Ulistic Projects Blog

June 20, 2019

Spoofing & Hacking: What’s The Difference?

Most people know not to open email attachments from senders that they do not know. Unfortunately, it is not just attachments from strangers that you have to be on the lookout for. It happens quite often that people will get emails that seem to be from known senders that have malicious attachments, or that ask for confidential information. If you get such an email—or if someone gets such an email that appears to be from you but that you did not send—does that mean that your email has been hacked? Not necessarily.

Hacking and spoofing are two methods that bad actors use to manipulate individuals and businesses into doing things that are against their best interests. Hacking and spoofing can appear to be the same at first glance but are actually quite different. The risks of hacking, especially for businesses, are much greater than those posed by spoofing. Neither is desirable, but you want to know the differences between the two so that you and your employees can identify potential compromises to your email accounts.

Hacking vs Spoofing—What You Need to Know

What does it mean when your email account has been hacked?

A hacked email account is something you should be very concerned with. Being hacked means that a bad actor has managed to gain full access to your email account—which could mean that they have access to more than just your email account. There are a variety of ways to hack an email account, including:

Guessing your email password (seems unlikely, but you would be surprised how simple many email passwords are, such as birthdays, anniversary dates, and other information easily obtained on social media)
Answering your security questions correctly
You entered it into a website or form (it may have been a phony website, one that offered you a free gift, or a site you visited from a link in an email)
You used the same password on a different site and the site used it to access your email
You have a spyware program on your computer that recorded you typing in your password and sent it to a hacker
Viruses, malware or other undesirable software is on your computer and allowed a hacker to get your email password

If your email account has been hacked it means you need to take immediate steps to correct the situation. The risks to your system and your company information vary based on the way that the email password was obtained. A hacker guessing the password is much less problematic than having viruses, spyware or malware on your computer. A guessed password simply needs to be changed, whereas an infected computer needs to be cleaned up before more compromises occur that may be even more damaging to your business.

Even if the hacker guessed the password, there is a real risk that he or she could use the email account to access other information or accounts. If you suspect your email account has been hacked you need to take immediate steps to remedy the situation, including:

Check your recent email activity to see if anything was sent that you were not aware of
Change your password
Use different passwords for every account
Start using a password manager to generate random, complex passwords
Update your system to the latest OS and update your security software
Run your antivirus and malware detection programs

What does it mean when your email account has been spoofed?

Although spoofing can look a lot like hacking, it is actually something completely different. When your email has been spoofed, it means that someone sent an email that appeared to be from your email account but was not actually from your account. You can think of it as someone sending a letter and putting your return address on the envelope. Doing this is not too complicated with the right software. The bad actor does not need access to your email account to spoof your account.

Your account is safe even if you have been spoofed. However, having your account spoofed can be quite concerning, especially in a business setting. A bad actor could spoof your email and send a message to an employee asking for sensitive company information. There are a few things you can do to help prevent spoofing of your email address, including:

Do not share your email address with anyone who does not need it for business purposes
Do not allow employees to share your email address

Improving Business Email Security

For more information about improving email security for your business, please contact our IT services team.

June 20, 2019June 13, 2019

What Is Technology Competence

According to the LawSites blog, as of this writing, there are 36 states that have adopted the ABA’s updated Model Rule 1.1, which states that lawyers should maintain technology competence. The rule is purposefully vague to allow for the constant changes in technology that the legal industry is encountering. Unfortunately, the vagueness can create some anxiety for lawyers who want to meet the requirements of the rule. What does the ABA mean by “technology competence”, and how can lawyers achieve competence?

Lawyers discussing Technology Compentence

To better understand the expectations of the ABA and the states embracing its rules, it is necessary to take a closer look at how technology has impacted legal representation and ways that it can improve a lawyer’s practice.

Your main goal as a lawyer has always been to represent your client to the best of your ability. It was once enough to be knowledgeable in your legal area to ensure competent representation, but skilled representation today also means being able to use technology to improve efficiency, security and ideally the results you get for clients.

