Dear Bob ...
Our CIO doesn't seem to agree with you. His mantra is that we in IT are running a business, and we should think of the rest of the company as our internal customers. He has instituted a system of charge-backs for our services as well ... very much the situation you advise against in "Keep the Joint Running."
[ Bob Lewis thinks right now is a good time to reorganize IT and has suggestions for how to approach the task | Get sage advice on IT careers and management from Bob Lewis in InfoWorld's Advice Line newsletter. ]
As you predicted in the book, relationships are becoming increasingly strained, the silo walls are getting higher, and those of us with friends elsewhere in the company are hearing more and more complaints about how bureaucratic we're becoming. The company was already very political. It's getting worse.
Any advice on how to enlighten our CIO?
- Grasshopper
Before trying to enlighten your CIO, figure out if he's dealing with a situation where running IT as a business is the least of the available evils.
It's like this: I strongly disagree with the model. Among its flaws is to substitute charge-backs for business leadership as a governance mechanism for deciding how to direct the company's investments in information technology.
You provided the key when you described the company as "already very political." This is a common symptom of poor business leadership: Without a clear sense of direction, shared priorities, and a habit of collaboration as a precondition for success, businesses easily devolve into political quagmires.
If business leadership is poor, the CIO might have decided that charge-backs and all the other paraphernalia of "running IT as a business" are better than having to adjudicate arguments over whose pet project gets staffed and funded and whose doesn't.
And your CIO might very well be right.
If that is, in fact, the situation, though, I wouldn't plan on your employer's staying power as a business. In strong economies, companies with poor business leadership can survive by accident. Right now? Many well-led companies are barely surviving. Companies without leadership will do worse than that.
- Bob
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
364 Recommendations
