John Halamka, CIO of the Year

I found the talk that John D. Halamka gave on April 8th to be very interesting and informative. The talk focused around the life of a CIO and Dr. Halamka addressed the duties and demands of the job. He stated that the one constant of the profession is change. There is always change in the technological, organizational, and budgetary fields and turnover is very high as well. Additionally during his talk Dr. Halamka made the point that demand is always going to exceed to supply and in order to be effective in the business you need to learn how to deal with this pressure and stress.

Dr. Halamka then began to talk about his personal experience and explained that when he became the CIO he decided to transform the organization to be very web-centric. However he said despite these changes there are some things that have stayed the same during his time in the profession. He claimed that over the ten years vendors have always been of poor quality, budgets are always tight, and customers are always difficult to please. Additionally he explained that one of the hardest parts about the profession is the environment and the fact that capital is always limited at all levels and for all projects. Therefore this causes project priorities to be based on return on investment and causes them to be benchmark driven. Due to this environment Dr. Halamka claimed that governance is crucial to help CIO’s manage demands and handle priorities.

Dr. Halamka also discussed the fact that since there is limited capital after the governance certain projects and people have to be turned down. Dr. Halamka reviewed with us a good and effective way of having to do this. He claimed that in order to say no you need to select what you need to change and what you do not need to change. Then you have to identify the people who will lose in this decision and acknowledge their loss. Also he said that it is very important to over communicate. If everyone understands what is going on and has all the information people usually react better to negative news. Furthermore it is extremely important to be honest and consistent with all the parties involved. He also claimed that it is important to realize that consensus is not essential, that you must embrace conflict and focus on your detractors. Dr. Halamka also stressed the point that for any professional the last two minutes of the meeting are the most important. It is during this time that you can review everything that was discussed and the decisions that were made and ensure that everyone who is present at the meeting is on the same page. Finally his last piece of advice, and probably one of the most important, was that you cannot please everyone. You need to effectively do your job to the best of your ability and understand that not everyone is going to appreciate your hard work but you need to keep trying regardless. Overall I found the presentation to be extremely interesting. The talk was not exactly what I had been expecting however it presented me with a great deal of new information. The advice that was given was very helpful, the stories that were shared were both informative and interesting and the entire presentation gave a good insight into professional demands within the industry.

Dr. Halamka ... CIO of 2010

Last Week Dr. Halamka gave a talk to a group of students focused on the importance of information technology in the Healthcare sector of the economy. One of Dr. Halamka's major points was how this area is always growing with jobs. The recent healthcare bill and the economic stimulus package are set to double this industry in the next few years. Dr. Halamka seemed to be a very intelligent man, but was able to keep my attention for the entire presentation, which is rare. He holds more college degrees than I can count and has a doctoral degree along with being a medical doctor. He began his career in healthcare as an emergency medical physician. After learning more about technology and computers, he quickly transitioned to the upper management of the hospital. Dr. Halamka had been fascinated with technology as a kid, when he build a computer out of small microprocessors, and wrote basic programs that were the first steps of programs like Turbo Tax. Dr. Halamka is also on the leading edge of all emerging trends. He had a small RFID chip implanted in his arm during a trial on digital medical records. He also is on the cutting edge when it comes to practical business attire; his suit was made of Kevlar which makes it stain, wrinkle, and odor resistant.
Dr. Halamka is a very interesting man, who is well deserving of the CIO of the year award.

Johnny Halamka

Wow, this guy was very interesting. He was obviously very smart from a young age, from figuring out microprocessors to inventing an early form of turbo tax. He was just a smart guy in general. He is someone who wears many hats across the Northeast in the medical field. One thing I commend him for is being able to keep the audience interest.

Obviously a lot of what he talked about concerned the health care industry and how his job works. One thing I took away was that it was a lot more complicated than it looks or seems. It seems like he plays a lot of damage control whenever a key decision is made because, as he reiterated throughout his talk, you can't please everyone. Plus, he talked about many important breakthroughs that are coming in the healthcare IT industry. Which to invest in? It's a tough decision, and capital and man power is always limited. It seemed like he was always in a bind in deciding who to please at which time. From everything from e-prescribing to iPad use in the hospital. The iPad could be used for many things, from pulling up patient medical records to mining hospital databases. Another breakthrough could be in converting all paper medical records to electronic, internet accessible records. If there could be a way to make a universal database of medical records, all lag time with referrals and delivery times could be cut down significantly.

