It was a good session for swapping views on the foundering economy and its impact on CIOs.
Members of the Ontario Chapter of the CIO Association of Canada (CIOONT) gathered recently in Toronto to discuss ways of dealing with the economic crunch, looking at both value creation and cost-cutting. The session kicked off with an excellent presentation by well-known IT-industry consultant and commentator Dr. Cindy Gordon, CEO of Helix Commerce International Inc. Dr. Gordon is the author of "Why Buy the Cow? How the SaaS - On Demand Revolution Powers the New Knowledge Econmomy".
Dr. Gordon described the network ecosystem as the 'secret sauce' in delivering innovation, and she also touted social-media technology as an area that CIOs can use to their advantage, citing Wells Fargo as a company that has developed some valuable best practices in this area.
In responding to the difficult economic times ahead of us, Dr. Gordon advised CIOs to "be bold, be brave, be courageous, have some fun."
Following the presentation, several panelists offered their own advice for dealing with the economic crunch, and then the session was opened up to all participants for what turned out to be a lively and insightful discussion.
CIOONT holds several similar sessions during the course of the year. If you're looking for more ways to interact with your CIO peers, this organization has a lot to offer. And here's a heads-up - the CIO Association of Canada will be holding its annual Peer Forum in Ontario again this year. Save the date - April 23-24.