Like a Rock: IT Strategy & Corporate Culture
CIO Musings
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1y ago
We face many challenges in securing investments for modernization of information technology, systems and business solutions. Tight budgets, staffing issues, competing priorities and revenue shortfalls all conspire to create a very challenging environment in which to secure funding.   None of the challenges are as serious as our own corporate culture.   I had a friend that was the CIO of a local "aggregates" company. That means they sold stone in many forms and other building materials for roads, foundations and pilasters. I remember a conversation with him about Blackberry PDAs. Thi ..read more
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IT Compliance - It's whats for dinner.
CIO Musings
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1y ago
NOTE: Please excuse the format of this, it is from my speaking notes for the Public Technology Institute Fall 2019 CIO Leadership forum. I was asked  to speak, briefly, on IT compliance. I figured what the heck, make a blog post out of it.   Managing IT Compliance Policy and Privacy IT Compliance can be an enabler and help you deliver better service to your customers. See if you still agree with me by the end of this chat. QUESTION: When you hear the word "compliance" what is the first thing that pops into your brain? Penalty. Internal Audit. Standards?  Government is ..read more
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Adulting - CIO Style
CIO Musings
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1y ago
I love the Urban Dictionary. I'm not sure why, I guess it makes me feel hip to read through some of the posts. I have contributed a few along the way like the term "Camel Up", my proudest moment. The Urban Dictionary defines "adulting" like this. I like the part about being a fully developed individual. Recently I was in a difficult steering committee meeting for a major enterprise project. After the meeting one of my staff members complimented me for my adulting skills. I thought that was odd, and it gave me pause to think about what it means for a CIO to act like an adult. Don't Match Pe ..read more
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I Had a Plan
CIO Musings
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1y ago
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."  Mike Tyson On Sunday March 1st I was on a train back from the NACo conference in DC. Great conference, lots of helpful cyber security stuff. Beautiful day on the train. The pandemic was just sort of on the horizon. I saw one person in the Union Train Station with a mask. No gloves. Lots of other weirdness (normal for Union Station), but little concern. From the train I reached out to a few people and said something to the effect of "hey, we should probably talk to other local government CIOs about preparing for this pandemic t ..read more
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Pandemic Planning - CIO Style
CIO Musings
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1y ago
Technology leadership is never easy. During times of crisis planning and mobilization, it is even harder. Expectations have never been higher for CIOs to enable the business to deliver services. So take a deep breath, relax, and read on.   The largest responsibilities of a municipal government during a pandemic is to continue to provide existing services and to provide for emerging citizen needs related to the pandemic. So for CIOs the question is how best to support the organization during this unusual time.   "Social Distancing" will influence your plans to a ..read more
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Innovation - Plant Your Garden Well
CIO Musings
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1y ago
​Innovation is a big topic in civic circles these days. Creating value out of new approaches and ideas is at the heart of this. But first, an interesting example of innovation.  The picture below is of bio-sensitive tatoo ink. Imagine not having to sample your blood to see the glucose level, just look at your tatoo and it will tell you by it's color if you need insulin. Or, if your are dehydrated. Or, if your white-cell count is up. Or, any number of other indicators. Just one example of innovation I came across recently​. ​​ ​ Such a buzzword, Innovation. Means so many things to so man ..read more
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Leadership Lessons From My Dog
CIO Musings
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1y ago
Okay, so my wife I have a dog. This is different for us. I've never had a dog before. I wasn't anti-dog or anything, I was more ambivalent about them. It is funny how fast I went from being dog-indifferent to being a dog-lover! After years of talking about it, thinking about it, researching it, being encouraged to do it, we got organized and located a reputable breeder of West Highland Terriers (aka Westies). That is a whole other blog-worthy experience. We tried to adopt a rescue Westie, but got tired of waiting. I am the type of person that looks for inspiration in the ordinary par ..read more
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E-Government: A Graduate Class
CIO Musings
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1y ago
Wow! It has been 6 months since I posted anything to this blog. Not setting a very good example I am afraid. It has been a busy winter and spring, and I have a lot of material stored up. Now if I just had the time to write! One thing I am working on for this fall that I am very excited about is a class at VCU that is near and dear to me: E-Government. The class title is INFO 691 Topics in Information Systems – Digital Government This class is about using information and communication technologies to provide government services. Open data, social media, websites, APIs, collaboration &am ..read more
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New Years Resolutions - Technology Style!
CIO Musings
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1y ago
New Years is a great time for reflection. A new start. A new set of opportunities. A time to do things differently. While you are cleaning out your closets and figuring out which gym to join, spend some time planning how you can do some new great things in your technology life. Here are five places to start. I've left "Backup your stuff" off the list this year. If you aren't already doing that, I can't help you. Security - Let face it folks, it is time to get serious about information security. Why, you ask? Whats that? Never been hacked before? Good for you. Remember, the bad guys already h ..read more
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Three Innovation Hints - Millennial Style
CIO Musings
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1y ago
“If you want something new,  you have to stop doing something old”  Peter F. Drucker Innovation has been the focus of our conversations recently on my job. How to innovate. What it means to have an innovative culture. How to define the value of innovation. Innovation is one part of my vision for the department. My deputy CIO recently gave an award for innovation within his area, and it went to one of our rockstar millennial employees, Christopher Long (@Chris_Long_VT). Chris innovates primarily in the GIS area, but that is just part of his reach. He also programs in Python and work ..read more
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