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Stay Classy, 
Mr. MidmarketCIO

MES Virtual Event! Dec. 6, 2011

Please register to attend MES Virtual: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!


Attend an MES event from the comfort of your desk! We are bringing all of our great Midsize Enterprise Summit content directly to your desktop. On Dec. 6th, we will be hosting a LIVE virtual event featuring expert advice on a wide range of topics, all designed to help you do your job better. It extends the MES experience while eliminating all travel boundaries. 


And, guess what...it's FREE to register!!

Our content will include keynotes from Peter High, president of Metis Strategies, who authored “World-Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs,” and Larry Bonfante, CIO of the U.S. Tennis Association. Both speakers will offer tips to help CIOs hone their management skills and drive strategic business initiatives forward. The online conference also will feature keynotes from executives at Dell, MicroStrategy and Tibco Spotfire.

In a live Q&A session, High will take questions from those participating in the virtual conference. High has spent his career working with CIOs of Fortune 500 and midmarket companies—so ask him a tough one and he will no doubt have an insightful answer.

In addition to those content sessions, the online conference will feature a CIO panel of leading midmarket CIOs discussing the top challenges they face today and key technology investments they are planning or have under way. Learn from your peers during this dynamic and interactive session.

Highlights from our 2011 MES Summits and the 2011 MES Regional series are included in our virtual conference as well. To hear from our opening session speaker, Peter High, and get the inside scoop on his presentation click, HERE.

Please register to attend MES Virtual: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Vendor Spotlight: Mobility and BI Leader Talks About Their Powerful Platform

For this vendor spotlight, we had the opportunity to interview Glen Gregory, the Marketing Events Coordinator at Information Builders. He gave his insight on the midmarket, what Information Builders is doing in that space, specifically in the areas of mobility and Business Intelligence, and explains the details of their WebFOCUS platform. He also discusses some specific examples of the successful implementation of Information Builders products and services.

MES: Please tell our audience a little about Information Builders.

Gregory: Information Builders provides software and services that bring smarter decision-making and streamlined processes to leading organizations in business, government and education worldwide. Our software is installed in tens of thousands of locations, servicing millions of users. Headquartered in New York City with 60 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,350 people and has established significant industry partnerships.

MES: Please tell me about a specific example or case study that displays the successful implementation of an Information Builders product or service in a midmarket organization.

Gregory: With a diverse set of customers and partners, including local retailers, regional distributors and international dealers that move large quantities of inventory, Hercules Tire and Rubber needed reports and analytics to manage this vast distribution network and related purchasing, shipping, warehousing and fulfillment processes. WebFOCUS provides insight into sales, products, inventory,and customers, making it easier for managers to analyze sales data, manage inventory levels, synchronize warehouse operations and improve fill rates – so they can better meet customer demand.

The Hillman Group, a manufacturer and distributer of key-making equipment, uses WebFOCUS as its BI standard, allowing staff members and their managers to better identify and address problems. Improved decision-making has led to solid hard-dollar returns on many projects. For example, Hillman recently saved more than $130,000 in vendor fines by effectively proving that orders were not incomplete. Today more than 800 users, including 500 remote employees, obtain an integrated view of operational and financial data via WebFOCUS.

To automate the tracking of critical warehouse transactions, Mark Anthony Group deployed a

new integration architecture, built on iWay Software, which streamlines the flow of order, warehouse, billing and shipping/receiving data. Orders are now processed 75 percent faster, data quality has improved and hours of labor are saved each week.

MES: Please tell us about WebFOCUS Mobile. Why is Mobility enablement such an important functionality in midmarket companies today?

Gregory: WebFOCUS Mobile is a powerful platform that makes vital corporate information from any source readily accessible to users of smart phones, tablet PCs and other mobile devices. This truly device-independent solution dynamically exploits the native capabilities of a device’s browser, allowing any mobile user to access any information – without the need to build separate reporting and analysis applications for each device. While most mobile BI tools offer only simple data access, WebFOCUS Mobile gives mobile users the ability to interact with data by performing deep analysis and manipulation.

This capability is particularly important for midmarket organizations, whose mobile workforces are increasingly trading in their laptops for smartphones and tablet PCs. Mobile business intelligence ensures that these users always have access to the information they need, no matter where they are. For example, a sales rep can review an account history on the way to a customer site, or a field technician can check the availability of spare parts while on a service call.  

MES: What is another recent product or service that Information Builders recently launched? And, how can it benefit midmarket CIOs?

Gregory: WebFOCUS RStat is the first BI platform to make powerful, yet intuitive predictive analytics available to field and operational employees. Executives, managers, frontline workers and other business users at mid-market companies can develop more effective strategic and tactical plans. It also allows them to make better, more informed, decisions by leveraging patterns and trends in past data to make accurate predictions about future events, conditions or behaviors. 

