CIO soul searching

It’s one of our industry’s great ironies – the more we attempt to simplify IT, the more complex it gets.

During the course of our CIO Conference being held here at Sydney’s Star City Casino today, I’ve heard some very interesting, but sometimes complex presentations.

But one of the great things about industry conferences like this one is that they offer a window into the ICT’s collective consciousness. As such, I think there are a couple of very simple, straight-forward themes underpinning the day.

The first is what you could call the mood of optimism. Whether the subject at hand is a presentation on knowledge management, EAI, infrastructure, or other fundamentals, there’s a common theme that growth is firmly on the CIO’s agenda. The twist is that we’re still a little cautious about what that growth means.

Bob Suh, Chief Technology Strategist at Accenture, hit the nail on the head: “Companies today are caught in an austerity trap.” CIO’s are still conservative about innovation, and its ability to contribute to earnings and profits.

The second theme is an old favourite: the CIO is not only the technology expert, but an agent for change across the business. One CIO lamented to me over lunch that CEO’s increasingly expect the CIO to understand the business, but CEOs and other executives are not meeting them half-way. They don’t understand what IT can deliver.

So who wants to be a CIO? A: Someone who can mix a passion for innovation with profit motives and skills in office politics.

Looking around the room and judging by the questions after each keynote (yes, this is another post via iBurst), vendor presenters with an understanding of that context are getting the best reception.