IT Management
Information Technology consists of various technology-based resources. The mentioned resources need to be well-managed if they are to last and serve the specific functions as expected, and to meet the expectations of the company or organization. Managing these resources needs to be done in a professional manner, thus culminating to management. IT management is a management itself because it involves managing the firm’s resources, while taking into account priorities and needs. The management aspect further includes taking care of various resources like data center facilities, networks, data, software, computer hardware and others. There is also management of the staff, who are always employed to maintain and take care of these investments that are tangible. The IT management aspect bears full management functions like staffing, controlling, organizing, network planning and budgeting.
It is true that there is no other department that interacts with as many different parts of the business as IT department. This is basically because the IT department does form a base for every business. It is always like the nerve center, where all the other departments are incorporated and it is the department that is usually best placed to understand business and its aspects, including the direction that the business is taking. For instance, the IT department contains all the information and database from all other departments. So, it has a direct link and it is related with all the other departments in the business directly. IT department acts as a conduit of advertising the business, holds financial records, worker’s database, projects and programs, etc. This shows how the department amalgamates various other departments in the business.
When a company fails to use its resources well in order to maximize its own productivity, it will result in capability gap. It is also caused by the foregoing of investment in technology, thus making the company perform below its potential. The gap may be difficult to bridge if there is no communication, trust between the CIO and the workers, and interlocking ideas in the various departments. In this case, tactic knowledge, which is the knowledge acquired from regular interaction and personal contact that is extensive, helps to bridge the gap and create trust. This relates to explicit knowledge, which is the knowledge that is codified and is stored in various media, with an ability to be transmitted to the others. These two forms of knowledge supplement each other.
The Chief Information Officer’s position has exhibited a lot of dynamism. Apart from the formulation of goals that are strategic for an organization, the CIO works on the implementation of various technologies, in order to increase the accessibility of information and integrate the management systems in the organization. This dynamism in management is comparable to that of the Chief Technology Officer, who is charged with the responsibility of expanding the technological capabilities of the organization. However, the CIO position has been much more dynamic as it has incorporated the responsibility of practices and processes that support information flow and management.
IVK Corp exhibits a database that is vulnerable and may have been hacked into. The company has a lot of loopholes and it has a lot of vulnerability in its security systems and projecting. The situation arises as a result of the CEO, who is volatile and is trying to turn around the company. The IVK Company needs managerial tactics from its new CIO. There is a need for a strategic plan on how to deal with the situation. It must incorporate quality managerial steps and efficient assessment to inform on the steps to be taken.
Reference
Austin D Robert, Nolan L. Richard, Shannon O’Donnell (2009) The New CIO:Preparing for IT Leadership