1. Windy City CIOs: What They NeedandWant from Technology Services Providers
Executive summary:
While notwocompanies have exactlythe same technology needsandissues, 13Chicagoarea chief
informationofficers recentlycame upwithstrikinglysimilarwish-listsforITservicesproviders.
Representingcompaniesinavarietyof industrieswithsalesrangingfrom$50 milliontoFortune 100,
the seniorexecutivesare lookingfor partners thatcan helpthem capitalize ontechnology todrive
businessgoals while runningIToperationsefficientlyandsecurely.
These higherexpectationsfor ITservicescompaniesreflectthe growingdemands onCIOs.Theyare
increasingly required toprovide bothoperational excellence and strategicdigitalsolutionstopropel
theircompaniesforward evenasITspendingisexpectedtobarelybudge in2016, according to Gartner
Inc.,and 78% of CIOs toldRobertHalf Inc. that theywill maintainorreduce headcount.
More than ever,CIOs need ITservicesprovidersthatcansupportthemin theirmission. The Chicago
CIOsare lookingforproviderswithinsightandexperience inoptimizingBigDataand technologytohelp
companiesinnovate,transformandoutperformthe competition. Theyalsoare seekingprovenskillsin
securityanddisasterrecovery/businesscontinuity,positive companyreputationandfinancial strength,
and industryknowledge.Beyond outstandingtechnicalknowhowandbusiness acumen,theseCIOs
prioritize cultural fitandteamchemistry,puttingahighvalue onaccessto and stabilityof ITservices
staff and leadership.
Thisintegratedsuite of capabilitiesfrom ITservicesproviderswill onlygrow more critical.Alongwith
social,mobile,analyticsandcloud (SMAC) technologies,newadvancessuchas the Internetof Things,
virtual reality, andwearable technology are fastbecomingthe buildingblocksof new ITplatforms.These
developmentsare drivingnew digital business andthusdisruptingexistingbusinessmodelsand
processes, accordingtoa recent ComputerWorldarticle.Thisfast-emergingfuture state onlyservesto
underscore thatas importantas runningIToperationsreliablyandefficiently is, clientsexpecttheirIT
servicesproviderstooffermuchmore ina worldof emergingdigitalbusinessecosystems.
“CIOsare underextreme pressuretoproduce results,bothstrategicallyandtactically.SotheyexpectIT
servicesproviderstoprovide strategicandtactical solutions tothem.Itisn’tOKfora partnerto lack in
eitherarea,”saysMark Griesbaum,alongtime CIOturnedconsultantwholedthe researchwiththe
Chicagoarea CIOs.
Main text:
ChicagoCIOsare jugglinganarray of sometimescompetingpriorities, fromholdingdownITcostswhile
expandingandaddingITcapabilitiesto developingbettersolutionstohelptheirinternal clients,the
businesslines,drivesalesandcustomersatisfaction.Theircounterpartsacrossthe countryandthe
globe share the same struggle, with88 percentof 571 CIOssayingtheirjobisbecomingincreasingly
challengingwhile71 percentreportdifficultystrikingthe rightbalance betweeninnovationand
operational efficiencyandsecurity,according toCIO.com’s 2016 State of the CIO Survey.
While the WindyCityCIOsare veryfocusedontransformingtheirbusinessesandaddingmeasurable
value,theyalsoknow“theirinfrastructure hastobe 100% rock solid,”saysGriesbaum. A new digital

2. business thatfillsahuge marketplace needstillcould fail if customerscan’taccessitbecause of viruses
or malware. In2016, chief challengesforChicago CIOsinclude:
1. Protectingdata and technology
Withrampant cybercrime includingransomware, denialof service attacks anddatabreaches,Chicago
CIOsreport thatsecurityanddata recovery/businesscontinuityare topof mind concerns.Theyare not
alone. Asthreatsproliferate,46percentof CIOs are prioritizingsecurityin2016 comparedto 31 percent
lastyear,according to CIO.com.
Cybercrime inall industriesisescalating infrequencyandseverity,witheachsecuritybreachaveraging
$15 million forU.S.companiesin2015, up 19% from the year before, accordingtoleadingsecurity
researcherPonemonInstitute.Inadditiontocyberattacks, CIOsmustcontendwith possible hardware
and software failures andnatural disasters, understandably makingbusinesscontinuity/disaster
recoverya central focus. Infact, hardware failuresaccountfor55% of all disasters andthe No.1 cause
of outagesforsmall tomid-sizedbusinesses,accordingto a ContinuityCentral.comstory basedon
Quorumresearch.
Downtime foranyreasonisexpensive,intermsof lostbusinessandlostreputation: The average costof
an infrastructure failureis$100,000 perhour and the average cost of a critical applicationfailureis
$500,000 to $1 million perhour,accordingtoIDC. While 35 percentof companiessurveyedbyIDC
reportedtime-to-repairof one to12 hours,17 percentwithinfrastructure failuresand 13 percentwith
applicationfailuresmeasuredtheirtime-to-repairindaysratherthanhours.
