Tech Evolves Quickly – Are CIOs Able to Keep Up?

The pace of technology is unbelievably fast. Tablets, mobile and big data are all transforming the technology world. But cybersecurity experts and chief information officers are struggling to keep up.

Anne Reed is the President of Anne Reed Consulting. She is also the former CIO at the USDA. She recently won the prestigious Janice K. Mendenhall Spirit of Leadership Awardfor her significant contributions to the federal information technology (IT) community.

Reed told Chris Dorobek on the DorobekINSIDER program the pace of change has been too slow for information officers.

“It’s an interesting time. The pace of change is so quick. It is constant acceleration. You have to be fluid and flexible. Those who are going to thrive are going to have to adapt. Everyone else will just be frustrated,” said Reed.

Role of the CIO

“The need for the CIO to be strategic is huge. Some organizations still struggle to bridge the communications gap. It has to be a two way street between CIOs and the organization. Right now that relationship isn’t as robust as it should be. It’s coming but the pace of that change has been way too slow,” said Reed.

Cybersecurity

“The pace of technology changes has outpaced the people’s capacity to structure and evolve. Cybersecurity lags behind and creates an opening for the bad guys,” said Reed.