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Social networking and the CIO

It is critical to get the complete overview of a technology before actually deploying it. CIOs rely upon on many sources to know about a technology, one of the most important being networking with their peers. By Faiz Askari

When it comes to learning about a new technology the know-how primarily comes from vendor organized events where they talk about cutting-edge technology and share their perspective with CIOs who attend the same. CIOs have also adopted another alternative method of learning about technology, one in which they rely on gaining insights by interacting with their counterparts in other companies. This method is more interactive for the CIO and gives him real and unbiased information regarding any technology or application deployment.

There are various CIO and IT manager forums where CIOs get the chance to meet their brethren from different industry verticals. These forums are a watering hole where IT managers can share their point of view vis-a-vis implementing new technology in their industry. This enables other IT heads who are interested in the same technology but are hesitating as they have queries regarding the user experience, TCO, deployment process and much more to clear their doubts and get the confidence to go ahead. Avnesh Jain, Senior Manager-Information Systems Hero Honda Motors Ltd said, “Through such social networking platforms CIOs, IT Heads or IT Managers can share the business benefits that they have achieved from new technology implementations and the challenge that they have faced while implementing a particular technology.”

While supporting the trend where CIOs interact with each other on getting to know about any given technology, Shailesh Joshi, General Manager, K Raheja Group said, “This make a lot of difference in getting an overall picture of any new technology or new application. We also practice this and always interact with other CIOs to get to know about their experience while using a particular technology.”

Knowledge sharing

Giving an overview of how IFFCO is considering technology assessment before actually implementing the same, S C Mittal, Executive Director (MSD), IFFCO said, “Usually, at IFFCO, we have standardized the software be it Oracle, Lotus Notes Domino, Microsoft Office or Data Scan. Before standardization, a team of two or three professionals was formed to study the various solutions available and recommend the right solution. The recommendations were deliberated upon in a forum of decision makers and then approved. A proof of concept was also carried out in some cases. We have annual technical support (ATS) in most of these cases and we keep on getting the latest versions as part of ATS.  The software is upgraded as per the latest upgrade received. The same approach is adopted for any new software to be rolled out. Discussions and demos are conducted by the distributor or principal of the software.” In addition to this, Mittal also added that various CIO/CTO Forums also help to get an insight of anything new and are quite useful. Mittal added, “Market studies as well as interaction with organizations where such solutions have been implemented also help considerably in the selection of a specific technology.”

Interaction on any new technology/solution with other IT managers who have already used that technology helps a lot in getting the true picture about a technology. Describing the benefits of knowledge sharing, Jain of Hero Honda said, “The CIO is responsible for any new technology intake to the organization; we do not have to re-invent the wheel time and again. We take the benefit of other’s experience. This gives us confidence in technology and reduces the overall project implementation time. Sometimes it also helps us in getting the project sanction from the management.”

Moreover, there are many independent agencies that conduct research on different technologies and their implementations in different industries. Gardner, IDC and Forrester Research are all involved in such activity. “We at Hero Honda, also use Gartner’s services for finding out the details of any technology which is relevant to us,” Jain added.

Mittal said, “We do study various market surveys like Gartner’s Analysis, interact with various user organizations and discuss at various forums.”

Networking @ events

Then there are many vendors and media agencies who organized technology events or seminars frequently where they call subject experts who then talk about new technology and upcoming trends and you have vendors sharing successful implementation case studies of their customers or even putting their customers up on stage to talk about their experiences.

RD Malav, General Manager IT of Subros said, “Events help us in getting the exact amount of knowledge regarding any technology.” However he also emphasized the potential of social networking. Malav added, “It can help in a big way. Interaction with other CIOs gives us an unbiased view about a technology. This can also upgrade our level of understanding of the subject.”

While acknowledging the above avenues, Jain cited social networking as the best and said, “We get to know all pros and cons associated with a technology through such networking. We also get lots of ideas about new technology.”

Mittal believes that interaction on any new technology or solution with other IT managers, who have already used that technology, can help the concerned CIO in getting the actual picture about that technology.

While elaborating on another angle on this, Joshi of K Raheja group said, “Although vendors do invest their resources in educating their customers and CIOs, to get an overall perspective on any application the unbiased feedback of users contributes a lot.”

Talking about RoI

While gearing up to implement a technology that requires a humongous budget and comes associated with a considerable portion of risk in getting the implementation done, CIOs usually interact with their counterparts in other companies to learn more about that particular technology’s performance level and it’s return on investment. Jain added, “If the project is large and technology is new then it is better to have unbiased information from a third party. It will greatly reduce the project’s risks.”

Mittal said, “It is critical to analyze several aspects like price and return on investment about any implementation from an unbiased source. Before we go ahead and implement any technology, it becomes important for us to know about all of its facets. One available source of knowing all this is to interact with those people who are actually using it.”

CIOs are expected to be business strategists, who collaborate with the CEO and other members of the the ‘C’ suite in shaping IT-enabled competitive moves. CIOs are expected to be leaders of the IT function who architect appropriate organizational structures, processes, and human skills to position IT as a strategic differentiator. Jain added, “I firmly believe that networking between CIOs can play a vital role in making their professional life more comfortable.”

Talking about whether informal interaction between CIOs can help them grow in their own professional career, Mittal said, “Networking or informal interaction between CIOs and IT managers can help in achieving their professional goals.”

Jain said, “First of all, we should understand the technology in-depth—its pros and cons. Thereafter a pilot project should be run. Involvement of all concerned business users is essential for a successful implementation. Business users should do thorough testing on the new technology. By doing this, you gain confidence in a technology and see the business benefits before your own eyes; then the proposal should be put up to the top management for approval. It will help you in creating business and technology strategies that meet short-term goals and position your company for long-term success.”

Networking or informal interaction between CIOs and IT managers helps a lot. Sometimes it helps in your key decisions and activity cycles. A CIO often gets what he needs to know, when he needs to know it, whether he is in the early planning stages or deep into an implementation.