While I was at VoiceCon in San Francisco, CA a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to stop by Cisco and record two video segments for the Cisco Learning Network. The first of these videos is now online: What CIOs Should Know About Network Analysis. I did this presentation a while back for a the Baltimore CIO Forum and the CLN folks thought that it was an ideal topic for their new web site. What does a CIO message have to do with technical staff? You generally have to talk to the CIO to get funding for new projects. Understanding the concerns of the CIO and how they relate to your job can have a big impact on who keeps a job in market down-turns like we're experiencing now. The better you understand what a CIO needs, the better you can provide value to your company.
In my recording, I discuss the three major concerns of a CIO: 1) make money - revenue is what drives the company; 2) save money - improving profitability increases company value; and 3) staying out of trouble - regulatory compliance helps the company and its officers avoid various types of trouble with federal and state agencies that oversee companies. There are a variety of ways that the network staff can help the CIO obtain these objectives and I discuss them in my presentation. It is 18 minutes long, so it doesn't take long to see how to support your company. Good luck with making your network better support your company's goals!
-Terry