InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology

Williams says the move from CIO to CEO is natural for people who have led technology-strong organizations. IC One board chairman Dave Simon concurs: "The old track used to be from financial or CFO, but now it's IS that runs the show."

As part of the transition, Simon will relinquish his job as CEO to become chief technology architect. Williams will run the organization, and Simon will take primary responsibility for technology. The two previously worked together on the board of IC One. Although the company isn't new to Williams, Simon didn't expect to see him accept the job so quickly. "My biggest surprise was that he would jump before funding was solidified," says Simon.

Funding wasn't an issue for Williams. Neither was the lure of dot-com companies. "I've fought too many wars to get excited about the dot-com aspect of it," says the 33-year veteran of IT. "I'm not risk-averse, but I'm not going to jump at the next shining star."

As a board member, he got a close look at IC One and decided the company had tremendous potential. Williams' first big project is developing a business-to-business portal for processing loyalty programs, then adapting it for the business-to-consumer market.