We’re putting the feelers out for some new research at CIO Connect. The research addresses the relationship between the finance director and CIO – if you’re an IT leader, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s the blurb:
Do you sometimes feel like you’re playing Oliver to your FD’s Mr Bumble? Or have the tough economic conditions provided an opportunity for you to work closely together on IT-driven efficiencies to help cut operational fat?
CIOs expecting budget increase in 2010 are among the lucky few. Only one third are anticipating a bigger slice of the pie, according to a recent survey by analyst group Ovum, and even then expectations are slim – an increase of between just 1% and 5%. Meanwhile, CIOs taking part in a Gartner survey at the beginning of the year said they are planning on IT budgets in 2010 mirroring 2005 levels.
The recession has left its scar and many FDs are wary the economy could bite again in the face of high unemployment and the UK debt burden. Understandably, they are reluctant to dish out more from the organisational pot. With FDs under pressure to keep finances tight, and CIOs hit with greater demands to do more with less, how does this challenging dynamic impact your working relationship?
We are carrying out a survey to discover just how the vital partnership between CIO and FD is working in the current economic climate. Click here to find out more and to participate in the survey.
I’ve just written a feature for Financial Director, which shows that cloud computing has received mixed reviews but can save the FD and CIO money:
The terminology associated with the dark art of business technology can sometimes make finance directors feel as if they are back at school. Bamboozled by a series of buzzwords developed by the technical clique, they could be forgiven for tuning out when the chief information officer (CIO) begins bending their ear.
But the baffling jargon associated with IT obfuscates a business necessity; technology is changing the way business operates and the finance function is not immune to such transformation. What is more, the changes associated with cloud computing – the latest hyped-up killer app in technology – are potentially the most far-reaching yet.
Moving all your databases, systems and software onto an internet-based platform rather than running it through expensive hardware platforms, cloud computing breaks the traditional and costly model of IT purchasing and implementation. Rather than being tied to rigid licensing models for under-used technology, it allows the business to make use of an internet-enabled form of technology provision…
For the full feature, click here.
The last month or so has been a reality check. I went with my Dad to the League Cup Final, thinking the game might be our opportunity to take home a trophy. One disappointing performance – and a very poor refereeing decision later – and our dreams were dashed.
More than just a defeat, the game proved to be a bit of a watershed. The Villa are still in the FA Cup but my natural Brummie despondency leaves me to conclude we’ll lose. We’re still in the hunt for fourth spot in the Premier League, too. Sky Sports would have you believe fourth spot is the promised land; I would vehemently disagree. We don’t win things very often and I would swap fourth place for victory in either of the domestic cup competitions in a heartbeat.
More to the point, I think we’d make an arse of ourselves in the Chumps League. The Villa lost in the qualifying rounds in this season’s Europa Cup and I fear a similar fate should we qualify for the European Cup (that’s the trophy’s real name, in case you’ve forgotten). I think the ‘race for fourth’ (T.M. Sky Sports 2010) will finish as follows:
- (4th) Manchester City – Straightforward run-in; class in depth
- (5th) Aston Villa – Not a bad run-in; not a great squad
- (6th) Tottenham Hotspur – Bloody hard run-in
- (7th) Liverpool – They are going nowhere fast
Which still doesn’t explain why I am being such a miserable swine when it comes to the Villa. Well, because as my Dad said: “What’s the point?” We don’t win trophies, we’re doomed to always come 6th in the League and – even we did qualify for the Chumps League – we’d end up out of the trophy and in debt. So, I had to have a think about why I still love the Villa. And here’s why:
- We invented football – The Football League was invented by former Villa chairman William McGregor
- We have a beautiful name – It’s almost poetic; I mean, just look at it: Aston Villa
- We play in great colours – Not red, not blue, but claret, blue and gold
- We won the European Cup – And no one can ever take that away
- We are not Birmingham City – No more comment required
- We have a great ground – Villa Park is a proper British football ground with four big, separate stands
- We are not arrogant – Villa fans expect little and get little
- We have won stuff – Every so often, things turn out right; we never take winning for granted
- We are the Samuels family – Me, my Dad, my Grandad, my Great Grandad are/were all Villa fans
- We had Paul McGrath – And he is God
Ah, I feel better now. Bring on Chelsea! Bring on the Chumps League!
