The importance and use of information has changed radically in the past 50 years, as computers have become a core function for businesses. So has the role of the senior executive in charge of this function. The senior technology executive’s role has gone from managing hardware resources, to leading business process changes through automation, to overseeing data and information resources. As someone whose career has spanned more than 4 decades managing this function, I have had my share of changing job titles: Director of Systems and Data Processing, Director, Information Systems, Vice President, Information Management, and ultimately, Chief Information Officer (CIO) and e-Business head. I see yet another change coming – if not in the title- certainly in the job.

What are These Changes?
There are three key forces that are coming together to drive a change in the information management organization, and therefore, in the role of the senior executive:

Technology Velocity: It is amazing to realize that in an industry that is barely one human generation old, we have gone through several generations of technological evolution. The pace of change is increasing, and diversity and options for technical alternatives also are increasing. Information system environments can no longer expect life spans of 5-10 years for their technology, and business models now factor these technological revolutions into the competitive landscape. For example, mobile computing has altered how information is created, distributed, and utilized. Businesses dependent on hard-wired, mortar and brick enveloped applications are slowly dying. CIOs of these businesses not only have to manage the current technology, but they must predict, project, and plan for future evolutions.
Outsourcing has allowed some of the forward thinking businesses to let an outsourcer run ‘end of life’ technical solutions while businesses are pursuing newer options. This use of ‘transitional outsourcing’ is one of the tricks in the current CIO’s bag.

Skill shortages: Technology obsolescence, the changing landscape of technology centers, and the aging population has created an imbalance in management of the resources required for information systems. Although the use of remote computing technology has helped balance the resource issues somewhat, it has also created a new issue - managing resources remotely and in disparate environments. The workplace culture is different and offers new sets of challenges for information function leaders.