Rent-a-CIO

"I've also had an IT governance background", he says. Lack of governance in Wills' view is a major shortcoming of ICT in local companies. It has to be fully integrated with the governance of the business as a whole. "I've been known to get quite vocal about the lack of IT governance skills on boards of directors and among CEOs," he says. Not only does this risk an ICT capability unsatisfactorily integrated with business needs, it often manifests in a poor choice of CIO or IT manager "because the CEO lacks understanding of the CIO position and the talents that such a person should have.

"Given the amount of money that is spent on ICT," he says, "I think there should be more expertise at the top level."

Assignments can last anything from six weeks to eight to nine months. "If I am acting CIO, I will work for that one client, but as a virtual CIO, I will typically have a number of clients concurrently."

Wills has worked with a wide variety of organisations in government and the private sector. He has acted as CIO or IT manager for organisations such The Ministry of TransportTransport, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Alcohol Advisory Council, and the State Services Commission. In government especially, there is value in taking the experience gained in one agency and transferring it to another that faces similar challenges, he says. Top-Firmen der Branche Transport

Although a virtual CIO must become involved to a large extent in the business and interpersonal communication of a client organisation, he or she can stay clear of the deeper aspects of office politics. This can mean an ability to make necessary decisions that a full-time CIO or IT manager might have trouble pushing through.