Technology Competence—The Basics

Update to ABA Model Rule 1.1

To get a grasp on what technology competence means for you and your practice, it is helpful to read the updated ABA rules:

Maintaining Competence

To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology, engage in continuing study and education and comply with all continuing legal education requirements to which the lawyer is subject.

As you can see, the rule is not terribly specific about what it means to be competent in technology for a lawyer. It states that you should, “…keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology…” However, if you consider what the relevant technologies are in law—and their benefits and risks—you can get a clearer idea of how to approach tech in your own practice.

Relevant Technology in Law

There are some technologies that are quite relevant to the practice of law and are being used by lawyers across the country and the globe. These include:

Electronic Discovery

Discovery has always been the backbone of case building, but electronic tools have increased the power and efficiency of the discovery process in numerous ways. These tools allow for more comprehensive preservation of information, more thorough review of information and faster production of information. Failing to leverage electronic tools in the discovery process is doing clients a disservice.

Law Firm Technology Competence in USA

Internet Investigations

You do not have to be a professional internet investigator to get a lot of benefit out of internet searches. Just being able to do simple internet searches for information can make the investigation process faster and more thorough than it otherwise would be. There are also numerous tools available online for conducting investigations.

Cyber Security

Considering that most of the information you obtain for clients and from clients will be digital, it is incredibly important that you take basic cyber security measures to protect that information. From hackers looking to blackmail victims to government agencies reviewing every bit of information they can get their hands on, there is a multitude of actors who can target your data and compromise your practice.

Understanding the Technology Used by Clients

The clients you represent are using technology in a myriad of ways. You need to have a basic understanding—or possibly a much more in-depth understanding—of what tech they are using and how they use it. That means educating yourself not only on legal tech but also on any tech pertinent to your clients and their legal needs.

Courtroom Technology

There are a variety of tech tools that can make you more effective in the courtroom. They can help you better organize, present and explain information to your audience. Every little advantage you can get can make a difference when presenting your case.

Legal Technologies that Make Business Easier and More Efficient

Many legal technology tools are fairly mundane, but that does not make them any less useful. You can leverage them to provide your legal services with less work on your end. File sharing, automated document assembly and electronic court scheduling are all useful.

Using Technology to Better Serve Your Clients

Your ability to serve your clients is improved in many different ways through technology competence. While it may take time and effort to improve your competency, the benefits of doing so can be significant for both your clients and your practice.

To learn more about legal technologies that might benefit your firm, please contact our managed IT services team.

June 19, 2019

Healthcare Guide to the DTA’s New Secure Cloud Strategy

Australian Healthcare

Creating a secure, usable network of systems is top-of-mind for Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA). The recent growth of security challenges for organisations of all sizes has caused this government agency to closely examine how businesses are interacting through the cloud. The Australian government’s new Secure Cloud Strategy provides a framework for service providers to follow that is targeted to “improve resilience, life productivity and deliver better services” — lofty goals for any organisation. While the Secure Cloud Strategy is ostensibly to help the government take full advantage of the benefits of cloud computing, IT services providers will also need to adopt the more robust security measures if their systems interact with secure public information.

Ongoing Challenges with Healthcare Data Security

Moving towards compliance requires managed service providers and cloud support partners to fully embrace the enhanced security requirements of the Secure Cloud Strategy. Healthcare data breaches are at an all-time high according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), where 812 notifiable breaches occurred in 2018. Australia’s “My Health Record system” has come under attack lately, as cybercriminals seem to have discovered that this is a rich well of information simply waiting to be tapped. Healthcare leads the top sector for data breaches in Australia with 20%, while finance, professional services and education lag significantly behind. While some of these data breaches are determined to be a human error due to a variety of issues such as loss of storage devices and sending information to the incorrect individual, nearly half were caused by a malicious attack.

