Driving business value through IT during tough times
Yesterday Phil participated in a CIO roundtable discussion on "driving business value through IT". While the roundtable was planned months in advance, no one could have anticipated how the discussion would be dominated by the latest economic woes. Most of the CIOs were feeling tremendous cost cutting pressure -- beyond the usual levels, and several had given out pink slips that morning.
Some of the main themes that emerged were -- maintaining a trust level by delivering on small promises early; showing the true ROI of IT initiatives whether they be new or on the chopping block; keeping staff motivated (and retaining them) when IT cost-cutting initiatives turn the office of the CIO into the office of "boredom".
Phil's recommendation: don't thwart innovation through constant focus on cost cutting and ROI calculations. Maintain a sandbox where innnovation can be safely tried -- and give employees time to experiment with new tools and ideas. Innovation needs to be encouraged, not relegated to the employees' own time at home. That's how you drive business value through IT innovation -- even in tough times.
Build your tech library with our book giveaways.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 Unleashed
By Tyson Kopczynski, Pete Handley, Marco Shaw; Published by Sams
Windows PowerShell Unleashed will not only give you deep mastery over PowerShell but also a greater understanding of the features being introduced in PowerShell 2.0–and show you how to use it to solve your challenges in your production environment. Enter now!
Ubuntu Server Administration
By Michael Jang; Published by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Realize a dynamic, stable, and secure Ubuntu Server environment with expert guidance, tips, and techniques from a Linux professional. Ubuntu Server Administration covers every facet of system management -- from users and file systems to performance tuning and troubleshooting. Enter now!
