In a company the size of Ford, Nasser adds, the CIO should have global experience, know the business, understand the major processes within the company, and be able to link the major functions, global responsibilities, processes, and technologies together.

Yost says there are two key elements to making IT successful in a company. The first is making sure the technology is available and is cost-effective. The second and more important one is applying that technology-- developing the processes and the knowledge systems management needs to run the company. "It's really in that area where someone who's very familiar with the business itself, the fundamentals of the business, how the business operates, what's important to the business, is really key in applying the technology and information systems in the most cost-effective way to provide that knowledge when it's needed," he says.

A business background may help a CIO decide how best to use the limited resources and funds available to the IT department to provide the most value to the company, says Yost, adding, "Setting the priorities and working with the key players to get agreement on those priorities, then designing very specific plans to execute them--that's probably the critical nature of what today's CIO has to deliver."

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