Key Points of the Secure Cloud Strategy

Protecting the security of your data and that of your clients is of the utmost importance to service providers, and DTA’s new Secure Cloud Strategy is targeted to do exactly that. These key points are considered crucial to protecting the security of data in the nation’s healthcare infrastructure:

Organisations will appreciate a shared understanding of requirements, including a common assessment framework
The Digital Transformation Agency will lead the way by developing a platform to share knowledge and expertise
A focus on reducing the duplication of effort by providing shared services that can be leveraged by multiple organisations
The responsibilities and accountability of cloud service providers will be clarified by a new contract model
Renewed energy towards creating sustainable change in the data security infrastructure of the government and interconnected entities

While these common-sense measures are aimed at revising the way the healthcare industry approaches data and security, industry analysts are concerned that the efforts may prove too expensive for IT service providers that are already struggling with detailed compliance requirements, increased complexity of requirements and rising costs. The talent shortfall is also a factor in the updates that the Australian government is requiring of their IT service providers, as local experts are struggling to maintain certifications and compliance requirements.

As Australia circles the same issues that are tormenting healthcare organisations throughout the world, it may be the cloud software providers that have the most work to do to maintain adequate levels of security. IT managed services providers are often able to step in and help understand how to implement broader security requirements and automate ongoing tasks to free up time with valuable technology professionals.

June 19, 2019

How to Make Calls with Amazon Alexa

Did you know you can use just about any Amazon Echo device to make phone calls for free? You can do the same in the Alexa app on iOS or Android, whether or not you have an Echo device. You can also call others in your contacts on their Echo devices instead of their phones. These services can be convenient, and they are real money savers for people paying per minute for their cell or landline phone. In today’s tech tip we’ll show you how to make calls with Amazon Alexa.

Step 1: Open the Alexa App on Your Phone

Making phone calls using Alexa is an opt-in service, meaning you’ll need to enable it and set it up before it will work. Open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone, and tap on the menu bars (likely in the upper left). Choose “Things to Try”. On that page, choose “Calling”. This area reveals several videos and explainers on how to get calling with Alexa set up.

Alternatively, you can simply ask your Echo device, “Alexa, how do I set up calling?” for verbal instructions. Those are nice, but you’ll end up needing to work in the app anyways. For that reason, we think it’s easiest to start in the app.

Step 2: Give Alexa Access to Your Contacts

In the Amazon Alexa app, open the Communicate tab by tapping on the Communicate button in the bottom row. If you’ve not done this before, the app will ask for access to your contacts. Tap OK to grant access.

If you want to use the Alexa app to make calls directly from your phone, you can do it from this screen. Simply select the contact you want to call, choose the right number (cell, work, or home), and the call should begin.

Step 3: Talk to Your Echo Device

If what you really want to do is make calls using your Echo device, you should be able to do so after following steps 1 and 2. You have to know the right lingo, however. You can start with a simple phrase like “Alexa, make a call.” Your Echo device will respond with a question of its own, asking who you want to talk to.

Some of your contacts can be reached multiple ways, so you’ll need to be specific with Alexa. Alexa should understand commands like “Call mom’s cell phone” or “call Shawna at work.” You can also call numbers not in your contacts list with “Alexa, call (555) 356-4321.”

To call another Echo device, simply say “Alexa, call Leslie’s Echo.” If Leslie has calling enabled on her echo, you’ll get patched right through.

If you want to explore phrases in more detail, look back at the “Things to Try” area in the app.

Note: Alexa Can’t Do Everything

One thing to note before diving into the world of phone calls with Alexa: Alexa and her associated devices do have some limitations. There are a few types of phone calls that Alexa can’t make. First, and most importantly, Alexa can’t call 911 or other emergency service numbers. These services need to know where you are, and even though you might think Alexa knows that, the functionality isn’t foolproof enough to support emergency calls.

Alexa also can’t (or won’t) call those pricey 1-900 numbers. (Yes, that’s still a thing.) Similarly, directory assistance and information lines of the 211, 411, or “star-88 on any cell phone” variety aren’t compatible with Alexa’s calling technology. For now, Alexa also won’t call internationally, nor will it respond to “call 1-800 CONTACTS” or other letter-to-number prompts.

Conclusion

Making phone calls through Amazon Alexa is a great way to save if you’re still counting minutes on your landline or cell phone plan. Follow the steps above to enable the feature and give it a try today.

