Partnering With the CIO: The Future of IT Sales Seen Through the Eyes of Key Decision Makers

An Evolving Model

The earliest CIOs (let’s call them CIO 1.0) were pioneers in the sense that there was no road map or precedent for them to follow. Whether they worked at Fortune 500 companies or Internet start-ups, they were creatures of the dot-com boom.

CIO 1.0 was the living embodiment of a new business model, based on the belief that information, if properly managed, would drive growth. In this model, IT was an essential component of business strategy.

The subsequent dot-com bust proved beyond doubt that the model needed work. Fortunately, its central principle survived the bust. That principle was simply this: Competitive organizations need world-class IT.

There was still plenty of debate about the intrinsic value of information, but nobody was disputing the basic argument that IT had ascended to the level of a core competency or that companies could not grow without an IT strategy firmly in place.

Despite the bust, the IT genie didn’t go back into the bottle. Under intense pressure from a host of internal and external forces, CIO 1.0 evolved into CIO 2.0, not quite yet an emperor, but a significant player in the new economy.

The CIO of today is a leader. He or she plays a key role in the planning, development, and execution of company-wide strategy. CIO 2.0 is a “go to” person for achieving the company’s primary strategic business goals—growth and profitability.

CIO 2.0 enjoys higher status than CIO 1.0 but shoulders far heavier responsibilities. If you’re a CIO, you know ...