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A few IT executives find time to preach what they practice, either by teaching a college course part time or by writing that long-awaited book. In 2003, Jon Piot, vice president at Technisource, and John Baschab, president of management services at Technisource, took what they learned from teaching IT and combined it with what knowledge they'd acquired from working on IT projects for Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Anderson Consulting. The fruits of their labors produced the first edition of the 512-page book, The Executive's Guide to Information Technology (John Wiley & Sons).

The comprehensive guide to running a cost-effective, efficient, and business-focused IT organization quickly reached the Top 30 on Amazon's sales ranking. Dozens of universities around the world adopted it as a standard IT textbook, and it was translated for the Chinese market. It also found a fan in Nicholas Carr, author of the controversial book, Does IT Matter? Carr wrote the forward to the second edition of these two authors' book, which came out in 2007.

A whopping 672-pages, the second edition of The Executive's Guide to Information Technology reflects the many changes that have occurred in the technology field since the first publication, along with the two authors' latest research, gleaned from both their academic and IT consulting careers. The revisions, plus two new chapters about IT strategy and IT problem solving, make the book a complete guide to aligning IT processes with business operations. The book is a must-read for everyone from prospective IT professionals to well-established IT directors or managers.

In this podcast, Jon Piot and John Baschab take turns answering questions ranging from, "Is there a trend for CIOs to move on to other careers, such as CEO or venture capitalist?" to "What are some of the big mistakes CIOs make in aligning IT with the needs of the business units?". Their answers might surprise you.

Resources

The Ins and Outs of Using Instant Messaging in Business

Become a Super CIO

The Executive's Guide to Information Technology (Amazon)

Technisource

Bio

Jon Piot is vice president of Technisource, an IT consulting and outsourcing provider to Fortune 500 and mid-size companies in industries such as insurance, telecommunications, and government. He was formerly CEO and co-founder of Impact Innovations, a $100 million privately held management and technology consulting firm, acquired by Technisource. Throughout his career, Piot has managed multiple IT departments and led IT turnarounds for corporate clients with revenues between $50 million and $1 billion. His work with Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Anderson Consulting produced dozens of successful IT management implementations for Fortune 500 companies. He also teaches at Southern Methodist University as an adjunct professor of engineering and management information systems.

John Baschab is president of management services at Technisource. He was formerly senior vice president of Impact Innovations, a $100 million privately held management and technology consulting firm, acquired by Technisource. After receiving his MBA with honors in behavioral science from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, John worked as a technology consultant to Fortune 500 companies in the Chicago office of management consultancy Booz-Allen & Hamilton. He began his IT career at Bell South following graduation from the University of Alabama.

Production Credits

Elizabeth Ferrarini, Producer
Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host