- Not Solving Every Problem | The Enterprising CIO
Quote: Problems exist so that they can be solved. That’s the basis for succeeding as an enterprising CIO. Though it seems counterintuitive to think that problems should be sought out and embraced, that’s exactly what needs to happen in order to move the enterprise forward. It is part of the credo of moving from old to new and from static to fluid. And finally, to be sure there is never a lack of problems ready to be solved.
- Nate Silver to would-be data scientists: Don’t sweat the degree, just do the work — Tech News and Analysis
Quote: Would-be data scientists should work with data up close rather than book learning, says TheFiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver. Although a stats course won’t hurt.
- Oh I See (CIO Inverted): CIOs beware, CIOs rejoice
Quote: Which view do you endorse ? The first believes that technology should remain within the IT domain and IT will service requests or provision based on project requirements. The alternate view encourages giving up and offers independence to everyone. The federated model with adequate controls does not necessarily free up many IT resources but creates a perception of self-reliance. Applicability of the model is dependent on enterprise IT maturity and partnership between business, IT and vendors.
- The Dark Side Of Big Data : CloudAve
Quote: The challenge with Big Data is not Big Data itself but what companies could do with your data combined with any other data without your explicit understanding of how algorithms work. To prevent discriminatory practices, we see employment practices being audited to ensure equal opportunity and admissions to colleges audited to ensure fair admission process, but I don’t see how anyone is going to audit these algorithms and data practices.
- Interview with Red Hat CIO Lee Congdon | opensource.com
Quote: It is easy to articulate the basics: make your production systems appropriately reliable, insure that you can predictably execute projects, have the right level of process required for your organization. These things aren’t always easy to do, but many of them have industry standard best practices that enable IT organizations to get the basics right more rapidly, because the best practices provide a useful starting point.
- Innovate on Purpose: The internal innovation disconnect
Quote: These reasons are why it is important to establish an innovation environment and create a common innovation rationale and language. If we can achieve more innovation alignment and ensure the three groups are operating with some of the same expectations, innovation is faster, easier and delivers far better results, but these things don’t happen in the absence of coordinated leadership, training and skill development. If you want your innovation programs and projects to work more like a finely tuned machine than an episode of the Odd Couple, you’ll need to invest in some consistent innovation definitions and language, alignment across the three groups and clear goals.
- Just Good Enough–The Minimum Viable Sales/Marketing Strategy | Partners in EXCELLENCE Blog — Making A Difference
Quote: So let’s start growing, let’s start changing, let’s do that with the customers. Adopt a strategy of Just Good Enough. Build the Minimum Viable Sales/Marketing Strategy. Realize it’s just the starting point, learn from it, improve it, learn, improve……. execute!
- Better Decision Making
Quote: There are times where the people in the room are simply not going to agree. Maybe I really value the upside of this opportunity much more than you do, which is why we come down on different sides of the risk conversation (I think we should take the risk, and you don’t). We might not ever agree on the value of this opportunity, but if we take the time to understand each other (why I value it, and why you don’t), we’ll have all the issues out on the table. At some point, we’ll have to make a decision, and one of us will be disappointed, but at least we’ll understand all the issues the same way. When that happens, I can commit to the decision that is made, even if it’s not the one I want. I know the group heard and understood me and had to make a tough call, that happened to not go my way.
- CIOs are underselling IT to business
Quote: But the fact that two-thirds of IT budgets at large companies goes on maintenance mean firms are hamstrung compared to new entrants to a sector. The report also said that because IT departments are risk averse, with metrics and bonuses encouraging safety, most are not agile enough to take advantage of quick opportunities.
Links for Oct 6 2013
