Talking about Career path of a CIO

 original article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/service-oriented/?p=2863

Being a chief information officer sounds glamorous, but is
not a cake job by any stretch. CIOs are at the epicenter of the
crossroads, cross currents, and crosswinds of all changes and
challenges sweeping today’s business. You have to be an insightful
visionary, able pragmatist, savvy value creator, and relentless cost
cutter all at the same time. And be thanked and cursed at the same time.

For anyone aspiring for the CIO’s job — or already in the hotseat — IBM recently released a new global study of more than 2,500 CIOs that points to the thinking of what it takes to be successful and of value to the business.

The study looked at the activities and priorities of CIOs
“high-growth” versus “low-growth” organizations, as defined by
2004–2007 profit before tax (PBT) growth for their organizations.  Here
are some interesting contrasts — and it can be assumed that these
priorities shaped the overall businesses’ success, versus the other way
around (low-growth culture depressing more proactive CIO activity).

• To innovate, 64% of high-growth CIOs actively integrate business and IT across the organization, versus 33% of low-growth CIOs.
• To pursue corporate vision, 28% of high-growth
  CIOs spend the greatest allocation of time and budget on new technology
  and business initiatives, versus 15% of low-growth CIOs. (Note how this is a relatively small minority of CIOs, even in the high-growth case.)
• In staying in maintenance mode, 40% of low-growth CIOs spend most of their time in core technology services, versus 23% of high-growth CIOs.
• To promote intra-IT collaboration, 53% of
  high-growth CIOs actively use collaboration and partnering technology
  within the IT organization, versus 33% of low-growth CIOs.
• To promote enterprise-wide collaboration, 41% of high-growth CIOs used such technology for the entire organization, versus 22% of low-growth CIOs.
• To advance business intelligence, 58% of high-growth CIOs proactively craft data into actionable information, versus 36% of low-growth CIOs.
• To stimulate customer collaboration in the next
  five years, 87% of high-growth CIOs expect to seek customers’ active
  input and interaction, compared to 70% of low-growth CIOs. (Even the low-growthers are aboard with this one.)
• To achieve enterprise standardization within five
  years, 61% of high-growth CIOs expect to implement completely
  standardized, low-cost business processes, versus 50% of low-growth
  CIOs. (Low-growthers seem to be aboard here as well.)

The IBM study also finds that leveraging analytics to gain a
competitive advantage and improve business decision-making is now their
top priority. More than four out of five (83 percent) respondents
identified business intelligence and analytics – the ability to see
patterns in vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights – as
the way they will enhance their organizations’ competitiveness.

In addition, the IBM study also confirms that CIOs are necessarily
relentless about scrutinizing budgets and processes to trim the fat.
Across the entire sample, CIOs spend about 14 percent of their time
removing costs from the technology environment. The report puts it this
way:

To control costs, CIOs commonly view a central technology
organization as the future of their function. Centralized
infrastructures and processes enable shared services optimization that,
in turn, provides economies of scale. Three-fourths of all
CIOs—including those in both high-PBT growth and low-PBT growth
organizations—anticipate having a strongly centralized infrastructure
in five years.

Based on the collective wisdom IBM drew from these 2,500 CIOs, the
report provides 18 key actions that can have the greatest impact on an
organization’s success. (And perhaps put more in the “high-PBT growth”
column next time.)

1) Push business and technology integration
2) Champion innovation
3) Extend CIO influence
4) Enable the corporate vision
5) Make working together easy
6) Concentrate on core competencies
7) Make data “sing”
8) Reach customers in new ways
9) Enhance integration and transparency
10) Standardize to economize
11) Centralize the infrastructure
12) Keep cost reduction a top priority
13) Know the business
14) Get involved with business peers in non-IT projects
15) Present and measure IT in business terms
16) Cultivate truly extraordinary IT talent
17) Lead the IT forces
18) Enhance the data

Quote

Career path of a CIO

The job duties of a CIO can include:

• Participating in an organization’s strategic business planning processes
• Setting overall technology direction and goals in support of business operations and strategic directions
• Delivering technology applications and infrastructure to support business operations
• Procuring and/or development of technology applications to support business operations
• Managing people
• Managing important vendor relationships
• Managing business operations
• Planning and managing substantial budgets
• Researching and staying abreast of the latest technology trends
• Researching and staying abreast of the latest industry trends
• Evaluating technology
• Attending business and technology conferences

As with any senior executive job, the CIO‘s job can be very demanding. Long hours, including evenings and weekends, and frequent travel, can be a normal part of the job.

CIO job skills

As a senior executive, a CIO is expected to have a broad and varied range of skills. These include:

• Effective communications skills
• Strategic thinking and planning skills
• Understanding business processes and operations
• Understanding business strategy
• Understanding technology trends and market forces
• Understanding how to apply technology to business processes, operations, and strategy
• Leadership and motivation skills
• Self-confidence
• Managerial skills
• Basic business skills and judgment
• Ability to assimilate and evaluate large amounts of information
• Decision making skills
• Negotiation skills
• Financial management skills
• Sales Skills
• Thorough knowledge of technology operations
• Technology proficiency
• Political skills

Career path for CIO

·           Enter as a technical engineer or financial analyst

·           Work on numerous projects, building in scope and value (ROI) over time

·           Move to a project management, business analyst, or consulting role

·           Build business-based knowledge (academic, on-the-job, etc.)