June 19, 2019

EHR Vendor Consolidation and Its Effects on Ambulatory Health Services

An uptick of vendor consolidation in the Ambulatory electronic health records industry has been a cause for concern for many small and medium practices recently. The main cause for concern lies in the preparation and costs associated with integrating their patient health records into new programs that are made necessary with vendor acquisition, especially if the acquisition has forced a phase-out of their current EHR program.

According to KLAS Research, an Orem, Utah based IT Review Firm, EHR vendors have dropped from 1000 plus companies 10 years ago, to roughly 400 companies in total. Some of the larger companies responsible for merging and acquiring in the Ambulatory EHR market are Cerner, McKesson, Allscripts, Epic, and eClinicalWorks. Many see the opportunity for innovation, but these mergers have also created a unique set of challenges for small practices, Specialists and Outpatient Facilities. With these practices being reliant on the need to efficiently organize patient data as well as cross-share information to several labs, pharmacies, and other facilities in their networks, EHR has now become a necessary tool.

Market dynamics and technology advancements have proved that the move to electronic medical records systems is inevitable, but services once offered at low or no cost, now come with a monthly price tag. Service level changes, training costs, technology implementation, and practice continuity also serve as impact areas that Physicians should be prepared to address if migration to another system is required.

What About Technical Support?

Comprehensive Databases, such as Ambulatory EHR, will make technical support an important concern, not only for maintenance, but for any issues that may arise affecting day to day business. Will mergers cause reduced levels of tech support? Some physicians seem to think so. Practices reliant on specialized support options will now have to contend with an influx of other consumers operating on the same system, increasing help wait time and support availability. Frustration at rising costs, service level changes, and the elimination of special features in existing EHRs, have physicians worried that they will no longer be able to cater to their specific practice needs.

How to Prepare for Health IT Innovation

Ideally, Practices that are already utilizing EHR systems offered by the bigger players in the market have no cause for concern. For those practices that do find themselves needing to integrate into a new EHR system, preparation is key in order to avoid any potential negative impacts. The most important way to ensure a smooth transition is the current data organization. Physicians should understand where and how their data is organized, what format it is in, and the steps it would take to transfer it to another system. Current vendor communication and a review of contracts can also provide insight into costs and procedures of data migration, as well as a list of replacement vendors that would be best suited to practice needs if a switch needs to be made.

The Ambulatory EHR market will continue to make strides in innovation and technology advancement. Most of these changes are positive, like the introduction of Patient Portals, where data collection, tracking, and cross sharing have become streamlined and consumer friendly. Small Practices can avoid any potential negative impacts by simply understanding the data they collect, how to transfer it if they need to merge into another system, and by preparing a solid transition plan.

June 19, 2019

Cutting These Two Corners Could Lead to Business Disaster

Cost Cutting Technology

Cost-cutting measures are not unusual for organizations as they traverse the standard lifecycle of products and services. What you decide to cut during the lean times can have just as much impact as to where investments go when your business is flush with cash. Some organizations start their cuts in advertising and marketing but eventually make their way to technology projects. Managing expenses and balancing them with the associated risks is a critical task in organizations, but there are two places where the risk simply isn’t worth the savings in expense reductions: cybersecurity and proactive support for your business technology. Reducing your funds in these two vital areas could cause a negative impact on the organization that has a ripple effect felt for years to come. Here’s why these are the two places that you should never cut corners in your business.

Protecting Your Organization’s Business Systems and Data

Cybersecurity is a broad term that refers to a range of activities including hardware protection, software patches, password requirements, staff training, server maintenance, cloud-based controls and more. There is no simple definition of what can be included in cybersecurity and business requirements change on a fairly regular basis. This alone makes it difficult to set a budget and stick with it — or reduce it over time. The ever-changing nature of threats that can effectively cripple an organization in a very short period of time means that your business will need to continually invest in learning and growth opportunities to reduce the risk to your organization.

