Mary E. Shacklett, President of Transworld DataMarch 12, 20257 Min ReadimageBROKER.com via Alamy Stock When I was a junior programmer/analyst on my first IT job, I was working with a programmer-mentor named Bob who was teaching me to code subroutines. The days conversation got around to the CIO, and Bob unexpectedly said, That guys nothing more than a pencil pusher. He doesnt have a clue about what were doing!Bobs words stuck with me, especially after I became a CIO. I kept thinking about the side conversations that happen in cubicles. I determined that although it wasnt my business as a CIO to code, I would make it my business to stay atop technology details so I could actively interact with my technical staff members in a value-added way. I decided to also learn how to communicate about technology at a plain English top level with other executives and board members.Staying on top of technology at a detailed level isnt easy for CIOs who have a broad range of responsibilities to fulfill. Meanwhile, it's crucial to be able to articulate complicated tech in plain English to superiors who lack a tech background when your own strength might be in science and engineering, but not in public speaking.Nevertheless, its absolutely essential for CIOs to do both, or they risk losing the respect of their superiors and their staff.Here are three tech deep dives that CIOs must make in 2025 so they can meet the technology expectations of their superiors and staffs:SecuritySecurity worries corporate boards. Its a key IT responsibility, and as cyberattacks grow more sophisticated, preventing them is becoming more than just monitoring the periphery of the network and conducting security audits. Using traditional security analysts who are generalized in their knowledge also might not suffice.Enter technologies like network and system observability, which can probe beyond monitoring, drilling down to security threat root causes and interpretations of events based upon the relationships between data points and access points. Youll have to break down the concept of observability and possibly the evolution of new tech roles in security for the board and executives who will be asked to fund them.On the IT staff side, implementing observability will be a topic of technical discussion. There may also be a need to discuss new security roles and positions. For instance, in sensitive industries like finance, law enforcement, healthcare or aerospace, you may need a cyberthreat hunter who seeks out malware that may be dormant and embedded in systems, only waiting to be activated. Or, it may be time for a security forensics specialist who can get to the bottom of a breach to identify the perpetrator. These are positions that are more specialized than security analyst. You may have to develop the skillsets for cyberhunting or forensics internally or seek them outside. Adding these roles could force a realignment of duties on the IT security staff, and it will be important for you to work closely with your staff.Generative and Agentive AICompanies are flocking to invest in AI, with boards and CEOs wanting to know about it, and the data science and IT departments want direction on it.Generative AI is the most common AI used, but how many boards know what Gen AI is, and how it works? Meanwhile, agentive AI, in which AI not only makes decisions but acts upon them, is coming into view.Both forms of AI can dramatically impact business strategies, customer relationships, business processes and employee headcount. CEOs and boards need to know about these forms of AI, what they are capable of doing, where the risks are, and what the impact could be. They will come to the CIO for information. They dont need to know about every nut and bolt, but they do need enough working knowledge so they can understand the technology at a conceptual business level.On the IT and data science staff side, generative AI engines must operate on quality data from a variety of external and internal feeds that must be vetted. In some cases, ETL (extract-transform-load) software must be used to clean and normalize the data. The technical approach to doing this needs to be discussed and implemented. It is a plus for everyone if the CIO partakes in some of these meetings.With agentive AI, there should be discussions about technology readiness and ethical guardrails as to just how much autonomous work AI should be allowed to perform on its own.For all AI, security and refresh cycles for data need to be defined and executed, and the algorithms operating on the data must be trialed and tuned.Collectively, these activities require project approval and budget allotments, so it is in the staffs and CIOs best interests that they get discussed technically so the nature of the work, its challenges and opportunities are clearly understood by all.NaaSWeve heard of IaaS (infrastructure as a service), SaaS (software as a service) and PaaS (platform as a service), and now there is NaaS (network as a service). What they have in common is that they are all cloud services. The intent is to shift IT functions to the cloud so you have less direct responsibility for managing them in-house.Boards and C-level executives are attracted to cloud services because they perceive the cloud as being less expensive, easier to manage, and a way to avoid investing in technology that will be obsolete three years later.But now there is NaaS, which most of them havent heard about. Just what is NaaS (network outsourcing), and what does it do for the company? They will ask the CIO to explain it.On the IT side, if youre discussing NaaS, there are decisions to be made as to how much (if any) of the network youre willing to outsource. Also, if you did outsource, what will be the impact on cost, management, security, bandwidth, application integration service levels.The discussion can get into the weeds of the technology, and the CIO should be prepared to go there.The Quandary for the CIOThe quandary the CIO faces is that he or she cant be all things to all people but is often expected to be. Its why once over lunch, the CFO of my company told me, Im sure glad Im not doing your job. It seems impossible!There were days when I thought so, too! There were days when I spent the majority of my time doing what my old mentor Bob complained about: pencil pushing, for budget justifications, headcount increases, security and compliance reporting, and vendor negotiations. There were also days spent in meetings with other C-level managers to explain new technologies so the path could be smoothed for IT project work with a minimum of user resistance.All of these CIO tasks are necessary, but the IT staff doesnt see them.I understood this, and I also understood that my own staff had expectations. One of them was that I kept my technology chops sharp so I could engage with them in a manner Bob would approve. This is work! I thought to myself, But you must do both.About the AuthorMary E. ShacklettPresident of Transworld DataMary E. Shacklett is an internationally recognized technology commentator and President of Transworld Data, a marketing and technology services firm. Prior to founding her own company, she was Vice President of Product Research and Software Development for Summit Information Systems, a computer software company; and Vice President of Strategic Planning and Technology at FSI International, a multinational manufacturer in the semiconductor industry.Mary has business experience in Europe, Japan, and the Pacific Rim. She has a BS degree from the University of Wisconsin and an MA from the University of Southern California, where she taught for several years. She is listed in Who's Who Worldwide and inWho's Who in the Computer Industry.See more from Mary E. ShacklettWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like