Become the CIO your company needs

David M Williams
Sunday, 06 March 2011 08:11

Opinion and Analysis

Welcome to iTWire's new enterprise IT blog, The Wired CIO. First up, what is the function of your IT department? Is it merely a commodity or is it a commercial differentiator? If not the latter then something is seriously wrong.

Welcome to The Wired CIO. This new blog will feature on iTWire.com each week with news, views and real-world guidance about the complex world of enterprise information technology.

Actually, 'complex' barely begins to describe corporate IT - a department seen both as magical and frustrating, as both essential and dispensable and as both economical and costly all at the same time.

Woe betide the hapless Chief Information Officer or IT Manager. The typical C-level executive can be understood at a glance - the CFO handles cash flow and statutory compliance, the Engineering COO converts raw materials and labour into tangible, finished products, the CMO fashions glitzy brochures and ad campaigns. Yet, for many, the CIO and his or her department are misunderstood.

IT, as the very name indicates, is all about information and about technology. It's a very ethereal combination.

The reasons for this can be explained by way of two questions.

First, what does IT do? An organisation can easily construct task lists for financial staff. Accounts Receivable must generate invoices, chase delinquent debts and perform cash receipting on a regular basis. Accounts Payable must ensure purchase orders are appropriately signed, that invoices are authorised and that debts are paid in a prioritised manner. You can make regular timetables and task lists for finance.

By contrast, IT is generally about ambiguity and exceptions. The IT team will be automating repeatable and routine tasks, and will be taking phone calls, e-mails and help desk requests relating to faults, problems and general user uncertainty.