Remember when IT leaders used to be more interested in bits and bytes than business benefits? Those days are long-gone, if the results of this week’s CIO Connect poll are to be believed.
None of the responding IT leaders said that they believed being a technologist is the most important characteristic for a modern CIO. So, what characteristic should CIOs ensure is uppermost in their executive tool kit?
CIO Connect members stressed the importance of leadership, with 81% of respondents suggesting the characteristic is all-important. It is probably not a surprising result; CIO Connect’s content and events regularly refer to the need to control important business initiatives.
Click here to read more…
A mate of mine wanted me to put together a playlist of shoegazing and post-rock tunes. I have obliged (actually, I hope he has a Spotify account).
What is shoegazing and post-rock music? Basically, songs that use heavily processed and layered sounds to create a dense, euphoric sound. Shoegazing can be traced to the effects-heavy music of the Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, through the post-rock layers of Seefeel and Mogwai and on to the contemporary nugaze of Engineers and The School Of Seven Bells.
Some find the music depressing. I find the sadness uplifting; there’s so much more happiness in a minor chord. Here’s the tracklisting and a quick description of each track:
- Tracy – Mogwai: Any song that starts with a taped conversation describing a fight by band members is bound to be great
- Blown A Wish – My Bloody Valentine: Possibly the best pop song ever written
- My Own Strange Path – M83: Intense and cinematic, sounds like the score to the solar system
- Face To Face On High Places – School Of Seven Bells: Nugaze shoegaze that sounds a lot like latter-day My Bloody Valentine
- Halving The Compas – Helios: Repetitive strains that remind me of the sun rising in the morning
- Love Movement (Ulrich Schnauss Remix) – Revtone: Schanuss’ remix is like a slowed-down, cloudy Ibiza anthem
- Catch The Breeze – Slowdive: Shoegaze classic that goes epic two minutes from time
- Electric Counterpoint (Fast) – Steve Reich: Influential modern classic echoed throughout post-rock
- Davyan Cowboy – Boards Of Canada: Nice work, nice sound
- Into The Sea – The Album Leaf: Wonderful timing allows the layered sound to build carefully
- Plainsong – Seefeel: Years ahead of its time and almost two decades old, unbelievably
- Brighter As We Fall – Engineers: Sounds like Slowdive, which is good
- Ostinato – Eluvium: Another epic score for searching the solar system
- Light Through The Veins – Jon Hopkins: Like a pure dance take on Seefeel
- Suckling The Mender – Cocteau Wins: If ‘Blown A Wish’ isn’t the best pop song ever, this is
- The Loom – Bark Psychosis: An amazing post-rock first from the most under-rated band ever
- Blowin’ Cool – Airiel – A discordant treat
- Ba Ba – Sigur Ros: Post-rock music box for a ballet performance
- The Music In My Head – Daniel Land & The Painters: More modern-day nugazing; nice
- Miniature 9 – Matthew Robert Cooper: Just impossibly sad
There’s a debate on the finance of football taking place now on BBC News and a bunch of other public broadcast channels (actually, is such repetition a new way for the Beeb to cut costs in light of announced programme cuts?).
The debate’s been quite interesting so far. Not brilliant, but quite interesting. The most pertinent fact has been that 53 English clubs have gone into administration since 1992. That’s unbelievable; administration has simply become a business norm for football clubs.
Now – given the travails of Portsmouth – everyone is saying the debt associated to British football clubs is far too high. Apparently, everyone has now recognised that debt is wrong; it’s a means of cheating your way to success.
But if it wasn’t for Portsmouth, and the wider global financial crisis, would anyone have cared less? Numerous clubs have bought their way to success, unbalancing the balanced playing field of top flight football. When I was kid, I genuinely used to think the Villa had a chance of winning the League every year. Now, such thinking would be just folly – and it’s got nothing to do with the wisdom of age, and everything to do with the level of debt swilling around in football.
So, while I agree football needs to get its house in order and apply good governance (which seems to be the watchword for tonight’s debate), I can’t help thinking it’s far too little far too late.