The site for business-focused technology leaders
I read an article recently that talked about a mobile app that was failing to realise its potential as it was saddled with a large amount of technical debt; a term used to describe the consequences of poor architecture or design decisions within the codebase of an application. Quite often these arise as a result […]
In my last article, Don’t Let Vendors Drive Your Strategy, I talked about the dangers of letting the agendas and targets of industry analysts and vendors influence and shape the strategic direction and priorities for IT within your organisation. As a CIO, your priorities should be set by your organisation’s priorities, and your IT strategy […]
As a Time Lord, Doctor Who is known for his ability to regenerate, to transform into a new physical form and take on a new personality. It is also a quality that successful companies demonstrate; the ability to redefine their business model, to transform themselves and disrupt their markets to maintain leading positions and continue […]
Information Week recently published an article entitled Why CMOs and CFOs will rule above CIOs. The basic thrust of the piece was that as a result of disruptive technologies, financial uncertainty and strategic reviews of business direction, there will be less need for executive level CIOs. Rather CIOs will be relegated to a lower tier […]
With the news that General Motors is planning to make dramatic changes to how much of its IT services is outsourced some people are beginning to question whether this indicates a trend towards insourcing. GM’s announcement that it will be moving from a model where 90% of its IT is outsourced to one where 90% […]
My last article for The CIO Leader, Technology is not a differentiator, argued that it was the solutions you build with the technology you have at your disposal, and not the technology itself, that will create differentiation. In other words, market leading technology is not the same as market leading solutions. Establishing competitive advantage takes […]
In a previous article called Who says CIOs can’t change industry? I challenged the perception that many organisations have about CIOs needing industry experience. Part of my argument was that to become a market leader a business needs to do things differently, to stand out from the crowd. Recruiting people from outside your industry brings […]
I was recently asked to give a key note speech at a Thought Leadership event for the service industry. The subject was differentiation, which in the service industry can sometimes be difficult to achieve. Using the London 2012 Olympics as a case study I drew on three key lessons that could be applied to the […]
A few weeks ago Johnstone Press, the second largest regional newspaper publisher in the UK, released its trading statement for the 18 week period to 7th May 2012. Total advertising revenues across both print and digital platforms were down 9.1%. Whilst its digital advertising revenue has been growing it has not been enough to offset […]
