In 2001, Accenture, one of the world's largest global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing companies, launched a major IT transformation to support company growth in the years ahead. At that time, IT supported 75,000 employees and hundreds of disparate systems around the world. In 2003, the company standardized on two platforms -- Microsoft for all desktop and server applications, and SAP for ERP -- and outsourced applications wherever it made sense.

Today, there is one central system for human resources and new employee recruitment, and SAP has replaced more than 200 different finance applications. The IT organization now supports 129,000 employees around the world and has cut IT spending by 30 percent. However, the audited return on expected benefits from IT projects has grown to 124 percent. Meanwhile, company revenues have gone from $11.5 billion in 2001 to $16.6 billion in 2006.

Frank Modruson, Accenture's chief information officer, attributes a solid governance structure for the IT organization's ability to achieve high expectations for all projects. From time to time, Modruson counsels other CIOs about running IT as a business by setting up a governance structure rooted in the business. However, he says that while most companies like the idea of running IT as a business, they shy away from it for several reasons. "The key here is to look at IT as being a service or a service provider to the business," says Modruson, "and to explain IT to the business in a way that the business can make decisions about IT."

In this podcast, Frank Modruson, chief information officer at Accenture, talks about how a good governance structure can enable an organization to run IT as an agile, profitable business.

Bio

Frank B. Modruson left Accenture to start medical school. A year later, he rejoined Accenture and has been with the company every since. In his current role as CIO, Modruson is still translating vision into reality with emphasis on the company's own technology infrastructure. His job is to ensure that Accenture's IT function is aligned with the direction of the business. Modruson earned a Master's degree in computer science from Pennsylvania State University and an undergraduate degree in computer science at Dickinson College. His free-time interests include volunteer firefighting, fly fishing, and spending time with his wife and four children.

Resources

Infoworld  CTO 25: Frank Modruson

Q&A:  Accenture CIO Frank Modruson

Production Credits

Elizabeth Ferrarini, Producer
Dana Farver, Executive  Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show  Host
Kimberly Stone, Web Development Manager
Scott Ebner,  Web Developer

In today's complex IT organization, the CIO position is both demanding and challenging. Nobody knows that better than Michael Burgett; working as a CIO, he identified a real need in the marketplace for an executive recruitment firm with the specialized knowledge about the job necessary to find good employment fits for the companies and for the CIO candidates. So, in 2001, he founded CIO Partners of Atlanta to meet that need, and he has served as the company's president and managing partner ever since.

From his background coming up through the IT ranks to his current position, Michael's seen the role of CIO evolve along with the IT organization itself. In this podcast interview, he gives his assessment of today's job market for CIOs, the changing role of the CIO in today's enterprise, what management and people skills a CIO might need to differentiate him- or herself, and more.

If you are in the market for a new career opportunity, or just curious about the state of today's marketplace for CIOs, join us for an informative interview with Michael Burgett, president and managing partner of CIO Partners of Atlanta.

Bio

H. Michael Burgett is the president, managing partner, and founder of CIO Partners, Inc., a technology services company that specializes in executive retained, contract, permanent-hire, and project services for Fortune 1000 organizations. He began his career as a systems engineer, and ultimately attained a position as CIO for an $800 million private Fortune 500 organization. With his experience working with small, medium, and large organizations in strategic IT roles, Mr. Burgett gained the knowledge and experience to build a strong IT services company from both a consulting and operational perspective.

In 2004, he was inducted as a member of the Young Entrepreneur's Organization (YEO), an organization comprised of business owners under the age of 40 who have created businesses with revenues larger than $1 million. He has previously served as the chairman of the National Restaurant Association Executive IT Organization and currently commits his time as a Board of Advisor member for Community Bank of the South.

He resides in Marietta, Georgia with his wife Kim, and daughters Emily,  Merrill, and Audrey.

Resources

CIO Partners, Inc.

Production Credits

Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom  Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Scott Ebner, Web Developer

According to a study done by the University of California at Berkeley, more data has been created within any two-year period between 1995 and 2005, than during all of the prior history of mankind. And no one knows this better than Iron Mountain; it ranks as the world's largest protector of corporate records -- including paper documents, backup tapes, and other forms of digital media. In fact, 97 percent of Fortune 1000 companies store their records in hundreds of Iron Mountain's Fort Knox-like facilities around the world. Specifically, the company acts as guardian to nine petabytes of digital data, 300  million cubic feet of paper records, and 100 million backup  media.

As a leader in data protection, Iron Mountain has been very proactive about meeting disclosure and discovery regulations for protecting its customers' data. A company policy requires every piece of data shipped outside of the company to be encrypted. Roden says, "The value we're moving for the company is the value of the tape, not the value of the information. We've been encouraging our customers to encrypt their backups."

Iron Mountain also helps its customers to create records management programs compliant with Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures. In fact, Roden has carried out a number of BusinessWeek webinars on this subject. He says that companies need to define their policies for all types of records, and then train people on the regulatory requirements and the company's policy. Next, he says, customers need to audit and test their policies, then refine them.

Tune in to a candid conversation Iron Mountain CIO Kevin Roden, who talks about all things data: compliance, security procedures, encryption, and more.

Bio

Kevin Roden joined the company as executive vice president and chief information officer in 1999. Previously, Roden was CIO with Fleet Boston Financial, for the banking subsidiary. He has held numerous technology and management positions in a 20-year career at BankBoston, including executive director of U.S. technology.

Resources

Iron  Mountain Encrypts Itself

Iron  Mountain Touts Value of Encryption

Production Credits

Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom  Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Kimberly Stone, Web Development  Manager
Scott Ebner, Web Developer