Hello world!

Welcome to my CIO Assistant blog on WordPress.com. This is my first post and I would like to share with you the reasons why I finally take the plunge into this wonderful yet, at least to me, still mysterious world of blogging and social networking.

It started slowly with an awareness of this phenomenon and the perceived need to be part of it. It caught on pretty quickly as I began to surf the Net, joined a couple of social networks and started feeling part of a growing community – or rather communities.  I have learned the concept of social capital and the best way to earn it is to share what I know with others, without reserve.

I may not have a lot of specialized knowledge or technical skills – such as how to fine-tune a data base or build a web-based app – but I do have a lot of opinions. I call them “points of view” or “POVs”. Many of these POVs have to do with running an IT organization, hence the name of this blog, the CIO Assistant. 

The CIO, commonly referred to the title or position of a Chief Information Officer but also used for other less complimentary ones, is a relatively new corporate species which still has an identity challenge and may need several rounds of evolutions before being accepted as part of the CxO family. The CIO is pretty lonely because of this half-business, half-techkie appearance. You don’t find many CIOs shooting breeze with others CxOs in an informal, intimate setting. You don’t find neither many CIOs rubbing shoulder with the IT geeks in a gang-like manner. No, the CIOs are for formal duties such as explaining to the Executive Committee why such Marketing initiative is late to introduce or such corporate-wide desktop replacement drags on for 2 years with no end in sight. And Yes, the CIOs are expected to come up –  repeatedly, regularly and relentlessly – with how to “do more with less”.

In these lonely moments of “quiet desperation”, I imagine that the CIOs would like to have someone nearby to lend an ear, a whisper, a shoulder. A friend, an advisor, a trusted assistant. With this in mind, I would like to welcome you to my blog, to listen to my POVs and to share yours in return. No strings attached.

Last note – This blog does not address inclusively the CIOs. If you feel being caught between a rock (the business) and a hard place (the technology) most of the time, please fell welcome to come in and wander around, regardless of your title.