MES: Please tell us about your Business Intelligence and Enterprise Integration solutions, and how do they benefit midmarket CIOs?

Gregory: Information Builders technologies empower midmarket organizations to unify their systems and information, bringing them seamlessly together to enhance the execution of mission-critical activities and improve strategic planning and decision-making at all levels. With our solutions in place, midmarket companies can:

·      Deploy sophisticated reporting and analysis across the business – without draining IT resources

·      Improve productivity by providing operational workers with the timely information they need to effectively carry out day-to-day activities

·      Achieve enterprise-wide visibility

·      Share information with customers, suppliers, and other business partners

·      Facilitate compliance with regulatory guidelines

MES: Why should midmarket IT leaders choose Information Builders?

Gregory: At Information Builders, we develop some of the most comprehensive and innovative solutions the industry has to offer.  In addition to our commitment to superior software engineering, we are equally proud of our people. The entire staff at Information Builders is focused on customer success and we possess some of the most talented and creative professionals in the industry. Information Builders employees are among the most knowledgeable and the best trained. Our customers often cite our employees’ professionalism and tenure as a major differentiator.

Our reputation for customer service has garnered us the highest honors from “CRM” magazine, the SSPA, and the American Business Awards. Our products and services have received top recognition from independent analyst research firms including Gartner, Forrester, Ventana Research, BARC, Butler, Bloor, and The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI). Most importantly, our customers have received the most information technology and business awards for their accomplishments. More than 50 of our customers have had their information systems inducted into the Smithsonian Institute for superior information technology achievement through the Computerworld Honors Program.

Build Your Influence & Get A Seat at the Table: Part 1

Learn some strategies on how to be a better CIO, how to get a seat at the executive suite table and how to become more of an influential force within your organization. We had the opportunity to interview Marc J. Schiller, CEO of Rain Partners— a boutique IT strategy and analytics firm. He is an IT strategist, author, speaker and mentor to IT leaders. Schiller’s widely-acclaimed book, The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT Leaders, provides
an unprecedented insiders view into what it takes to be successful as an IT leader today and into the future. His vibrant personality really conveys his passion for the IT business. In part 1 of this interview, you will learn about Schiller’s book, get some inside scoop on the secrets to success for IT leaders and learn how Schiller became the mentor he is today.

MES: Please tell me more about your book, The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT Leaders.

SCHILLER: My primary goal in this book is to reach out to IT leaders—today’s and tomorrow’s. Although many of the stories and lessons reference the CIO, The Secrets refer apply to equally to IT managers still working their way into the upper echelons of IT management. In fact, the earlier you learn The Secrets the better. Much of this book deals with the relationship between the IT leader and his/her colleagues within the organization in which they work.

What I present to CIOs is a new way of thinking about this critical idea of influence. It seems when we look at the conventional literature on influence, CIOs and technology people in general break out into a rash because they are immediately taken back by the literature and professional development of programs that have a Machiavellian and manipulative way to them. They feel uncomfortable in that space. But, the biggest challenge that CIOs face today is having a seat at the table with the executive suite.

So, on one hand, what CIOs really want is to be a strong part of the executive team, to be listened to and be influential. But, on the other hand, when they go to look at the fact that they want to learn to be more influential and want to get that outcome, they bristle at what’s mostly understood to be this idea of influence. What I try to solve, and feel that I am breaking new ground on, is to say that it is because the way influence is being understood is mistaken. I introduce a new way of looking at influence—the noble and ethical side of influence and why it is so critical for CIOs. I then share with them real stories from real people what it takes to go about getting influence and how it’s built. It’s often a different viewpoint that what you would expect.

There’s a basic dichotomy or problem that I wrestle with: I look around and I see that technology is viewed by the public as the greatest thing—people are lined up around the stores for it and it’s written about in hundreds of publications. But, then you talk to technology managers and ask them: “don’t you have great career?” “Aren’t you glad to be in the epicenter of it all?” and, they typically say: “life sucks.” You look at all of these reports and see that CIOs have the highest rate of dis-satisfaction and have the shortest life span—people want to quit and everyone is complaining. You see in the press headlines like “Why IT gets no respect,” “IT doesn’t matter,” “Who wants to be a CIO?” etc. You would think that things are really horrible. Why is this the case? Why is it that on one hand, technology is so important, so crucial and is changing the world, but on the other hand you have these IT leaders saying how life is so tough?

