From Technology Steward

Information technology (IT) has the power to disrupt industries and transform how
business is done. Leading companies are already tapping that power. Rethinking business
strategies, processes, and management practices. Reshaping companies and cultures.
Recasting infrastructures and product portfolios. And most important, achieving
exceptional business results.
Standing at the center of this transformation is today’s Chief Information Officer (CIO).
There might have been a time when keeping the company’s data centers up and running
was good enough. But today, expectations for a CIO are much, much higher.
Today’s CIO is a business leader—not just an IT manager—steering a mission-critical
function as large and complex as any operation in the company, working side by side
with business units to help improve performance and efficiency.
CIOs today help other business leaders in the company see what’s possible—and help
them anticipate what’s lurking in the business environment and competitive moves of
others. In many cases, they also face the unenviable task of anchoring a transformational
vision throughout the company, overcoming barriers to change, and building organizational
support in the face of significant resistance.
This book is written for business leaders in every function—not just IT. It focuses on the
10 greatest opportunities and challenges in information and technology today, and
outlines the essential capabilities required to master them. These are the issues that
define today’s CIO.