'Open up your networks and embrace community...or fail,' says Cloud CEO
Leading CIOs outline the future of UK IT management at today's silicon.com CIO Forum
Speaking at the silicon.com CIO Forum in London, keynote speaker George Polk, CEO of the Cloud, told delegates they must open their minds to the idea of community, saying consumers have grasped this already with the success of services such as Skype.
"eBay didn't buy Skype because of VoIP, it bought it because of community," said Polk, urging businesses to also start investing in community.
Companies must realise the value of letting guests onto their networks and enabling them to connect with their own communities saying working relationships have evolved beyond the idea that companies need only communicate and share data with their own colleagues.
Polk said "'ubiquitous access'- to data, to wi-fi, to contacts- must become a priority for businesses. Some industries which have become heavily reliant upon outsourcing won't survive if they remain close-minded to allowing guests onto their network."
Paul Coby, CIO of British Airways, told delegates one of the most important innovations he has introduced to the airline embraces the theme of community, saying the company's self service system and online bookings have empowered customers and driven massive growth in sales.
"Self service really matters to the airline but also to the customer," said Coby, adding "nowadays three out of four direct bookings on BA are made online."
He said changes he has made to the BA.com website have also been essential in growing a community of loyal customers. "It's hard to think how difficult it was to use BA.com when I started working on it. We used to say you needed a degree in nuclear physics just to use it."
The second annual CIO Forum was today hosted by silicon.com, a property of CNET Networks UK, at the London Hilton on Park Lane, attracting an influential audience of the UK's leading CIOs, IT Directors and heads of IT. Created specifically with the needs of this senior audience in mind, this year's one-day conference subtitled 'Uncovering the secrets of success' provides an unrivalled stage for the exchange of ideas and information.
Tony Hallett, Editor of silicon.com, said: "It's great to see that so many of our readers have taken time out of their busy schedules to attend today's conference. We're hearing some exciting revelations from both the speakers and the audience, and it's giving us a good insight into the latest challenges they are facing. We really value this opportunity to meet our readers and debate the issues."
The day's first panel session brought together an A-list of IT heads who have defined their own success as well as that of their organisation. Christine Connelly (CIO, Cadbury Schweppes), David Lister (CIO, Reuters) and Brian Jones (Global CIO, Allied Domecq) discussed the need to "talk the language of business" rather than concentrating simply on IT.
Other highlights throughout the day include:
- The unique CIO Jury Debate: bringing to life silicon.com's popular CIO Jury article format, the prosecution and defence will put their cases to the jury on the motion before the house: 'The Private Sector Delivers Less Innovation in IT than the Public Sector'.
- Industry-specific panel debates: in keeping with the new verticals resources on silicon.com, two panels will discuss:
- Financial services CIOs (www.silicon.com/financialservices) - insecurity in securities?
- Retail CIOs(www.silicon.com/retailandleisure) - at the front line of change
- Panel debate - Next Generation CIOs: leading CIOs discuss the secrets of their success.
For more information and the complete programme, visit www.silicon.com/cioforum.
About the silicon.com CIO Forum
Now in its second year, the silicon.com CIO Forum gathers together the most savvy IT users to debate the top issues challenging them. The one-day conference attracts a highly influential audience of the UK’s leading CIOs, IT Directors and other heads of IT, and provides them with an unrivalled stage for the exchange of ideas and information.
About silicon.com
silicon.com is the leading UK website for senior IT and business decision-makers seeking to assess and understand how technology will drive their business forward. Delivering comprehensive daily news, expert analysis and commentary, whitepapers, case studies and special reports, silicon.com provides broad context and strategic insight into the key issues influencing how businesses use technology today.
About CNET Networks UK
CNET Networks UK is a part of CNET Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: CNET) a leading interactive publishing company headquartered in the US, with offices in 12 countries globally. The UK office was established in 2003. CNET Networks UK focuses on the business technology and consumer entertainment categories through five UK-focused websites: Builder UK, silicon.com, ZDNet.co.uk, CNET.co.uk and GameSpot UK. CNET Networks UK also delivers one-to-one services through its direct marketing arm CNET Direct; and events through the European Technology Forum.