Data protection is another facet of cybersecurity that demands consideration. From the 2018 GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) to more recent requirements in various states, data privacy and compliance has come to the forefront of the security conversation. Businesses must first wrangle and then protect sensitive personal, health and financial data — not to mention securing their business systems from infiltration by hackers. Skimping on these critical tasks or attempting to do them in-house with limited resources can open your organization to significant fines if you’re found to be non-compliant with global or state-supported regulations.

Smoothing the Cost of Technology

It’s always tempting to cut out what could essentially be considered insurance: the ongoing maintenance and support of your technology hardware and software. When your business reverts to paying only for systems that are broken and unable to be used, you’re left with a hodgepodge of user complaints due to slowdowns that aren’t “bad enough” to be sent out for repair. Plus, you’re looking at a hefty fee for getting any break-fix work done quickly — and forget about being able to budget effectively by guessing what could potentially require repair or replacement during the year.

Proactive maintenance of your business systems allows business users to maintain a high level of productivity while also factoring your technology costs at a reasonable level throughout the year. It can be extremely challenging when you’ve exhausted your budget for break-fix support for the year, only to find that it’s only the beginning of the third quarter. In that case, you’re either siphoning funds from other crucial projects or trying to limp through the remainder of the year until you can reset your budget and resolve outstanding problems. Investing in proactive maintenance means you don’t have to question whether a fix is “important enough” to be resolved as long as the issue is within your service threshold.

Protecting your business from unnecessary risk can feel like a full-time job for busy technology leaders. Fortunately, IT managed services providers are able to help with both proactive maintenance and providing the high level of cybersecurity expertise that is needed to help protect your business from both current and emerging threats.

June 18, 2019June 18, 2019

Google’s New Chrome Extension Gives Your Passwords a Checkup

In early 2019, white-hat security expert Troy Hunt and other researchers shared a massive database of breached passwords and usernames. The stolen data constitutes 25 billion records and 845 gigabytes of stolen data.

While many of the collected records are from previously reported thefts, there are new records there, too. It’s a clear indication of regularity, scope and potential damage caused by poor password management.

That news coincided with Google’s announcement of its new Password Checkup extension for Chrome browsers. The extension is designed to alert and protect users who may have compromised credentials.

What is the Password Checkup Extension?

Password Checkup allows users to check if their Google account, and any other account you check into while using Chrome, has been potentially compromised during a previous data breach. Developed in partnership with Stanford University cryptographers, the extension is designed to give you critical information while safeguarding your data.

How Does Password Checkup Work?

After installing the extension, Google will alert users if they find potentially compromised passwords. The passwords are checked against a database of 4 billion known compromised credentials. Warnings are issued automatically, along with a recommendation to change the potentially compromised credential.

It’s important to note that the extension will not alert you to any outdated passwords or weak passwords. While those other factors can also lead to your account information being hacked, the Password Checkup only identifies known hacked passwords contained in databases.

What Does It Look Like When Password Checkup Is Activated?

The Password Checkup icon appears in your browser bar as a green security shield. The extension app will monitor your account whenever you use Chrome to log into a website or a service.

If it detects that the password is potentially compromised, a bright red warning box pops onto your screen. It features a warning sign and urges you to change your password. The box allows you to ignore the alert for the designated site. There’s also a link to learn more information via a page with more details about Password Checkup and how to change a potentially compromised password.

If for some reason you miss the red pop-up box, the browser extension icon turns from green to red.

Can Google See My Passwords if I use Password Checkup?

No. None of the passwords that the app uses are stored and personal information is not collected. The checked passwords are anonymized using hashes and encryption. Password Checkup was designed to prevent hackers from attacking it.

What Are the Risks of Compromised Passwords?

News stories are constantly reporting on the latest corporate data breach, revealing the thousands of records that were exposed and how that company is responding. The story behind the story is what happens to those stolen credentials.

In some cases, hackers sell information on the dark web. For users that do not know about the hack or aware but choose to do nothing, the consequences can be dire. Bad actors now can access accounts, make purchases, steal money or gain other personal information that can help to steal one’s identity.

People affected by stolen credentials can spend months or years resolving the issues related to compromised accounts. This work is time-consuming, costly and stressful.

Are There Other Tools to Check Compromised Credentials?

