The Senior Executive Forum was a great success.  Special thanks go to those that participated for the excellent discussion, feedback, and ideas for the future.  Extra special thanks go to our hosts at Harris Corporation - the facilities were top notch, the area was a great setting, and the company is both interesting and running strong.

We wrapped up the meeting with a simple question, “What is the single-most important idea or concept that you are taking away?”  Here is what was shared:

1. Social Media MUST be a part of your IT strategy and within your scope of understanding.  Whether you know it or not, your employees are already using Twitter, Yammer, Facebook, and a host of other technologies.  CIOs need to understand these, and know how to use them for the organization’s advantage.
2. Virtual conferencing and other Virtual World applications have a real future.  Private virtual worlds for company use have a place in the communication and collaboration strategies of the coming years, and the technologies are improving every day.
3. Differentiating value from hype is becoming increasingly difficult.  Not every solution is right for every organization, but every cutting edge idea cannot be immediately discounted.
4. Real cost savings opportunities can be found in outsourcing, technology upgrades, and strategy changes, but uncovering these requires a strong organization that is willing to complete the underlying hard work.

Here’s looking forward to another great CIO/Senior Executive meeting this fall!