What is a CIO?

Chief information officer (CIO) is an executive job title commonly given to the person at an
enterprise in charge of information technology (IT) strategy and the computer systems required
to support the organization's unique objectives and goals.

What does a CIO do?

In the mid-1980s, CIOs were primarily focused on the more technical projects. Today, CIOs are
viewed as key contributors to formulating organizational goals as the storage, transmittal and
analysis of electronic information grows in importance across industries. As a result of their
increased strategic responsibilities, CIOs in large organizations typically delegate the oversight
of day-to-day IT operations to a technology deputy and rely on a team of specialists to manage
specific areas of IT. The role of the CIO continues to rapidly evolve as organizations become
more digital.

The chief information officer at one organization could have an entirely different set of
responsibilities from the CIO down the street. According to SearchCIO, a very high-level
definition describes CIO as "a job title commonly given to the person in an enterprise responsible
for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals." It is the
CIO's job to innovate, collaborate, balance the IT budget and motivate IT staff.

Who does a CIO work with?

In many enterprise organizations, the CIO reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) and at
some companies the CIO has a seat on the executive board. CIOs work closely with their IT staff
and recent studies show there is a benefit in strengthening the CIO-CMO (chief marketing
officer) relationship. According to IBM's Global C-suite Study, which was published in 2014,
companies at which the CEO, CIO and CMO work more closely together than with other C-level
executives tend to outperform competitors. The CIO also has a close relationship with the chief
financial officer (CFO) -- in fact, that's the strongest relationship between CIOs and other C-level
execs, according to IBM. After the CFO, the CIO has close relationships with the CEO, CMO,
chief supply chain officer (CSCO) and the chief human resources officer (CHRO).

What hard skills does an effective CIO need to have?

Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that may be required to do a certain job. In job a
posting, for example, a hiring company might specify that applicants must be proficient with
software applications, be able to do basic math calculations, know how to use content
management systems, etc. CIO job postings often ask that applicants have hard skills such as:

 Proficiency in establishing IT services framework and IT security policies

 Ability to recruit and direct IT staff members
 Project management and budget management skills
 Aptitude for customer engagement analysis
 Mastery at establishing strategic service provider partnerships
  What soft skills does an effective CIO need to have?
 Soft skills are personal attributes that relate to an individual's ability to interact with
others. Soft skills such as empathy, optimism, integrity, teamwork and humor are
especially important in IT leadership or executive roles. Effective CIOs possess soft skills
like the aforementioned, which not only enhance their relationships with other executives
and their IT staff, but also improve job performance and future career prospects.

What is Management Information Systems (MIS)?

A management information system (MIS) is a computer system consisting of hardware and
software that serves as the backbone of an organization’s operations. An MIS gathers data from
multiple online systems, analyzes the information, and reports data to aid in management
decision-making.

MIS is also the study of how such systems work.

Improved Decision-Making
The purpose of an MIS is improved decision-making, by providing up-to-date, accurate data on a
variety of organizational assets, including:

 Financials
 Inventory
 Personnel
 Project timelines
 Manufacturing
 Real estate
 Marketing
 Raw materials
 R&D

The MIS collects the data, stores it, and makes it accessible to managers who want to analyze the
data by running reports.

Central Information System

The goal of an MIS is to be able to correlate multiple data points in order to strategize ways to
improve operations. For example, being able to compare sales this month to sales a year ago by
looking at staffing levels may point to ways to boost revenue. Or being able to compare
marketing expenditures by geographic location and link them to sales can also improve decision-
making. But the only way this level of analysis is possible is due to data that is compiled through
an MIS.
Running reports that pull together disparate data points is an MIS’ key contribution. That feature,
however, comes with a significant cost. MIS implementation is an expensive investment that
includes the hardware and software purchases, as well as the integration with existing systems
and training of all employees.
What is ERP and why do you need it?
ERP is an acronym that stands for enterprise resource planning (ERP). It’s a business process
management software that manages and integrates a company’s financials, supply chain,
operations, reporting, manufacturing, and human resource activities. Most companies have some
form of finance and operational system in place but most of the software that’s out there can’t go
beyond everyday business processes or help with future business growth.

As company’s needs change and they expand, their systems should keep up with them. We’ll
define what ERP is and why it’s smart to have software in place that keeps up with your business
needs.

What is enterprise resource planning? Yesterday and today.

In the past, businesses had some sort of accounting, finance, or HR process but the software
systems they had often worked separately and didn’t talk or work with one another. What makes
modern ERP software different is that it brings all these different processes to the table to
collaborate and create one fluid system.

Current solutions also allow each department to see what the other is doing. The result is that
accounting and HR can easily collaborate with sales and customer relationships.

Why ERP is critical for your businesses/application

While there’s no all-up solution software for every business processes, ERP technology is getting
better and better at bringing all your business processes together to improve collaboration, help
your company make data-driven decisions, and advance business productivity.

ERP can cover a lot of company functions, but some of the main business processes include:

Finances

Modern ERP offers dashboards that give you an overview of your finances, so you can tap into
the real-time information anytime and anywhere. It should also help you cut down on entering
information manually by automating daily tasks and include tracking abilities that help with your
business’s regulatory compliance.

Human resources

Modern solutions offer ways to manage company data and streamline employee management
tasks like payroll, hiring, and other duties. You could also track employee performance and
identify HR problems before they happen.

Manufacturing
This function improves business communication, automates daily processes, and offers
manufacturers the ability to fulfill customer needs and manage resources by accessing real-time
data. This solution also optimizes project and cost management as well as production planning.

Supply chain

If your company is still entering information by hand and trying to track down inventory in your
warehouse, you can easily save time and money by automating these processes with ERP.
Modern solutions also offer dashboards and business intelligence to help you get a handle on
your inventory management.

Why some businesses are afraid to embrace ERP implementation

Despite all the options out there, some companies are still hesitant about ERP. There could be
many reasons why, but where there’s a fear, there’s a solution.

FEAR: How do I know I’m choosing the right ERP solution for my business?

You don’t have to find the perfect software solution to fix everything. ERP should actually be
able to take the best of the business processes you’re using now and bring them together under
one system, while letting everyone in your organization view the same information. This is
where your choice of at technology partner is important.

FEAR: We can’t afford a major ERP overhaul.

A solution doesn’t have to be an all or nothing implementation proposition. Software solution

modules can be purchased separately depending on your business needs. This will help your
team ease into the implementation piece of ERP and it’ll save having to invest in a major
software renovation without knowing whether or not the functions you’re adding will pay off.

FEAR: We don’t want to lose the systems we have in place now.

As we mentioned, any ERP solution you choose should work with what you’re using now but
also include features that can help in your future growth. For instance, if the software you have
mostly handles the financial, supply chain, and manufacturing sides of your business, you may
want to look for a solution that brings in a strong business intelligence component.