There are many other services that help monitor and detect stolen passwords, including websites such as Have I Been Pwned? and Watchtower and password managers like Dashlane and Keeper.

How Prevalent Are Data Breaches?

According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, stolen credentials are also an increasingly popular approach for hackers looking to gain access to cloud-based email servers. Stolen credentials are a particular issue for businesses in the accommodations and food services, financial and insurance, educational services, manufacturing and professional services industries.

What Can Be Done to Prevent Compromised Credentials?

For businesses, there are several steps that can mitigate the risks of data breaches that result in compromised credentials:

Develop and enforce rigorous password policies, including password complexity, reuse and expiration dates
Implement two-factor or multi-factor authentication that uses both known information, such as a stored password, and new information, such as a texted or emailed credential, (e.g. a one-time access code)
Centralized identity access management
Centrally managed single sign-on protocols

Google’s new extension is an excellent way to provide individual Chrome users with information that will protect themselves and their personal information. When combined with broader business rules, the extension should reduce the rate and severity of compromised credentials.

June 18, 2019

Your Windows 7 Checklist

When you’re working hard to grow your business, you can get caught up in things that take your attention away from your technology. Before you know it, your IT system isn’t up to speed because you failed to update an operating system. We don’t want this to happen. This is why we’ve provided a checklist about Windows 7, its approaching End of Life (EOL), and what you should do.

It’s Time To Upgrade From Windows 7

Extended support for Windows 7 will end on January 14, 2020. This means that Microsoft won’t provide security updates for PCs running Windows 7. This could put your IT system at risk for security and reliability issues.

We recommend that you plan your upgrade now. And, if you run a business, we advise that you skip Windows 8 and upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.

Skip Windows 8 and Migrate To Windows 10 Pro

Windows 8 product enhancements (mainstream support) ended back on January 9, 2018. And reliability and security patches will end on January 10, 2023 (the end of extended support). This may seem like a long time from now, but if you’re upgrading anyway, shouldn’t you use the most current Windows program? Windows 10 Pro offers the very latest technology, and it’s built for business use.

Windows 10 Pro Will Benefit Your Business

Increased Security is incorporated with ongoing protections like Windows Defender Antivirus, BitLocker, a Firewall and more (at no extra cost to you).
Windows Remote Desktop ensures that you can access your files from any PC or tablet with an internet connection.
Automatic Cloud Storage will store and protect your Word, PowerPoint and Excel files from system crashes.
Sign In 3 Times Faster by using Windows Hello with Facial and Fingerprint Recognition.

Take Advantage of New Features In Windows 10 Pro

Windows Ink with Touch Screen & Digital Pen Capabilities
Windows 10 Pro pairs with Office Documents and Other Apps
Microsoft Edge with faster and safer web browsing, automatic form filling, type or write on webpage capabilities, and much more
Cortana voice-activated digital assistant integrates with your calendar and other Windows apps.

You Have Two Choices For Upgrading

1. Migrate your existing machines to Windows 10 Pro.

2. Replace your old computers with new Windows 10 devices.

Consider This Before You Migrate To Windows 10 Pro

Are your current apps compatible with Windows 10? (Check Microsoft’s App Directory to be sure.)

Do your existing computers meet these system requirements?

1GHz processor or faster
1GB RAM for 32-bit; 2GB for 64-bit
Up to 20GB available hard disk space
800 x 600 screen resolution or higher
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver

There are 2 Migration Tool Options

1. Windows Easy Transfer

For a small number of computers or a single customized deployment.
Transfer files and settings via a network share, USB flash drive, or Easy Transfer cable.
Can’t use a regular USB cable to transfer files and settings

2. User State Migration Tool (USMT) 10.0

Best for large-scale automated deployments.
Uses .xml files to control which user.
Accounts, files, and settings are migrated.
Use for side-by-side migrations for hardware replacements, and wipe-and-load migrations.

Test The Quality & Performance of Your New System

Use the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ABK) to test the quality and performance of your system, and to customize Windows images for large-scale deployments.

Need Help Upgrading To Windows 10 Pro?