·           Move into a management function (operational, business, account executive)

·           Build relationships at the executive level, develop presentation and speaking skills, change mindset from operation-focused to strategy-focused

·           Take a senior management position (VP, Executive VP)

·           Think about getting an advanced degree (MBA, MS)

·           Foster organizational relationships

•      Move to the CIO slot when available

Biologists Discover Motor Protein That Rewinds DNA

original article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081030144615.htm

 

I need to read this article later. I never knew that DNA could get tangled. This is something new and interesting to me .

 

Two biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered the first of a new class of cellular motor proteins that “rewind” sections of the double-stranded DNA molecule that become unwound, like the tangled ribbons from a cassette tape, in “bubbles” that prevent critical genes from being expressed.

 

“When your DNA gets stuck in the unwound position, your cells are in big trouble, and in humans, that ultimately leads to death” said Jim Kadonaga, a professor of biology at UCSD who headed the study. “What we discovered is the enzyme that fixes this problem.”

The discovery represents the first time scientists have identified a motor protein specifically designed to prevent the accumulation of bubbles of unwound DNA, which occurs when DNA strands become improperly unwound in certain locations along the molecule.

Twenty traits of successful people

I just stumbled upon this article at the following location : http://www.soupornuts.com/twenty-traits-of-successful-people/ . I liked it a lot. Somethings in this list are hard to acheive. At first glance it seems like a simple list, but if you think about it, to be truthful to these traits at all times, is quite difficult.

If you think you have all these qualities in you, Congratulations!! You have made it in life!

 

Twenty traits of successful people

Successful people are different.  They think differently and they act differently, but they do have some common characteristics:

1.  They possess a “good attitude” – these people always seem to be in a good mood.  They have good things to say to and about other people.  You enjoy conversing with these people.

2.  They are optimistic – no matter what is going on around them, these people see the “best” in the situation.  They truly believe that “everything will work out for good”. 

3.  They are respectful and therefore respected – successful people see the value in every person, realizing that every person has value.  Because they extend respect and courtesy to others, others reciprocate and respond in kind. 

4.  They have an “easy” disposition – they just seem be easy to get along with.  They don’t try to overpower others with their beliefs and opinions.  Most are chameleons that can blend into almost any social situation which may explain why they are considered successful by such a wide variety of different types of people.

5.  They value time –  successful people know the value of time.  They understand that there will never be another moment like now, therefore, they are very prudent in how they use their time allotment.  No excessive time wasting by doing unproductive tasks unless that is what they have decided that the current block of time is best suited for.

6.  They have the ability to focus – a successful person can block all distractions and apply their abilities with laser-like focus on the task at hand.  It is this ability to focus that is the first real “separator” from others.  It is difficult for others to understand the desire to be so intent on a single task to completion, but it is the fact that this ability to focus is what leads these people to their desired results. 

7.  They have high expectations of themselves and others – average will not suffice for the successful person.  Status quo is for the masses and not the successes.  They know what they are capable of and will not rest until they have achieved their best.  They expect others to do their best as well.  This simple expectation of others is why so many successful people are in roles of leadership.  People tend to deliver what is expected of them.  Great leaders expect great things from the people they lead.

8.  They are committed to learning – for successful people, learning does not stop.  It is a life-long process.  In fact, most of these people are voracious consumers of information.  They understand that being better informed gives them a competitive advantage in the world.

9.  They are future oriented – successful people understand that the decisions that they make today will affect tomorrow.  As long-term thinkers, it is obvious to them that the best course of action for tomorrow is to do the most productive things today.   Because of their “future thinking”, they are busy today.

10.  They have a purpose – it may be family, career, charity work or something else, but these people have a reason to live.

11.  They lead by example – simply stated, successful people never expect more from others than they expect from themselves.  They will not ask you to do a task that they have not done or will not do.

12.  They are open-minded – successful people know that they don’t know everything.  Most often they know that they are not the smartest person in the room.  This ability allows them to listen to others for ideas and insight.  They are open to the possibilities.

13.  They are “ad-libbers” – they have the ability to change “on the fly”.  They are not afraid to make adjustments if things are not going as planned.  If circumstances change, they can change.

14.  They are versatile –  successful individuals have more than one skill.  They are the “jacks of all trades” but that doesn’t mean that they do all these things.  They have a wide variety of talents.

15.  They are tenacious – once they have a goal, they do not waver or falter.  They can be obsessive in this respect.  You often hear it described as a “bulldog tenacity”.  The wording fits.