The reason is because they are missing this one critical thing—they are missing the sense of value. They don’t feel that they are really part of the equation; they don’t feel that they really are appreciated, respected and have a true seat at the table. They feel that they are always being pushed and it is always a challenge. They don’t feel that they are really part of the business and its processes. This is manifested because they don’t have influence. They’re not influential. Decisions are made all of the time without their involvement, they’re not invited to be a part of the strategy meetings and they are still viewed as an implementation arm in many cases. So, that’s what I go after. The people who should be the forefront aren’t, they’re complaining and they’re miserable and what are they saying they want most? They want influence! When they go out to get that influence it’s almost like they can’t move.

I lay out a course for IT leaders to understand influence better, actually achieve the right kind of influence and essentially become a positive influence that they can feel comfortable with. That’s the mission of the book, and it’s very different than what they’re getting is most types of IT literature.

MES: What are the steps to achieve this influence?

SCHILLER: There are three parts of the journey. Part one is the notion of influence beginning with credibility; you have to have real credibility in order to have influence. But what does that really mean? People make a lot of mistakes about what that really means. The first and most common mistake is that the CIO’s job is not to just be an infrastructure person, but also to be involved in the strategic projects of the company and to be involved in the visionary stuff. Most influential IT leaders know that infrastructure really matters. That’s secret number one. I cannot emphasize enough how important that is. So, many people become intoxicated by the buzz of every new technology, but they don’t realize how deeply important it is that the infrastructure runs flawlessly.

The second part is called the “The Essentials of Influential Communications.” There are about a billion books written on communications, but what I focus on are a four particular key things are most problematic for IT leaders and are uniquely important.

The last part is called “Game Time.” Now we are going to introduce you how to play the game. What is the game that you are really in? How do you play this game of business? What are the key players that you need to understand? It’s very tangible.

These three things give a very clear roadmap.

MES: How did you come to be a mentor to IT leaders?

SCHILLER: I’ve been in the IT consulting industry for about 20 years. I founded my first implementation company before I was 30 years old, I did CRM and data warehousing, I was a partner for Pricewaterhousecooper, I led a large global practice for IBM, I lived in 3 different continents and implemented systems for fortune 500 companies all over the word—so, I had the opportunity to work with many excellent organizations form the trenches to the top. What really sets me a part, and has been really important to my personal career trajectory, is that I seem to have a natural knack of talking to the executive leadership. I was typically the guy that was sent up front to sell projects and once I had the attention of the executive suite, I began to understand their struggle and watched how important these issues were. More and more I moved over to coaching and helping on that side of things because they kept asking me questions.

Over the last few years there has been a lot of talk in the popular press about the end of the CIO, the role of IT, the future of the great outsourcing trends and it really started to bother me that people were really dissing CIOs. That really motivated me to write my book and get the message out there to capture the energy and get the CIOs a seat at the table.

Get more information and hear more from Marc Schiller at: www.marcjschiller.com

IT in Canada vs. U.S.: What's The Difference?

What is the difference between IT needs in the U.S. and Canada? Well, the slight difference lies within the fact that Canada has different, and stricter, policies than the U.S. “It’s not that the IT is different, but the policies are different. The support isn’t there,” says Geoff Polegato, director of Business Systems at Tridel Corporation.  Another CIO, Paul Furtado, IT director at Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies, says, “There is no difference between the actual IT in Canada and the US, it’s just a matter of what we need to focus on because of our government. If anything I’m probably more security-focused because of the policies.”

Canadian CIOs have to focus on security because of their security and compliance laws, which strike a heavy hand on IT and business leaders in their respective companies. “Security is different because of the conflict of laws. There are different regulations and the compliance issues are different,” says Furtado. The Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) “addresses the collection, storage and use of personal information by organizations in the private sector,” according to the Canadian Privacy Legislation. This government regulation creates a challenge for Canadian CIOs because it prevents them from having the ability to freely collect, store and use their data as they wish.

CIOs complain about this IT security governmental issue because it not only creates limitations, but it also forces them to have a specific individual who deals with these security regulations and reports to the Privacy Commissioner. “If someone wants to know about our firm’s e-mail, we have to go through the IT leader, the legal dept. etc. We don’t have the freedom like the U.S,” says Steve Ellis, national security manager for IT Security and Operations at Grant Thornton. Ellis continued by saying, “If someone comes to me and asks about cloud, I have to tell them to go away.”

With security as a focus, most Canadian CIOs and IT leaders use in-house security and data infrastructures because that way they are in control of it and its processes. One Canadian CIO said, “At the moment, I have one rack that has server on it.” Although some Canadian CIOs said that they are looking at the cloud, virtualization and off-site infrastructure platforms, they still need to make sure that their security initiatives are completely answerable to the Privacy Commissioner. The security of their data is more than just keeping their organization’s information private, but also to make sure that they confide within compliance regulations.

CIOs in America take for granted their freedom to deploy whatever IT strategies they choose, and Canadian CIOs need to buckle down on their security infrastructure. There really is no difference between the IT in Canada vs. U.S., but because of their different policies, Canadian CIOs need to focus more on security and less on strategic innovation. “U.S. laws always win against Canadian laws when it comes to IT and technology,” says James Quin from InfoTech.

