What CIOs need the most is trustworthy advice. Get vendor independent advice, share ideas, discuss issues, and get that feeling of camaraderie with CIO Groups, CIO Peer-Connect, CIO Special Internet Groups, and CIO Roundtables. Build relationships for a lifetime.
Information Technology is accelerating at an exponential rate with new products and services introduced each day; each more complex than its predecessor and having a bigger impact on business than the one before.
CIOs who missed the internet train learnt never to take the pace or impact of technology for granted. Not only does one have to stay on top one must stay ahead of the technology curve.
“CIOs know that the future rests in not repeating the past but in extending IT by hunting and harvesting in a digital world.”
More than ever before, CIOs need independent advice:
- Most, if not all, have been burnt depending on vendor advice – the bankruptcy of FoxMeyer Drugs is but one example of a CIO paying the price for not seeking independent advice
- Most, if not all, have learnt the benefit of intellectual independence of the person/entity giving them advice
- Analyst information is good but there is skepticism about its vendor neutrality – because there are rumors that vendors who pay get a say in analyst reports – and it is exorbitantly priced.
- Management consultants have great information but they do not share their frameworks. And they charge an arm and a leg to come in and get the work done
- They do not have a platform to interact with peers and exchange ideas
However, a fragmented and disorganized marketplace dominated by media/publishing companies, technology vendors and expensive analyst firms has left the CIO hanging: “It seems that today, more than ever, you can get buried in conferences, vendor summits, networking associations and professional societies. With the limited time we all have, we need to select our external partner organizations strategically” says Jeff Steinhorn, CIO, Hess Corporation
CIO Index is an issue driven professional community that helps you, the CIO, realize the potential of
- Leveraging the Internet to network with other professionals, attending virtual conferences or events
- Reaching out to peers, with similar job roles, in similar verticals, with similar technology platforms, for advice when considering a technology purchase
- Using the power of networking to interact with and influence others
