On the Leading Edge
by Dr. Andres Fortino, P.E.
A CIO today has to be more innovative, take more risks with technology bets and win more often. It is no longer a sufficient to just maintain the infrastructure, have great up-time numbers and keep customers satisfied. Now it is also: "Can you bring us the next technology breakthrough to get a jump on the competition?" Businesses today live and die by whether they are quick to adopt technologies at the right time to keep their businesses energized.
As a CIO I was often plagued by the risk inherent in adopting a technology too early. I developed a simple radar: watch for a technology to move from bleeding edge to leading edge and ask when do I stop experimenting and start rolling it out organization-wide? Nothing scientific, just kept my eyes open and used common sense. I look forward to using this blog to document the Schumpeterian landscape of creative destruction in our information technology industry and help to sort out the bleeding from the leading edge. I am normally a very conservative technology adopter. On Roger's innovation- adoption scale I would rate as an early adopter, not an innovator. I wait until technology settles down before buying it. I like toys but they have to work. I can't fuss with them to get them working or keep them working. But on behalf of one's company one's bet often has to be more aggressive. So there has to be balance.
Bleeding edge to me is technology that works but still going through changes, such as when the standards have not settle down yet so there are competing versions still out there. Or the economics are not quite right yet (costs too much for an adequate return?).
Leading edge is technology ready for prime time. The competition has adopted it, and so one must follow suit to stay competitive. One can't wait too long or one falls behind. One can be the first mover in the industry by adopting it just as it crosses from bleeding to leading. And if big enough one cause it cross by forcing the issue (Wal-Mart with RFID?).
So let's start by having a discussion on some emerging technology. I just read this weekend on the Sunday New York Times a provocative article on cloud computing. Do I use it? Sure. I store lots of things on the internet and I practically run my entire business with Google tools. Instead of asking my corporate CIO to install new tools for me, I practically look for them on the web and adopt and abandon freely. Maybe I am a unique savvy user with a technical background and so I am comfortable with this technology. But no more than the new generation of tech-savvy workers entering the workforce. Cloud computing: I say still bleeding edge but a year away from mainstream adoption. What do you think?
Featured Blogger Dr. Andres Fortino, P.E.
Dr. Andres Fortino has been associate provost of Polytechnic University in New York and dean of the University's Westchester campus since 2006. In his role, Dr. Fortino leverages his expertise in engineering, technology and management to bring graduate education to the greater New York area companies.
Dr. Andres Fortino was previously Dean of the AACSB-accredited School of Management at Marist College in 2004-2006. Prior to this he served as Associate Dean for Academic Development as well as director of the MBA and the Technology Management programs at George Mason University from 1998-2007.
He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the City College of New York and received his PhD in electrical engineering from the City University of New York. Dr. Fortino has lectured extensively on technology worldwide and has led more than 180 high technology seminars for Learning Tree International. He also worked for IBM Corp. in its advanced technology division where he filed several patents and numerous invention disclosures and received IBM's First Invention Level Award for his work in semiconductor research.
Dr. Fortino is a member of the Society for Information Management, the Academy of Management, a Senior Member of IEEE, Engineering Management Society, and is currently the president of the Technology Management Educational Association. He is a Visiting Professional Fellow at Cambridge Fitzwilliam College and a Fulbright Senior Technical Specialist. Dr. Fortino served as CIO for a mid-sized non-profit for twelve years.
The author of eight books, Dr. Fortino has practiced the application of information technology to solving business problems for the past 30 years. His scholarship has also focused on information systems development, intellectual property management, data networks and the diffusion of innovation. He has published over forty papers and made over eighty technical presentations.
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