Also, it amazed me that he's still a doctor. He obviously had a lot of schooling, but he was also naturally smart, and had an inclination to learn from an early age. I think that his talk reinforces John McFadden's point of lifetime learning.

He made another point about addressing the most important, urgent issues first. There are always going to be issues to deal with, problems to address. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned. A lot of a top ranking person's duties are damage control; how to control the situation, then how to relieve the situation.

Another thing he showed us was the "top 10 ways to say no". The reason for knowing this is to be able to combat others when they don't get their way. This is very important in high ranking positions when decisions need to be made that say "yes" to the majority, and "no" to the minority. Then sometimes there is a backlash from the minority.

A huge point was the constant of change. In his industry, they are always behind the ball because the tech industry is changing so fast. In addition, new ways of using the technology in the healthcare industry come through everyday. John McFadden also noted the upcoming job of bioinfomatician. I'm sure that John Halamka would agree with McFadden's assessment.

All in all it was a very interesting talk and Halamka is definitely a smart guy, deserving the award of CIO of the year.

CIO of the Year, John Halamka

Dr. John D. Halamka brought up some very unexpected points during his talk for the CIO of the Year presentation. As he stated, he was negative about the job, but also very realistic. I was shocked to learn that the turnover rate for the Chief Information Officer is an average of two years, due to the complexity and stress of the position. The job requires a complex skill set and high tolerance. This tolerance comes in handy because of the two main points of the job that Dr. Halamka addressed.

The first is that demands always exceed supply. This means that there will always be things that you cannot do for people that they hold as high priorities. It is for this reason that he holds the ability to say “no” as a very important skill. He even spent time during the presentation to teach the attendees how to say “no” properly. I thought that these points were very important. Among them were identify those who will lose in the situation, over-communicate the decision to the entire network or organization, acknowledge the loss to everyone, realize that consensus is not essential, be honest and consistent, and realize that you cannot please everyone. This particular part of the job would be the most difficult to me, as I sometimes have a hard time saying no if I can sympathize with the person asking the question.

The second point of the job that Dr. Halamka addressed was the fact that the only constant in the job was change. The company is expecting the CIO to know about all knew technologies and services, and be able to implement them immediately so that they work correctly. He talked a lot about how, even though it is impossible, down time in systems (especially systems used in health care such as those he runs) is unacceptable. This is part of what makes the job so stressful. The position is fast-paced, busy, and challenging.

As a person, Dr. Halamka was very interesting. He explained that he began his interest in technology very young, and is now in charge of many different medical facilities, including Harvard Medical School and the Care Group hospital system. This means that he is in charge of the technology for 40,000 people. He came upon this position after two Boston-area hospitals merged and needed a CIO to peacefully integrate their medical data. In addition, he wears a Kevlar suit, apparently for the fun of it, and has implanted himself with an RFID chip. Dr. Halamka was an engaging speaker who was very honest about his job and an interesting presenter.

