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A CIO position is exciting but also challenging, especially if it’s your first role… And, if you don’t plan what you want to accomplish, you might find yourself putting out fires or chasing your own tail. Learn how to navigate the first 100 days of your important new role, in our helpful online guide. Use it to achieve professional success and establish your position as an invaluable business leader. (And, for more in-depth explanations, tips and stats, check out the e-book this blog post is based on.)
Phase 1: Get to Know the Organization and the Team (3 weeks)
The first step at a new company is to get to know the people and learn the company culture. Spend time with your team, stakeholders and company leadership. Use this opportunity to learn about the business, IT’s contribution and where IT fits in the business’s future goals. During these talks, map out any potential gaps or weaknesses you can identify.
To see example questions to ask during these sessions, check out the eBook.
Phase 2: Learn the IT and Security Infrastructure (3 weeks)
Once you’ve understood the expectations from your department, it’s time to learn the network infrastructure and architecture.
Take scope of:
- Technologies in use
- Potential hazards
- SLAs
- The delivery model
- Existing processes
- On-site and off-site work
- Digital transformation status
- Vendors
Similar to phase one, start mapping out any network strengths and weaknesses.
Your First 100 Days as CIO: 5 Steps to Success | EBOOKPhase 3: Set a Strategy and Goals (2 weeks)
Finally, now is the time to determine your strategy for the upcoming year.
Organize your notes from phases 1 and 2.
Research new technologies, tools, trends and capabilities that could be relevant to your industry and requirements.
Map out your department’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.
Determine your vision and mission statement.
Define your objectives.
Phase 4: Incorporate Digital Transformation (2 weeks)
According to McKinsey Global, following Covid-19, companies are accelerating digitization by three to seven years, acting even 40 times faster than expected! This means that CIOs who want to be perceived as future leaders need to keep up to date with digital technologies.
Look beyond traditional architectures and into trends like cloudification, convergence and mobility. According to Lars Norling, Director of IT Operations from ADB Safegate “Our analysis clearly showed the shift in the IT landscape, namely extended mobility and the move towards providing core services as cloud services. This led us to look outside of the box, beyond traditional WAN architectures.”
Gartner identifies SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) as the leading transformative technology today. SASE converges network and security into one global cloud service while reducing IT overhead, ensuring speed and performance and incorporating the latest security solutions.
Phase 5: Set Priorities (2 weeks)
Are you excited to get started on executing your plan? It’s almost time to do so. But first, prioritize the activities you want to take on, based on business requirements, ROI, urgency and risks.
Day 101
The steps above are intended to help you make days 101 and onwards a smashing success. So go over your plans, take a deep breath and get started. Good luck!
To learn more about digital transformation and SASE, let’s talk.
Read more about your first 100 days in the ebook, “Your First 100 Days as CIO: 5 Steps to Success”.
Eyal Webber Zvik
Eyal Webber-Zvik is Cato’s Vice President of Product Marketing. In his role, Eyal manages a global team of product marketing directors that are tasked driving the company's messaging, position, press and media relations, and more. Previously, Eyal ran Cato's product management organization, translating Cato's SASE vision into a global, successful cloud service. Throughout his years at Cato Networks, Eyal has been involved in dozens of SASE projects across various enterprises and markets. Eyal has more than 20 years of ICT experience in engineering, product management and product marketing.