CIO Talk Network Podcast

Better higher Ed should produce better workers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators for the future. So why do so many feel higher education is failing to meet this expectation? Where are higher educational institutions dropping the ball? What new or different innovations are being used in the hope of transforming Higher Ed? What is working or not working? What chronic issues still need...

Isn't running an IT department just like coaching a ball team? You have your team run every day to build their endurance and to keep them in peak condition. Each player must be a top performer, regardless of his/her position, and be ready to fill-in other positions if needed. Every team member must love the sport and be committed to keeping the ball in play, doing whatever is necessary to win. How...

You were already a CIO when the new Normal arrived. Now what? What got you here may not get you there, so what capabilities do you have or lack? Of the capabilities you have, what should you preserve, what should you change, and what should you lose, in order to be ready to trod your new uncharted path into the unknown future? Guest 1: Tim Peterson Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Informatio...

Cloud's obvious advantages make it seem like a no-brainer. But what are the "gotchas?" How can CIO's ensure they get the best contract deals? And how do they mitigate excessive risk? What are the new/changing trends in Cloud Pricing models, contracting, and SLAs? What are the hidden costs and key risks in Cloud contracts, and more importantly, how can CIO's avoid them and protect their organizatio...

Today's uncertain times, with so much complexity and change, have been tough on our IT leaders. But these challenges show no signs of easing in the years to come. So how do we prepare the next generation of IT leaders? Will there be enough time, funds, or capacity to properly prepare and train them? What abilities will be expected of them? What are organizations doing to prepare the path this new...

Good intentions aside, IT leaders often end up delivering what they think they know best. Where they have gaps in their experience it's not unreasonable to invite consultants. The real issue is when executive management or stakeholders attempt to solicit 3rd party opinions about how IT is doing and perhaps call for an audit. When this happens, CIO's along with their direct reports can become defen...

As the economy improves, companies are jockeying for competitive positions and investing in top line growth initiatives, but business paradigms have changed. Are the old traditional marketing approaches up to the job of supporting these activities given the new paradigms? How do marketing activities need to change? Where can IT lead the way and support Marketing strategies effectively? How should...

There has always been a lot of debate over how well the government uses the public's tax dollars to provide security, deliver services, etc. How accountable has the government been in its procurement and contract management practices? Have the procurement and services that were paid for, been worth the dollars spent? What challenges does the government face in improving its procurement and contrac...

Enterprises have whole heartedly embraced mobility and are reaping the rewards, even while still working to mitigate the remaining risks. How is government viewing its transition to mobility? What risks and rewards are expected from making government more mobile? What is the roadmap to achieving wide-spread adoption of this successful paradigm while avoiding undue risk? Guest 1: Claire Bailey, Dir...

Business models, computing paradigms, delivery expectations, customer satisfaction, and profitability are all in flux. The ability of IT talent at all organizational levels to understand business as it stands and how it will morph in the future while maintaining and improving service delivery is no small feat. Can we prepare our IT people proactively or is it going to be a catchup game? Will our e...

PaaS (Platform as a Service) promises a faster, more cost-effective model for application development and delivery, because you can build and run applications in the cloud. Is this something we need or is it a solution looking for a problem? What does solution actually buy us? Who is it best for? Are application development groups ready to embrace it? Guest: Drue Reeves, VP Distinguished Analyst,...

Ongoing improvement in enterprise performance requires learning at the individual, department, and organizational level. Although we traditionally invest in these areas, how well is that investment paying off? Have enterprises been able to track and plan for upcoming learning needs, make that learning happen, preserve it and make it accessible? Have they been able to measure the impact on individu...

The free flow of information has given today's consumer more choices about purchasing and the power to respond quickly and effectively about what they like or don't like. Companies have little control over this vast flow of information that affects everything from dealing with what and how much is sold where and for how much, to dealing with customer satisfaction or dis-satisfaction snowballing ov...

An M&A situation can be a strategic opportunity for an IT leader to build a new IT organization. While some people will end up leaving, a new IT leader will emerge, either from one of the companies involved or from outside. How does this CIO of the new combined company go about putting together his new "cabinet" of advisors and right hand men? Guest 1: William G. Halnon, Senior Vice President & Ch...

If there are maturity models for the technology paradigms IT leaders adopt, wouldn't it be possible to develop a maturity model for IT Leadership as well? That is, an IT Leadership maturity model that would help CIOs and their lieutenants to measure their current state and chart a path forward for them to improve and become more successful and effective. What would such a maturity model look like?...

Today, organizations are outsourcing more and more of their IT applications, systems, and infrastructure, and moving to the cloud. But can their IT leaders depend solely on the vendors' promises and contract agreements about delivering these services securely? It's one thing to articulate security concerns but another to live with risks, including job loss, which could arise while someone external...

While Bi and Analytics are not relatively new concepts for financial services organizations, based on rapidly changing business models, shifting regulatory reforms, the expansion into new markets, and continually morphing risk management needs, would using just "traditional" BI cut it? Is Big Data a good answer? Is there a compelling business case to escalate from traditional BI to Big Data? What...

Mobility presumably offers advantages in delivering healthcare, and so investments have been made to improve it. What has been the result? Have the investments returned a significant ROI? What specific innovations have driven down cost, increased access, and improved the quality of healthcare? How has the consumerization of IT been leveraged to increase the overall adoption of mobility in healthca...

With Cloud computing bringing disruptive and progressive approaches to business transformation, it would seem naïve to think we could adapt Cloud to traditional Enterprise IT norms. Any such attempts are certainly knee jerk reactions when we don't know what else to try. So, how does an organization transform its enterprise IT to adapt to Cloud and realize its full potential? What people, process,...

Traditional wisdom claims that working closely with customers will stimulate innovation but contrarians suggest that working closely with customers yields the predictable, stifles creativity, and misdirects resources into trivial innovation. Must we wait for lightning to strike or can we successfully partner with customers to innovate? What should a company do? And, in either case, how can IT furt...

The old traditional supply chain "pushed products to market." How achievable would it be to turn this around and make it into a "demand-driven" supply chain where all the supply chain partners were aligned to "pull product to sales?" Regardless of the business environment, a demand-driven supply chain could reduce inventory levels while providing flexibility to better respond to market changes. Wh...

Today's tight IT budgets have not slowed the rush to adopt cloud, virtualization, etc. But in our rush to spend money to save it, perhaps we may be overlooking the biggest question of all: "What is most important for Infrastructure and Operations (I & O) Management – technology or the operational excellence of our IT?" Do we have a balanced view as to what is needed to align with and meet business...

Both IT and the business environment are changing fast! While the spotlight is on technology, what about the IT people who deliver the goods? Where is today's workforce failing? Will traditional approaches to managing the skill, competency, and engagement of our IT workforce continue to be relevant, going forward? What changes in skills and/or competency do we need? Who are the stakeholders who ne...

Every company wants to innovate for growth & profitability, but is this at the top of business leaders' agendas? Leaders and resources should be aligned to spur sustainable creativity and innovation, but doesn't that require a framework for making innovation efforts measurable and results predictable? What does it take to make innovation a critical long-term capability of the enterprise? Guest 1:...

Historically, IT value has been based on IT being able to deliver on-time and on (or within) budget. Now, business has new wants! …How do IT leaders rethink IT to deliver more choice, faster speed, and greater scale? What have we changed and what should we be changing in order to deliver on these new challenges? Guest 1: John R. Dick, SVP & CIO, Western Union Guest Bio: https://www.ciotalknetwork....