Customer Reviews

The Effective CIO: How to Achieve Outstanding Success through Strategic Alignment, Financial Management, and IT Governance

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Too often, technical virtuosi believe their skill entitles them to a seat in the executive suite. But both companies and chief information officers (CIOs) benefit when CIOs have finance and project-management chops in addition to technical knowledge. Information technology experts Eric J. Brown and William A. Yarberry Jr. explain why IT "governance" is necessary and why IT systems must match corporate strategy. Their discussion of the contribution of IT due diligence to the success of mergers and acquisitions is particularly valuable, since the failure to do such research dooms many M&As. They offer good advice on how to choose which functions to outsource, how to select vendors and what to look for in consultants. Whether you are a current or aspiring CIO, getAbstract suggests that you use this terrific handbook to learn how you can make a strong business contribution through technology. One note: Although Brown and Yarberry's work is certainly accessible to a general business audience, their focus on IT with its accompanying jargon may make their guide somewhat tough going for those outside its target audience.

Rarely do books that attempt to be comprehensive achieve that goal. Brown and Yarberry have done so in this book. It really is totally comprehensive in its contents. If you need or want to run an IT organization, this book has all the subjects covered. The book is extraordinarily readable. The appendices are particularly valuable as they contain concrete examples of implemented IT controls, due diligence checklists, and policies and procedures necessary to run an IT department efficiently. This book is for more than just folks who want to run an IT department. It is also for C level people who need to think about what a CIO should be doing. It is also for the people who work in an IT dept. so that they can understand what they can do to enhance the functionality, efficiency and value add of their organization.

Though usually wary of typical overly-general business objective books, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Most of the other business/IT-related books I've come across are fairly dry reads and tend to be overly abstract. This one, however, kept my interest. Specifically I thought the information in the appendices was practical and helpful (i.e., example controls, checklists, etc.); also the various Q&A sections. As another reviewer noted, there were more quotes, humorous comments, etc. than one might expect, but even if you're not a fan of the style, I found it to be a welcome change.

Overall, not necessarily a book for the masses, but for those working in and/or interested in business (and specifically IT), this is a good read...and even if you don't get all the way through it in one shot, it's a nice reference book to have on the shelf.

The Effective CIO is well written and easy to read. The concepts are well organized and do a good job of covering the important topics that every CIO needs to consider. The many real world examples kept the book grounded so issues discussed were not just theoretical, but practical as well. I highly recommend this book.

Bill Walvoord

Even though I'm a recent college grad and being a CIO is certainly a far off prospect for me, the information in this book has been great preparation for entering the corporate world of IT and the advice these two men have shared will serve me well for years to come.

Brown and Yarberry seem to have packed a lot of information for a CIO or IT manager in the trenches rather than the ivory tower. I liked their treatment of IT finance, mergers and acquisitions, architecture and business intelligence. The interviews, some from reasonably high level CIOs such as Dennis Klinger at Florida Power and Light, were really useful. Sometimes their comments are a bit flippant but the humor is welcome. The book definitely is worth five stars though I wish it were a bit longer.