Halamaka, Sophisticated Clients, and E-Prescription

Dr. John Halamaka brought up many interesting topics during his lecture. One thing that I found to be related to our IS class was the fact the he emphasized that “the one constant is change.” Sound familiar? I thought so. Just as John McFadden told us that we need to be lifetime learners, Halamaka explained that the world is constantly changing. He specifically focused on technological, organizational and budgetary changes in the world today. He was able to paint a picture of what it was like to try to be constantly improving as well as maintaining a company’s system in this changing environment. He said that this task is similar to trying to fix the wings of an airplane while the plane is flying. Difficult? I think so. Halamaka also emphasized the change in clients. Clients are becoming more sophisticated and demanding as the years go by. They have become increasingly more difficult to please. However, while the customers are more difficult to please and demand higher quality service and products, Halamaka explained that vendors are decreasing in quality. Hence, it is necessary to meet the expectations of the clients while using what is available. One thing that has contributed to the sophistication and difficulty to please of the customers is the fact that everyone is connected through the Internet. Customers today can buy the same product from numerous locations. Whichever company has the best quality will win out and will receive the business. Specifically, Halamaka talked about how clients now expect to be able to access all their medical needs and information online. As we have discussed, today people are completely technologically centered. Why go to a doctor’s office if you can just click a button and all your medical needs are processed for you? Why trek to a hospital of you can just pre-order a refill of your prescription and pick it up at the local pharmacy store? The Internet has allowed for many to maintain their fast-paced lives. And how are people able to refill their prescriptions with a click of a button? Well, advanced IT has led to the development of e-prescription. E-prescription is the electronic-based way of prescription. E-prescription allows for there to be less human error when prescribing medication to patients. All of the patient’s records and prescriptions are stored in a database, which allows for easy access to a patient’s medical history. Also, e-prescription allows for pharmacies to refill prescriptions without the hassle of having to call the physicians all the time. E-prescription is a great way to satisfy the demand of the client because it is convenient and has become an automated process that effectively and efficiently gets the client his or her prescriptions and other medical needs.

Taking the Driver Out of the Car --- Why robocars, and not high-speed rail, could revolutionize transportation in the next decade

The idea of fully automated, “driverless cars,” is certainly not new. In 1940, the fantasy first became popular and later even influenced the drive behind the creation of the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower (1). As evidenced by recent movies like IRobot, popular culture has even brought to the idea to the mainstream. How close is the realization of this dream? A recent article from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the world of computer controlled transportation could be on the horizon.
In 2007 at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Urban Challenge, the technology behind driverless cars reached its high-water mark when six fully automated vehicles successfully navigated an urban environment with other vehicles present obeying all traffic rules and regulations (1) In response to this event, General Motors’ Vice President of research and development, Lawrence Burns, predicted that driverless cars would be a reality within the next ten years, pointing to solely legal and bureaucratic obstacles as the inhibitors to immediate production (1).
The article points to the benefits of driverless travel. Safer highways, less traffic deaths, fewer bottlenecks and faster transportation are simply some of these improvements in transportation resultant from this leap in technology (1). This also will extend the ability to travel to everyone, licensed or not. Some say that this would be as revolutionary in its effects as the Ford Model T (1). If that were the case, the effects on modern business could be monumental.
Highway throughput could be potentially tripled (1). Just as technology has been applied in the business world to increase efficiency and reduce cost, the application of computerized transportation could maximize society’s efficiency on a grand scale. What would this mean for productivity? If traffic moved that much faster on national interstates people could significantly increase their productive time by spending less time commuting. Companies could also draw the best employees from a greater radius around their central location. The manufacturing industry would realize huge cost reductions and increases in efficiency. Without having to pay the salaries of drivers, or worry about the premium of insuring employees, not only would companies reduce their cost structure and increase their bottom-line; customers could receive their goods much faster. With reduced costs, companies could ship their goods to even more remote destinations, broadening their customer base.
With such drastic change, however, consequences do exist. These automated cars are incredibly complex in their operation. One of the test models, shown in this video from MSNBC (3), has a radar device, cameras, motion sensors, and computer equipment that occupy much of the cockpit. Traditional maintenance would no longer be a quick oil change or a rotation of the tires. Instead, the malfunction of one of these many systems could prove costly and difficult to fix. This seems to indicate that even an automotive mechanic would need some sort of technical education and familiarity with complex software and hardware systems in order to conduct their job.
There are other sacrifices too to developments in technology such as this. Many people enjoy the liberating feeling of piloting their own car. For many, driving is not so much as reaching a destination as it is a unique, exciting experience where control is the source of this feeling of freedom. This control and experience would be completely relinquished with a future mandate of automated vehicles. As Mr. Burns has said, GM can build these cars with the technology it has today, but the real question is “what does society want to do with it?”(2) There may not even be a demand for this kind of technology just yet, as people may be hesitant to relinquish such a big part of their lives to technology.
As complex software and hardware systems work their way into every facet of human life, including something as mundane as transportation it begs the question “as a society, are we too complex?” In the business community, it seems at least fundamental knowledge of information systems would be a prerequisite to being able to find a job. With developments of complex technology like computer driven automobiles, would everyone need familiarity with these components? Recently, malfunctions in Toyota computer systems have resulted in multiple highway deaths and a national fear of “unintended acceleration” which only raises other fears and questions. Imagine a car that has a software or hardware malfunction on the highway, yet it has no manual controls for the passenger to take control and to avert disaster. Without knowledge of how the system works, passengers would be helpless to consequences. There are obvious benefits to such huge improvements as the result of technology but as new innovation continues at the speed of light in the Information Age it may be prudent to slow ourselves down and wonder about the implications. I think as a human society we need to ask ourselves “What are the drawbacks to total reliance upon technology?”

