The IT executive's ultimate handbook for survival in a rapidly changing economy The Practical CIO: A Common Sense Guide for Successful IT Leadership provides needed advice for modern executives competing in a challenging global environment. Proactively establish goals for IT Hold all vendors accountable Extract maximum value from existing IT investments Manage and market the IT brand Build relationships up, down and sideways across the enterprise and beyond its traditional boundaries Act like a CEO Brimming with interviews and case studies from leading global enterprises such as Microsoft, Prudential, Citigroup, Chiquita Brands, Smithfield Foods and West Marine. The Practical CIO is designed for clear-eyed IT and C-level executives with no patience for hype or overly optimistic visions of a "e;better tomorrow."e; Truly a commonsense guide for successful IT leadership, this book delivers exactly the kind of hard-nosed, actionable advice that executives urgently require.

The IT executive's ultimate handbook for survival in a rapidlychanging economyThe Practical CIO: A Common Sense Guide for Successful ITLeadership provides needed advice for modern executivescompeting in a challenging global environment.* Proactively establish goals for IT* Hold all vendors accountable* Extract maximum value from existing IT investments* Manage and market the IT brand* Build relationships up, down and sideways across the enterpriseand beyond its traditional boundaries* Act like a CEOBrimming with interviews and case studies from leading globalenterprises such as Microsoft, Prudential, Citigroup, ChiquitaBrands, Smithfield Foods and West Marine. The Practical CIOis designed for clear-eyed IT and C-level executives with nopatience for hype or overly optimistic visions of a "bettertomorrow." Truly a commonsense guide for successful IT leadershipthis book delivers exactly the kind of hard-nosed, actionableadvice that executives urgently require.

Foreword ixAcknowledgments xvIntroduction xviiChapter 1 Build a Great Team 1Chapter 2 Proactively Establish Goals for IT 29Chapter 3 Design the IT Strategy 47Chapter 4 Hold All of Your Vendors Accountable 69Chapter 5 Before Negotiating, Do Your Homework 91Chapter 6 Manage Contracts, Don't Just Sign Them 105Chapter 7 Work With the Business 127Chapter 8 Manage and Market the IT Brand 145Chapter 9 Building Relationships Across the Enterprise--And Beyond 167Chapter 10 Act Like a CEO 193Afterword 213Endnotes 217About the Author 223Index 227