CIO Wisdom: Best Practices from Silicon Valley [Hardcover]

Dean Lane (Author), With Members of the CIO Community of Practice (Author), and Change Technology Solutions Inc. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0131411152 | ISBN-13: 978-0131411159 | Edition: 1

This is the practical survival guide for every CIO and IT manager who is fighting the battle to do more with less. Covers everything from budgeting and measuring, to planning, sourcing, and architecture. Each chapter is introduced with a real-life story that shows how the common themes that have emerged from each author's unique experiences are related. The critical skills that every IT manager needs to master are covered in detail with real-life insights and practical examples. Whether your IT organization is wrestling with outsourcing maintenance issues, or critical infrastructure problems, the solutions you need can be found in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

What it takes to be a truly great CIO... from the IT leaders who know best

What does it take to get to the top in IT today, stay there, and thrive? How do you realign IT to maximize business value, and become a full strategic partner in the organization's most crucial decisions? CIO Wisdom brings together answers from 20 of the world's most successful senior IT executives. Based on their extraordinary private discussions over the past five years, it covers every facet of IT leadership: planning, budgeting, sourcing, architecture, strategy, and much more. If you're an IT leader-or you intend to become one-it's the most important book you'll read this year.

• What really works right now
• Taking charge: Creating a 90-day tactical plan-and an intelligent long-term strategy
• Refocusing IT on your company's core business drivers
• Leading IT in today's rapidly evolving "extended enterprise"
• Deciding what to outsource-and managing your outsourcing relationships
• Implementing the ten metrics most critical to IT success
• Setting priorities when infrastructure costs are rising and resources are declining
• Evolving the leadership style that works best for you-and your organization
• Coping with the incredible personal pressures of IT leadership
• Addressing the unique challenges that face women in IT's upper echelons

The authors' profits from this book will support a scholarship program for underprivileged students planning IT careers

About the Author

DEAN LANE is Senior Director of Information Technology at Symantec Corporation. Prior to joining Symantec, he served as a CIO four times at companies such as Plantronics, Masters Institute, and Allied Signal.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (August 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131411152
• ISBN-13: 978-0131411159
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb compilation of knowledge & experience, June 20, 2004

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CIO Wisdom: Best Practices from Silicon Valley (Hardcover)

The seventeen articles in this compendium represents contemporary and topical subjects, each written by a seasoned CIO. I was as impressed with the selection of articles as I was with the content because each topic is foremost on the minds of CIOs and senior IT managers today.

Among the articles I especially like are:

- The First 90 Days, by Mark Egan, which contains actionable plans that will get the new CIO (or other senior IT executive) quickly moving in the right direction.

- IT Organization, by Guy de Meester, in particular the challenges of centralization vs. decentraliztion, and organizational models in general. If this area is your focus I highly recommend additional reading: "Decentralization: Fantasies, Failings, and Fundamentals" (ISBN 0964163535) and "RoadMap: How to understand, diagnose, and fix your organization" (ISBN 0964163527), both of which go into great detail and provide an exceptionally effective approach.

- Governance, by Danny Maco, which is conspicuously missing in organizations large and small - or is often done incorrectly if done at all.

- Budgeting, by Bob Denis, Maureen Vavra, John Dick ... you'd think IT has this basic function under control, but sadly not. Read this article for excellent advice.

- The Metrics of IT: Management by Measurement, by Shel Waggener and Steve Zoppi. One of my favorite topics, and this team provides outstanding advice and keen insights.

Other articles are as well written, and span topics from architecture to strategic planning. Taken as a whole, this is a sourcebook that is filled with both knowledge and experience, and should be on the desk of every CIO, seasoned and new. I also recommend visiting the site that supports this book (paste the ASIN number, B0001EHNFK, into the search box for all products on this page). The site contains additional articles, news and other books in this series that CIOs, IT managers at all levels, and subject matter experts will find useful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CIO Reference Manual, August 25, 2004

By 

Paul Volkman (LA, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CIO Wisdom: Best Practices from Silicon Valley (Hardcover)

As a CIO I though CIO Wisdom hits the nail on the head on many of the challenges and issues facing today's CIO's. Sound and practical advice from those actually performing in the job was quite refreshing to the theoretical approach found in many other books on this topic. I only wish that many of my customers (business line leaders and executives) would read this book to better understand the value of IT can bring to our organization.

My only critique is that some of the concepts discussed in the book where not fully flushed out when the author was talking about solutions. Of course there have been entire books written on some of the topics covered in CIO wisdom.

I was particularly impressed by the Communications, Governance, Marketing and the Business Intelligence chapters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Putting Offerings into Right Perspective, March 3, 2004

By 

juhani saukkonen (Oulu, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CIO Wisdom: Best Practices from Silicon Valley (Hardcover)

Although this book is primarily targeted to IT-leaders or those who intend to become one I'm sure this book is also highly valuable for all CEOs and Marketing and Sales VPs of startup companies who are tarketing established corporations. This book will give them guidance to put their offerings into right perspective by giving insights about CIO's success strategies and challenges. And the structure of the book makes it easy and enjoyable reading for busy executives - from the first foreword to the last chapter.