(1) Randal O'Toole. (2010, March 20). Taking the Driver Out of the Car --- Why robocars, and not high-speed rail, could revolutionize transportation in the next decade. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. W.3. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from Wall Street Journal. (Document ID: 1987715511).

Link to article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904575131511589391150.html?KEYWORDS=Driverless+cars

(2) Tom Krisher. (2008, January 6). GM Researching Driverless Cars. The Associated Press. Retrieved March 23rd, 2010, from MSNBC.com.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22529906/

(3) Link to Video of Fully Automated Chevy Tahoe:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22529906/#hybrid_video

Improving Data Storage Efficiency

Data-storage has become an increasingly important issue for companies to consider and invest in, considering the large and continually growing amount of data that is collected evey day, or even every minute. Effective data storage is crucial not only for the protection of data, but its accessibility and use. Most companies, or anyone that uses a computer or collects data of any kind, use some kind of back-up system to ensure data will not be lost or tampered with, and can easily be replaced should something go wrong with data storage or processing. This is the same idea which John McFadden presented to our class, explaining the importance of backing up data, even if a person’s chooses to simply use a flash drive for important documents.

The problem many companies run into, however, is discussed by Moulton is his article "Data Storage: It’s Time to Grow Up". The issue they face is ineffective data storage, which causes issues with general efficiency and data security. Transactional data, which is always changing and being edited, needs to be updated and backed up frequently to ensure secure, up-to-date data. Reference data, however, does not change and as such does not to be backed up as frequently. While this would seem like a good thing for data storage, it causes problems because all of the data is backed up together, so both the transactional and Reference data is copied each time the data is backed up. The reference data, however, remains unchanged, and as such there is no need to copy it again. For that matter, copying unchanged data may even become a security risk, in that unnecessary copies of data exist but are not in use. Back-up data, in the past, was most often stored on disks; according to the article, Reference data takes up approximately 85% of disk space unnecessarily, wasting a great deal of room for new, potential data or transactional data updates.
The excess of unnecessary data also causes problems with data effectiveness and efficiency. Excess amounts of unnecessary data crowds out storage space, making it difficult to locate and organize data as needed. This drastically reduces productivity in addition to data security and organization, however companies are still resistant to modified data storage. Moulton targets job security as the leading factor, explaining that more efficient data storage systems allow a more easily explained and understandable system, and detracting from job security of those who are in charge of data storage. However, strides have been made with deduplicatiopn and cloud software to increase data storage efficiency, in spite of employee hesitation.
Moulton’s idea for data storage, however, is slightly more advanced than clouds or deduplication. By using what Moulton calls a “smart archive,” data can be stored in a tiered system, copying and backing up only the information which is necessary, using data storage space effectively and securely. This tiered system not only seems incredibly organized, but is not so different from current systems that its uniqueness would deter new users to try the innovative data storage technology. Data storage can be just as important as the data itself, and as such is important to look into when evaluating company data and efficiency. This type of “smart archive” may be the new approach to efficient, effective data storage.

1. Bobby Moulton, "Data Storage: It’s Time to Grow Up". TechNewsWorld.Mar 13, 2010http://www.technewsworld.com/story/data-management/69540.html. Mar 18, 2010.