The Key To IT Success: Having A Sense Of Humor

As in all jobs, CIOs and IT leaders have just as much struggle as they do success. After a very interesting discussion I had with a few CIOs the other day, I walked away from the conversation with one huge piece of information: Humor is the answer to all IT problems.

The CIOs came to a consensus that “humor is the only way!” while also adding that CIOs need to have thick skin as well. As IT leaders, you all know the benefit and rewards of your job—you’re recognized for innovation and you talk about your milestones at our events. What about the ugly side to being a CIO? What kind of hardships do you face? What are your complaints? Those hardships not only balance your successes, but also make you a better leader.

A main issue that the CIOs shared was the fact that the people in their organization don’t ask their permission to do IT-related tasks in the office, which causes great security challenges. Not only can those tasks affect the IT infrastructure and network of the organization, especially if they are done improperly, but also completely ignores the CIO position as it stands.

One CIO told the story of how his organization was having network issues—the Internet was running slow, the server wasn’t connecting and eventually the whole network went down. They couldn’t figure it out, until someone found a desktop computer sitting on the server cart plugged directly into one of the core routers. It was completely blocking their IP address! Nobody knew exactly what it was doing, but as soon as he unplugged it, the network went back on. He was working with the network director and when he was walking by a cube someone popped their head up and said, “Oh, that’s mine…did we have to talk to you about doing that?”

Another CIO then shared his story of how he found a rogue IP address and said to his IT team, “What the hell is this?” He eventually found a “box” behind a plant! These small actions really do add up and can become extremely detrimental security issues. These physical breaches to the IT infrastructure security really concern these CIOs and probably concern some of you as well.

“Some of that has to go back to fail-safe procedures. At the end of the day, it’s my neck on the line for security breaches. If someone is going to go rogue and not get permission to do certain things—they are going against our safety diligence,” said Paul Furtado, IT director for Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies.

He continued by saying, “You have to have a reasonable confidence in the staff that they won’t do something detrimental; we want them to use the resources they have and think outside the box, but we also want to contain that creativity. That creativity that makes them a innovative developer also poses a great risk.”

With laughter and smiles, these CIOs talked about security as a major issue in their organization and joked about the people who go against everything CIOs work toward to build a strong IT infrastructure for them. Geoff Polegato, director of Business Systems at Tridel Corporation, said, “Even if you go somewhere else, it will be the same thing—same people, same actions, just different faces. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

As a CIO you have to muddle through challenges, such as security breaches, but keep one thing in mind: Always have a sense of humor.

Head In The Cloud

Is your head in the cloud? Whether or not to implement cloud-based applications and systems into your company’s IT infrastructure is still a strong topic of discussion. There are always going to be two sides to the cloud story—those who are completely for it, and those who are completely against it. Some IT leaders love to learn more about cloud opportunities while others can’t even stand to hear the word “cloud” anymore. However, it has come to light that the pros are giving the cons a run for their money in the decision to utilize the cloud, either public or private.

CIO opinions are varying and it is tough for those in the IT industry, especially vendors and solution providers, to know whether or not to even speak of cloud in their conversations with end users. “From my perspective, I would not move toward the cloud for several reasons and do not see the overall ROI in the solution,” says Jim Murphy, director of Information Technology for the City of Quincy. This negative view of the cloud represents the feelings of some CIOs, while others feel more positively about the possibilities of cloud. “The service offerings within the cloud are maturing and are seeing rapid growth due to other emerging technologies driven by consumerization—BPM, mobile etc.,” says Randy Reed, CIO of Securities America.

After hearing different opinions from different sides to the story, what are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud? Adam Massey, head of Mid-Market Sales for Google, said in his vendor keynote at the Midsize Enterprise Summit West 2011, “The cloud wins.”

The reasons Massey gave are:

·      It is highly affordable.

·      It enables rapid innovation.

·      It offers enhanced security.

·      It offers access from any device.

·      It encourages intuitive teamwork.

These advantages are definitely provable and substantial and almost make you forget about the fact that there is a downside to cloud, but let’s play devil’s advocate. With every positive there is always a negative to counter it. With that in mind, what are the disadvantages of the cloud? There are three major issues one faces when deciding whether or not to implement cloud.

These three issues are:

·      It presents security issues.

·      There is sometimes little compatibility with the existing infrastructure.

·      Availability is sometimes limited.

These negative aspects of cloud, while definitely valid, are still less than the positive contributions of cloud’s offering. As I said earlier, the pros are giving the cons a run for their money, and I have a feeling that those pros will continue to aid in cloud’s growth and evolution.