I posted the slides from the last presentation I gave for the Small Business Chamber’s Power Lunch. The statement that seems to have stuck with a lot of those who came is, “If the technology you buy is not making your weakest link stronger, then you are wasting your money!”
In the next week or so, there will be an audio version of this posted as a podcast on ceoTechCast.com.
Let me know what you think.
7 Tech Stepping Stones to Grow Your Business

Are CIOs into business benefit? Do they have a vision for the overall IT implementation as a business asset?
No, says Susan Cramm in her Harvard Business Review blog. She admits that she didn’t do a formal survey, but I think this is just an extension of the CIO’s 80/20 or 90/10 problem. That is, 80% or more of the IT budget is spent on keeping the lights on and the doors open, leaving 20% or less for strategic problems.
CIOs focus on email because (a) it’s within their area of experience, and (b) the perception is that it’s a major part of their job.
Here’s the rub: UNTIL we stop seeing technology as an end and start seeing it as a tool, we won’t get rid of this problem.
To quote the Cram blog:
“…most CIOs don’t have the broad business understanding, strategic vision and interpersonal skills that it takes to run a company or at least play a bigger role in running one.”
Really?
I hope she’s wrong. I suspect she’s right.
Is The Typical CIO a "Gear Guy?" – Susan Cramm – Harvard Business Review