Happy New Year, IT

In my entire career, I don’t think I have ever looked forward to a new year as much as I’m looking forward to 2004. I experienced the dot-com euphoria firsthand. In the waning days of 1999, optimism certainly abounded, but it was hard to look forward to the year 2000 when the Y2K issue had me checking key systems as the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1. There I was, staring at a Unix terminal window, a glass of champagne in one hand, watching logs scroll by on the screen.

I had a normal New Year’s celebration the following year, but the IT outlook was already growing bleaker. We don’t even need to talk about 2002 and most of 2003 except to say good riddance.

As 2004 glows just over the horizon, I am making my annual list of resolutions and am reflecting on those I made last year. Most of the old ones are relatively timeless and still valid, but I have a few more in mind for 2004.

First, I am going to write more code. This might sound a little odd for a CTO who is supposed to focus a lot of time on management and delegation, but I think at least occasionally writing code keeps a CTO honest. Of course, I won’t burden our excellent IT staff by putting any of this code into production.

But staying close to the pains of software development — the unforeseen bugs, the undocumented idiosyncrasies of operating systems, the difficulties in developing good algorithms — helps me manage more effectively. 

Incidentally, using OS X as my desktop environment will make my more frequent forays into software development much easier than before. Now I can do all the development I used to do on a Linux server live on my desktop.

I will also continue to aggressively search for areas to make sound IT investments to drive our business. As I reflect on the past few years, I am proud that my IT team was able to move the technology ball down the field with smart IT investments during the downturn, positioning the company for better times. Although I definitely learned to be conservative with my budget, I also honed my skills in identifying which investments are crucial, negotiating the best deals with vendors, and ultimately defending my investments to the CFO.

The relentless defense of IT expenditures might have seemed like a burden at the time, but in the end, it forced me to analyze business needs more completely and to define IT solutions that would address them most effectively. All the lemons of the past few years are turning into lemonade.

In 2004, I will offer more technology help to nonprofit organizations. Over the past year, I’ve spent considerable time talking to and working with folks in the Bay Area nonprofit community. Mutual friends introduced me to Eugene Chan of the Community Technology Foundation of California (CTFC), an organization whose mission intrigues me.

CTFC uses technology and telecommunications to support nonprofit initiatives in underserved communities. As a CTO, I absolutely believe that technology can be leveraged to drive key business initiatives; as a member of my community, I believe equally firmly that the effective use of technology can improve the human condition. In 2004, I will use my years of experience to serve my community. I can do more than I have in the past — we all can.