Paige Francis

Demystifying IT Paige Francis

For the accomplished EVP, COO, CFO or other business executive struggling in position to understand IT as a business unit, this is a brief, understandable guide to help you better embrace your powerful team. Structured for clarity, the guide includes an overview of information technology past and present, what you should expect from your direct report within IT (and what to look for should a replacement be needed), the standard structure of an IT unit, and high-level overviews on ERP and data-driven decision-making conversations. Each explains just enough to help you walk into any room prepared for next-level conversations. It's important to acknowledge that we live in a reality where half of our nation's top technology leaders, including Chief Information Officers and Vice Presidents of Information Technology, report to positions at least one level removed from a company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or President. As a technology leader myself, I choose to lean into that statistic and offer help and guidance to those non-technical leaders that take ownership of, with enthusiasm to trepidation, the industry that I love so much. Demystifying IT: A Pocket Guide for the Non-Technical is geared toward executives who have (or have had, or seek to eventually have) an IT department within their scope of responsibility. The message and value begs to be consumed with intention as not understanding what's possible of technology today from an executive-level viewpoint is a misstep. Whether you realize it or not, if you read-to-understand, this guide may be the best investment in yourself and your company that you've made to date. At a high-level, the oversight of an information technology team is all very understandable and learnable for a non-technical executive. To get there, you need to embrace this opportunity to learn about what you're leading. If you've ever waived off increased knowledge of technology due to its inherent complexity or a general lack of interest, I promise to deliver new knowledge in just the right amount of layman's terms that are certain to result in value for you.