Withmobile apps,cloudservices,andothertechnologiesthatcompaniesare adoptingtoattract
customers,offerbetterservice,provide greaterflexibilityandachieve additional businessobjectives,
securityandBCDR becomesincreasinglycomplicated. Manysmall andmedium-sizedcompaniescannot
afforda chief informationsecurityofficerandeventhe largestcompanies struggletokeepupwiththe
mutatingthreats. Just26% of companiessaytheyhave the rightinternal resourcestomanage security,
accordingto Ponemon.
IT servicesproviderscanbringbestpracticesinprevention,detectionandmitigationtocompanies.
Ensonohelpsclientsidentifyandprioritize risks,thendesignandmaintainbest-in-classsecurityand
BCDR coverage.
Enactingsecuritybestpracticescertainlyis amajor stepinthe right direction,butitisn’tenough.
Companiesneedavulnerabilitymanagementplan.Tolearnhow tocreate one: Buildingasecuredserver
environmentisjustthe start.Evencompaniesthathave moveda goodportionof theirdata and
applicationstothe cloudcannotdrop theirguardwhenitcomesto securityandDR. Here’swhy: Disaster
recoveryinan “as a service”world
Ironically,atoughchallenge canbe clientsthatstopIT servicesprovidersfromputtinginplace the most
stringentsecuritymeasures.Tolearnmore: We Can't Outsource Accountability,butWe CanCalculate
the Risk.
2. Optimizingdata and technologyperformance
For ChicagoCIOs,turningthe tsunami of data theyare collectingintoactionable insightsand then
productsand servicesisthe HolyGrail. But evenas they are workingtorealize abigpayoff fromBig
Data, the underlyingtechnologiestomine itandexploititare morphingatwarp-speed.

3. Streaminganalytics,self-serviceoptions,andembeddingbigdatainsightsintothe applicationsthat
drive the businessare key2016 BigData prioritiesfororganizations,accordingtoForresterResearch
findingsreportedinarecent InformationWeekstory.These andotherdevelopments suchasmachine
learningandartificial intelligence willplace seriousnew requirementsonacompany’stechnology
infrastructure andintegration.
CIOsneedhelpidentifyingandimplementing the rightnew technologytokeepthe companymoving
forward, Griesbaumnotes. “Technologysolutionshave tobe practical insolvingbusinessgoalsversus
justbeingcool.”
Ensuringthe rightinfrastructure,capabilities andcoststructure to supportBigData applicationsand
drive topIT performance thatiscost-effective isastrategicimperative forCIOs. Withitsdeepbench of
expertsinall aspectsof IT services, Ensonobringscreativeideasbackedbyexperiencetohelpclients
make the most of Big Data and to optimize technology.
Justas Big Data is offeringnewviewsintocustomerbehavior,collectingandapplyingdataaboutIT
infrastructure usage andperformance inreal time candrive improvedavailabilityandreliability.Here
are some recommendationsforgettingstarted: How toImprove ITOperationsUsingPerformance
EnhancingData
To drive improvedperformance,growingnumbersof companiesare movingtothe cloudonlyto findit
isnot producingthe expectedreturns.A recentstoryinDataCenterKnowledgeoffersmore insight:
CloudIaaS – One Size DoesNotFit All.Lawson productstooka differentdirectiontoenhance itsIT
operations,creating aflexible,integratedinfrastructure toprovide the agilityandresponsivenessits
customersdemanded.Tolearnmore: EnsonoandLawson:a partnershipbuiltontrust.
3. Innovating and transforming business
ChicagoCIOssee theirroles expandingrapidlyfrommanagingtechnologyto leveragingittodeliver
innovation,informationintelligence, improvedcustomerexperience anddigital business.The pressure
to produce isintensifying:Accordingto the Gartner2016 CIO Agendasurveyof 2,994 CIOs in 84
countries,seniortechnologyexecutivesexpecttheirbusinesses’ digital revenue togrow from16 percent
to 37 percentinthe nextfive years.
So far, the topthree digital impactsare:more revenue frombetteroperations(66% of CIOs),more
businessthroughdigitalchannels(48%),andengagingandempoweringemployees(40%),Gartner
found.Butthe nextstepisrebuildingstructuresfrom the industrial andinformationerastoflexible
systemsandstructuresthat can swapresourcesinand outand change partnersbasedon shifting
priorities,accordingtoGartner’sDavidAronin Forbes.
That’s a tall order,especiallygiventhe realitiesof ITbudgetsandresources. "EveryCIOhas 70-80
percentof theircost structure and IT budgettiedinto'runIT', or businessasusual,withonly20-30
percentfocusedoninnovation,”SaaSvendorApptioCEOSunnyGuptatold ZDnet. “EveryCIO we talked
to, goinginto2016, wants to shiftatleast5-10 percentof theircost structure frombusiness-as-usual to
drivingmore digital innovationforthe business."