We’re always here to help and answer your questions

June 18, 2019

Is The CMO Responsible For Digital Technology Decisions?

All businesses today are faced with numerous technology decisions. The rapid rate of tech development and adoption has led to some truly remarkable transformations in the business landscape—and in the responsibilities, various professionals are expected to perform. CMOs are no exception. In fact, if you have been a CMO for very long, you have likely seen your list of responsibilities grow as new tech has arrived. It is precisely because you are expected to leverage marketing technologies to achieve business objectives that you need to participate in the decision-making process regarding digital technologies. Your perspective is vital to ensure that your company chooses the right technology and gets the maximum benefit from that technology once it is incorporated.

Why the CMO Needs to Be Involved in Technology Decisions

As the chief marketing officer, your main responsibilities are focused in the marketing segment of your business. Once, your role would have centered on building the brand, engaging customers and advertising. Now, you are still expected to ensure that these areas are seen to. But you are also expected to maximize your effectiveness by utilizing all the technology tools available to you. Your engagement with marketing technologies and your familiar with the marketing and business objectives of your company make you a unique, knowledgeable voice in the digital technology decision-making process. You do not necessarily have to be solely responsible for those decisions, but you do need to play a major role.

When deciding how heavily you should be involved in tech decisions, you can ask yourself two questions:

Does the technology decision have anything to do with marketing?

There are plenty of technology decisions that do not involve marketing. The IT department in your organization and the CIO, in particular, make tech-related decisions every day, many of which have nothing to do with the marketing department. From servers to power supplies, password resets to OS installs, the IT team has plenty on its plate that falls squarely within the realm of technology. It would be a waste of your time and of theirs if you were involved in decisions that did not relate to your field of expertise.

Of course, there is an increasing number of technology decisions that do involve marketing or affect marketing. The spending on marketing technologies is expanding at a rapid rate across most businesses because it offers so many possibilities and is often required to remain competitive. Any technology decisions that relate to customer engagement, customer data, advertising, or anything to do with marketing or achieving marketing objectives should have your input.

Does the technology decision have anything to do with customer interaction?

Customer interaction does fall under the marketing umbrella, but it has become more of its own area as companies have embraced social media platforms and CRM technology. Your company needs to collect customer data and it needs to maintain a constant presence for customers, all of which can benefit from the deft touch of marketing professionals. You can help other decision-makers understand what works and what does not when it comes to engaging customers and keeping them engaged.

Make Your Job Easier by Partnering with the CIO

As fast as you can learn marketing technologies and incorporate them into your business, there will always be a lot you do not know. When approaching such a massive subject as digital technologies, it makes sense to combine your abilities with others in your organization to ensure the best possible results. The CIO is the perfect partner in your efforts. While you focus on achieving marketing objectives, the CIO can focus on ensuring that the technology your business uses to achieve those objectives is functional and that nothing slips through the cracks. The work of the CIO makes sure that all the marketing technologies you rely on are there when you need them.

Developing a relationship with the CIO benefits both of you in a myriad of ways. You can learn more about how the different technologies in your organization function and support one another—which allow you to make clearer decisions about what tech you want to use moving forward. By working with you, the CIO gets a better grasp of how you use technology to achieve marketing objectives. Ultimately, the CIO should be able to offer suggestions that would not have been possible without the familiarity gained by working hand in hand with the marketing department.

Choose Your Role in Technology Decisions

Every organization is unique and requires a customized approach to tech decisions. You are the best person to determine where your role fits within the framework of tech decisions for your company. It may be best for you to head the decisions, or it may be better to serve a support role. What is important is that you take firm steps into the realm of marketing technology and apply your marketing knowledge to the decision-making process. The business will benefit from it, and your role as CMO will only get more interesting and engaging as a result.

June 18, 2019

The CEO/CIO Relationship: A Vital Tie

In its look at the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019, Gartner notes that businesses need to address an astounding number of technologies that will change the way companies run, their business models and their internal processes.

From the rise of artificial intelligence and autonomous objects to augmented analytics programs and immersive technologies, companies must consider what technologies they, their customers and their competitors expect and adopt.

