| Recently, IBM conducted their first Global Chief | | | | but also mitigating enterprise risks and leveraging |
| Information Officer Study. For this study, 2598 CIOs | | | | automation to lower costs in all areas of the company. |
| from 78 countries, 19 different industries and | | | | In addition, helping to improve the company's overall |
| organizations of all sizes were interviewed | | | | performance is a very important part of the CIO's role. |
| face-to-face and the results of the survey have been | | | | With an improved business intelligence and analytics |
| released in September 2009. | | | | solution, he can provide crucial information to all |
| Does it come as a surprise that the vast majority | | | | management levels of the business, said Pat Toole, |
| (83%) see business intelligence and analytics as their | | | | CIO of IBM. |
| top priority for the next 12 months? Not really if you | | | | Apart from data analytics as their highest priority, the |
| consider how important timely and accurate | | | | study revealed that data reliability and security are of |
| information is in this type of economy to not only gain | | | | high importance. 71% of all interviewed CIOs will |
| a competitive advantage, but sometimes simply to | | | | increase their effort in these two areas. Other areas |
| survive as a business. | | | | of high importance for the CIOs were Virtualization |
| The study is titled "The New Voice of the CIO" and | | | | (76%) and Customer and Partner collaboration (68%). |
| reveals that CIOs are playing now an increasingly | | | | In economies like we are in at the moment, CIOs are |
| strategic role and are acting as visionary leaders and | | | | facing a dilemma: How can they reduce costs while |
| drivers of innovation and overall company success. | | | | improving services? How can they balance the need |
| CIOs are currently re-defining their role. | | | | to influence business strategies with the need to |
| The voice of the CIO is being heard in new ways as | | | | provide top notch IP support? |
| they are increasingly recognized as valuable members | | | | So, using IT to produce greater business value is vital, |
| of the senior executive team. And successful CIOs | | | | bundled with an ongoing focus on lower cost and |
| are now much more actively engaged in defining | | | | higher efficiency. This is why an improved business |
| strategies, enabling flexibility and changing and solving | | | | intelligence solution combined with a great analytics tool |
| business problems, not only IT related problems. | | | | with excellent visualization is so important. |
| Sure enough, reducing IT costs is part of their business, | | | | |