CIO Perspective


	GrantWood.Net

	Welcome

Outsource whatever you can. Because of E-commerce, non-IT business process owners will take over significant aspects of IT. With these changes coming, decide what kind of leader you want to be. Plan now how you will define and market yourself for the world of eHealth.

The CIO Perspective

Besides the changing role of the CIO, much is being written about the future of the IT organization. Some analysts say that the complexities of E-Commerce are beyond the capabilities of IT. At the moment, many organizations are placing e-health positions under the marketing department – something I think is a mistake. Some perceptions are that IT can’t lead E-Commerce efforts, and that most IT leaders are technology tacticians, and not business strategists. When you combine that with the ever-expanding business reasons for outsourcing IT, the old IT will have to change and adapt.

The CIO needs to be aware of the many emerging technologies, and how they might create new business models. The Internet is certainly proof of this. But the Web is only the beginning. Network and distributed thin-client computing, especially with the maturing of the JAVA development environment, will bring new IT architectures. Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, together with mobile handheld devices, could bring new solutions to old problems, and introduce new business opportunities. Software-based Intelligent Agents could provide new services that are now non-existent. Advances in Science, such as the Human Genome Project, will certainly change the business of Healthcare. Imagine getting a prescription specifically designed for your unique DNA.

Relationship management, business partnership, sourcing strategies, and visionary guidance, are the highest priorities for the CIO as enterprise leader. These are especially true for the radical change of E-Business. The future holds endless possibilities for IT leaders who have proven vendor management and partnership skills. There is a growing opportunity for CIOs to teach business leaders the possibilities of IT. Scenario planning can help CIOs cope with surprises by anticipating both obstacles and opportunities that could affect how their companies achieve their goals. This move could be a significant step toward a CEO role.


	Healthcare CIO

There is a trend happening were the position of Chief Technology Officer, or CTO, is being created. This person will focus more on the technology, so that the CIO can spend more time on strategizing. With the many forces acting on Managed Care, the CIO needs to understand them, and how they will change the healthcare business.