Moreover, 65 percentof CIOs believethere isatalentcrisis,withthe biggestgaps in
information/analyticsandbusinessknowledge/acumen,accordingtoGartner. Evenwitha teamof IT

4. expertsonstaff,CIOsfind thatkeepingupwithtechnologydevelopmentsinfieldsasdiverse as
analytics,securityandcloudisdaunting,if notimpossible.
There’sa cleartime constraint,too.More CIOs reportthat they're spendingtimemanagingITcrises:27
percentthisyearcomparedto 19 percentlastyear,a level notseensince 2008, accordingto CIO.com.
Yet 51 percentof IT leaders wanttospendmore time drivingbusinessinnovation,41percentwantto
workon identifyingopportunitiesforcompetitivedifferentiation,and37 percentwantto focuson
developingandrefiningbusinessstrategy,saysCIO.com.
So CIOsare lookingtoleanon IT servicesproviders,especiallyforhelpinunderstandinghow toleverage
technologyoptionsfortheir businessandITspecificneedsandcircumstances.Industryknowledge is
oftenkeyinthese cases.Take healthcare,whereit’scritical tounderstandtwomajortrendsimpacting
technology: mergers,jointventures,businessalliancesandothertypesof consolidationaccompanied
by shiftstoprovide more onlineservices,telemedicine,anddistributedclinical locations,whichrequire
very differentITinfrastructuresandintegration.
ClientsexpecttheirITservicesproviderstoemployagile practicesforspeed-to-market,use the most
currenttoolsand knowhowto leverage evolvingenterprisetechnologytotheirbestadvantage,but it’s
importantthatIT providerskeepup-to-date intheiroperations. A recentITbriefcase.netdiscussesthis
issue:ITService Providers:Practice WhatYouPreach
A printinganddigital communicationsleader foundthe rightITservicespartnertohelpmanage its
growththroughacquisitionsandnewproducts, transformingitsIToperationstoaccommodate its
changingneeds.Formore aboutthispartnership: Expandingrelationshipdeliverscostsavingsand
flexibilityforprintinggiant
Buildingpartnerships
CIOsdon’tjust lookat technologyandbusinessexpertise,though. Culturalfitisaleadingconsideration
for WindyCityCIOs. They are seekingtocreate partnershipswith ITservices providersthatlistenfirst,
understandtheirbusinessgoals,andthen workwiththeirclientstodetermine the bestsolutions.What
theydon’twantare preconceivedideas orprepackagedanswers.
Justas chemistryisimportantinmarriages,these CIOsbelieve itisakeyto forgingjoint client-provider
teamsthat can successfullytacklethe toughtechnologyandbusinesschallengeswhilekeepingIT
operationsrunningsmoothly. Theyneedtrustworthyadvisorsanddoers.
“Accessto seniorleadershipiscritical inapartnershipwithanIT servicesprovider,”accordingto a
ChicagoCIO of an international executivesearchfirm.
Withits breadthanddepthof experiencefrom46 yearsof leveragingtechnologytosupportclient’sIT
and businessgoals,Ensonocollaborateswithcompaniestodevelopandimplementtechnology-enabled
businesssolutions. InevaluatingITservicesproviders,companies shouldbegin byknowingthyself,
includingcultural requirementsandneededstrengthstocomplementtheirorganizational weaknesses.
For more insight:Selectingthe rightservice providerforyourcompany.
Movingforward
Withmuch to accomplish quickly,many of the ChicagoCIOs are relyingonIT servicesproviderstohelp
themreach theirgoals.These providers cangive themflexibility,accesstonew technologyskillsanda

5. deepbenchof talentforrunningandoptimizingexistingoperations. Moreover,theycan helpthem
drive businesschange andgrowthbyleveragingtechnology.
The WindyCity CIOs are equallyclearaboutwhattheydon’twantfrom IT services companies:One-size-
fits-all solutionsand perspectives.The rightpartner,theysay,bringsawillingnesstolistenand tocraft
individualanswers tosupporttheirspecificITandbusinessobjectives.Withtheirpivotal role in realizing
theircompanies’strategiesthrough innovationanddigital business,CIOsknow theycannotafford to
settle foranythingless inanIT services provider.
About Ensono
Ensono,formerlyAcxiomIT,hasprovidesinfrastructure managementservicesthathelpclients optimize
IT operations whileengineeringtechnologyandbusiness solutionsforthe ever-changingmarketplace.
Our infrastructure management services increase security andperformance whilereducingTCObyan
average of 15 percent.
Our experience inmanagingbusinesscomplexitydistinguishesusfromcompetitors.We have managed
hundredsof complex migrationsandhave designedsolutionsthataddressawide range of challenges
that companiesare facingtoday. We adapt to and workseamlesslywithinourclients’cultureandvalue
the expertise of theiremployees.Ourcollaborativeapproachto meetingourclients’challenges keeps
themwithus foran average of 10 years. It’salsowhywe’re ranked#1 incustomersatisfactionforIT
outsourcingbyData Monitor’sBlack Bookof Outsourcing.
Source:CIO Magazine’s2016 State of the CIO executive summary