Straight to the Top: CIO Leadership in a Mobile, Social, and Cloud-based World, 2 edition

The CIO's world has changed dramatically—from the "old days" of centralized computing on mainframes, client-server technology, Web 1.0, telecommunications advances, and mobile computing gains to new drivers for change including cloud technology, social networking, the virtualization of everything technical, smartphone/tablet technologies, and the advancement of consumer devices in the business world.

Now in a fully updated second edition, Straight to the Top helps sitting CIOs, aspiring CIOs, and other business professionals understand the drivers, complexities, and positioning of IT as well as the qualities necessary to attain the role of first-time CIO.

Straight to the Top, Second Edition expertly coaches aspiring CIOs on building the requisite skills with expert guidance from leading CIOs and author Gregory Smith's own observations throughout his more than twenty years of experience working in the information technology field.

The new edition offers a rare look at the qualities, skills, and experience that executive recruiters are seeking when searching for CIO candidates, with guidance on:
Cloud computing strategies and risks
Why social media changes everything
The key change drivers and trends impacting the CIO's role today
Why core technology skills are so important
The technologies and trends driving today's IT innovation
IT standards and governance and the impact of consumer devices
Creating a high-performing IT team through education
Getting noticed by executive recruiters
The effects of consumerization/BYOD on IT services
Improving customer service and SLAs

Providing an organized and comprehensive view of the CIO job and its important role in modern organizations, Straight to the Top, Second Edition equips sitting CIOs and CIO candidates with the strategies and knowledge necessary to be successful in the new mobile/social/cloud-based normal—and provide technology leadership as a world-class CIO.