can IT be used to bolster risk management. CIOs have a strong grasp of the risks associated with their own department, but this alone will not suffice across the company. In the 21st century, CIOs need to expand their views.
They need to ask themselves “What should I do first, what should I focus on? ” “Does this align with the organization operations? ” “What can I do better right now? ” As a Risk Intelligent CIO, he should envision his role from the guardian of all things IT to a more encompassing strategic position that exploits technology to support the organization. The “CIO must wear several hats as a cross-functional leader. ” The CIO should understand the risks the organization faces, and be ready to offer any insight on IT projects and solutions that could remedy any risks.
Not only can CIOs raise and evaluate issues, they can do such things like hiring risk specialists or designate a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to handle any specific details. The ultimate goal of the CIO is help move the organization from a “fragmented organizational model” to a “Structured Organizational Model” that has risk management policies embedded in it. Instead of evaluating risk for every function or “silo” separately, the CIO can develop one master risk assessment that ties all the separate risk assessments together to fit the organization strategic plan.
The need to effectively manage risk should encourage IT leaders today to refine their role in an organization. As the executive team seeks guidance for risk management and regulation compliance issues, the CIO must have a seat in the board room. This CIO role requires a broad perspective on how the technical aspects of IT can be applied to protecting assets and refining strategic planning. CIOs can improve the entire enterprise, their IT department, and their own self worth.