Today, that means that c-suite leaders need to reconsider the roles of and the relationships between the CEO and CIO.

What Are the Traditional Relationships Between CEOs and CIOs?

Consider the paths to leadership for both roles. CEOs today, especially in non-tech companies, typically rise due to their acumen on the business side of a company. They demonstrate leadership and mastery of product or service areas, delivering consistently impactful results (particularly in revenue). The CEO has a public-facing role and commands authority, shaping the marketing messages, interpreting financial results and assessing sales past and future.

The CIO has likely grown up on the technology side. At many businesses, the CIO’s role traditionally has been to “keep the lights on,” focusing on keeping networks operational, overseeing system installations, upgrades and maintenance, and keeping users, endpoints, websites and networks protected.

In many companies, the CIO has not even been a direct report to the CEO and their relationship has been relatively distant.

The different backgrounds and, in some cases, language used in the two roles has made it difficult for the two leaders to have productive relationships.

Today, that paradigm no longer makes sense.

What Is Different Today Regarding the CEO/CIO Relationship?

Digital transformation is at the heart of growth and progress. There are few if any industries that not being shaped, influenced and changed by the increasing reliance on digital technologies. That makes the role the CIO plays very different than it was just a few years ago.

The prevalence of technology as a key driver of business strategy, structure and outcomes means that IT can no longer be considered a cost center. It needs to be at the table when key decisions are made about a company’s future direction, investments, hiring, and prioritization.

“As CEOs increasingly turn their attention to digital innovation as a top priority, they are counting on CIOs to drive it,” noted a recent article. “The IT leaders they used to frown at in budget meetings are now considered strategic business partners.”

This shift can be unsettling, especially among other executives who have not stayed abreast of their technical skills and knowledge.

What Needs to Change in the CEO/CIO Relationship?

Communication is one of the most essential skills to develop in a new relationship. The CEO needs to understand the technologies, the scope, the potential impact and the risk of not moving forward with opportunities. CIOs also need to be fully conversant with the business’ priorities, goals, objectives and present state of technology adoption and use.

One important aspect of the changing relationship is inviting the CIO to the table. Recent versions of the annual Harvey Nash/KPMG survey show the evolution of role and influence has begun but is still not where it needs to be.

The 2017 survey notes that “the CIO has progressively become more influential.” The number of CIOs at the table has grown, from 38 percent reporting being a part of an executive committee in 2005 to 62 percent in 2017. Three-quarters reported attending board meetings in the past year to discuss IT strategy, digital transformation, technology investments and cybersecurity.

The 2018 edition notes that CIOs among companies considered digital leaders are likely to have more of a strategic role. The most effective are able to frame for the CEO the advantages of digital transformation around revenue growth.

“They work with the executive team to influence and guide the enterprise on the effective use of digital technologies,” the article notes. “They help create a vision on how to use digital to transform the enterprise and grow.”

The changes represent a shift in how the CEO and CIO relationships are changing. Access to board members, involvement in critical decisions and influence in the c-suite are all reflections of how CEOs perceive and value the CIO role.

However, there is still room for improvement. Even the CIOs among the top 25 percent of companies demonstrating digital leadership only rate 59 percent on a scale of strategic influence.

There are shared responsibilities in order to change to a high-impact CEO/CIO relationship. The CEO needs to lead by example, signaling the importance of digital transformation and the CIO’s lead role in achieving it. CIOs need to bring ideas to the table that relate to the business outcomes and opportunities available, not just “shiny new gadgets.”

What If My Business Is Too Small to Have a CIO?

Digital transformation is not just for enterprises. Small- and medium-sized businesses also need to leverage the technical opportunities to differentiate and grow. For many SMBs, that means turning to a “virtual CIO” relationship with a managed IT service provider that can deliver IT consulting, assessments, strategy, solutions and budgeting. Working closely with a CEO and other business leaders, the virtual CIO can provide the insights and vision necessary to leverage the changing digital landscape.

A powerful relationship between the CEO and the CIO, whether internal or through a managed services provider, is essential for transformation to be successful.