16.  They are great motivators – they help people be more than they themselves think they can be. They push, pull, yell, beg or whatever is necessary to get others to reach their potential.  Think Lomardi or Bear Bryant or Lou Holz.

17.  They are confident – if you ask them why they believe in themselves, most will not be able to give you an answer.  They simply state, “in my heart and mind, I know that I will be successful”.

18.  They are great salespeople – they can sell their ideas, dreams and concepts to others.  It is all part of the motivator, confident, versatile, salesperson dynamic. 

19.  They are honest – they know that anything less is detrimental to their purpose in life.  It is a part of the fabric of their life.  They cannot be any other way.

20.   They are mindful of others – successful people know, as Zig Ziglar says, “you can have anything you want, if you will help enough other people get what they want”.  It is a simple concept, but very true.  Success is about networking.  If you are committed to helping others, others will be committed to helping you.  There is no magic.  Plainly stated, “one hand washes the other”.  Successful people help others. 

Graphics Vs. Alphabets

I just read an article wherein they talked about Alphabets and Graphics.  I am pasting the excerpt from that webpage. Will revisit and update this post again. Time to leave for work.

 

In human history the written form of all languages evolved from graphical to textual. Alphabets proved to be more versatile and more expressive than pictures in capturing ideas. Try to describe any simple process in images. The funny thing is you still have to annotate the images with words. And the full text version with no pictures still gives you more details. Pictures prove to be good at sharing ideas and allowing people to visualize concepts. But in the end words are better at describing the fine details.

http://littletutorials.com/2008/05/15/13-reasons-for-umls-descent-into-darkness/

The Red Button Day – supposedly it’s the day when internet is suppose to become obsolete

original article at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3689881.ece

The Red Button Day – supposedly it’s the day when internet is suppose to become obsolete

 

THE internet could soon be made obsolete. The scientists who pioneered it have now built a lightning-fast replacement capable of downloading entire feature films within seconds.

At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, “the grid” will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds.

The Avogadro Project – redefining the kilogram

original article : http://www.acpo.csiro.au/avogadro.htm

 

The kilogram is the only remaining fundamental unit within the International System of Units (or SI, from Système International d’Unités in French) which is defined in terms of an artifact. This mass standard comes in the form of a Pt-Ir cylinder kept in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (or BIPM, from Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in French) situated in Paris. The proposition of the Avogadro Project is to redefine the kilogram in terms of the Avogadro constant.

 

 

 

 

Discovery of a ‘Pre-Incan’ temple makes me embark on a net surfing spree to find similarities

I do not know why I am writing this.. maybe… because I have had my breakfast and now am just relaxing in front of the computer..taking care of bills etc…

 

  I read an article on bbc about discovery of an ancient temple in Peru. I read about its architecture and then realized certain similarities (in layman’s terms) to harrapan civilization based on the use of stones to build structures. After reading about Harrapan culture a little more on some websites… somehow I made my way back to Incas, Mayans and Aztecs… so read about the time of ancient america . While reading this.. subconsciously, I thought…hmmm… why are there so many similarities… how did they communicate across the globe to share this know-how. Information sharing across the globe can be compared to the concept of "Unity in diversity", it is driven by other motives too, strongest being, we need to live peacefully to survive, but still keeping our guards up..just in case.

 

  In the present world, we can easily answer that question, we have so many modes of communication that we now have a term called ‘Information overload’ and have distinctions between terms like data and information. If financial / cultural biasing is not taken into consideration, then most of the present world would look/act the same (phew..thank god.. that is not the case yet in most of the cases). I guess the only common thing that everyone should learn is the need to live harmoniously with everyone around them.

 

  I think the idea of the constitution tries to achieve that illusive goal. It tries to lay down the steps to maintain equality and fairness. You could see it as an effort to understand and improve the chances of existence of the human species against the innate destructive nature of humans. Entropy always increases..but there are always ways to slow it down. I read a little about the origin of the concept of a constitution. The constitution is also evolving.. it changes and adapts to the evolving human species, some rules have been relaxed and some rules have been added, to guide the human species to prosper. We have evolved in the sense that our needs have changed, the entropy that forced us to steal chiseled rocks from neighbors is no longer there. we have stopped that portion of entropy in its tracks. It is still there deep down somewhere..but its delta increase is infinitesimally small. The constitution has added new rules, like most people would be aware of – Cyber laws.. It’s relatively new and people are curious about cyber space. So stringent laws are needed to curb the movement of the lurking monster.

 

  Then the next obvious thing was to search the net for similarities between constitutions. For me the obvious choices were constitution of India, US, and Britain. I was born and raised in India; have been living in the US for more than 7 years and the British were a major influence in making the Indian constitution and a passive influence on the US constitution. I have not yet found any good resource on the net which could help me compare certain aspects of these constitutions, but will do so in my spare time.

 

  I did find one webpage ; will read through it when I am again in this sloth mode. 

 

date added: 3/22/2008

I just now found this another document http://bensguide.gpo.gov/files/gov_chart.pdf which shows the various branches within the US constitution.