the cio: friend or foe?

The relationship between many finance directors and chief information officers (CIO) has long been characterized by mutual suspicion, misunderstanding and even hostility. There are signs of a rapprochement that could see CIO and FD finally join in harmonious union. Recent research highlights the many and varied commercial advantages to be accrued by businesses where these historically bitter adversaries have managed to bury the hatchet. Gartner's report ­ called Meet Your Next CIO ­ advises senior IT professionals, including those currently working as CIOs, to make it a career priority to acquire at least one or two years of non-IT business unit management. What is important is that these 'new CIOs' must be able to show that they understand the needs of the business as a whole and not just maintain a narrow technical focus. Ernst & Young notes that the long overdue reconciliation between IT and finance is also being driven by the onslaught of compliance regulations.