CIOs Need To Know Their Business, Not Just Tech

But what would be helpful is to have a one-stop-shopping app. The key will be finding the right balance between technology and human interaction. Clients still want a relationship. But they also like having a menu to choose from and to access certain things on their own. But if they want a special order, we need to stand ready to help them do that.

On a more technical side, I am excited about Blockchain technology. It has widespread user verification for the movement of money. And it offers the possibility of reducing fraud and speeding up settlement times.

4. What changes have you seen in the IT operating model of your organization during the last five years?

Probably the biggest change I’ve seen is that we are moving to a much more centralized and integrated approach. Traditionally, you have had a banking system, a consumer loan system, a mortgage system. The system worked, but there were a lot of handoffs between departments. Today, at Sandy Spring Bank, we have adopted CRM (customer relationship management), and we have a central system that all of our 700 employees can tap into. It is customer specific where we can access all the information we need, to have a 360-degree view of our clients. Creating that was a collaborative effort through partnering with every division in the bank. So today we can put more CRM information at our employees’ fingertips.

Channel optimization is another key focus, which looks at how and where we deliver. We are rolling out new ways to interface with our clients and enhancing some of the more traditional ways. We find that clients use three or four ways to access our services.

Another important change is that today we are highly virtualized. Take a new server, for example. We have the ability to spin up a virtual server in an hour, where it used to take days. But I would say speed isn’t always the goal. Strategy is more important, and we should focus on how we can help the business achieve its goals. Of course, speed is still important, and we support the business through our ability to quickly respond to its needs.

5. What is your advice for the upcoming or budding CIOs?

I would say get an MBA. Another option to consider for those who are already working in banking is the Stonier Graduate School of Banking (I am a member of the school’s Advisory Board.) It’s done through the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It’s a 24-month program that is very banking specific, and graduates earn a certificate. I advise students to pick a subject to focus on that is important to their bank. For undergraduates, most colleges will have programs in their business schools on management information systems. It’s important to get that mix of business and technology education. We used to see people who understood the technology but didn’t understand the business. That’s not enough anymore. Sitting around an executive table you can’t be talking bits and bytes. You have to be able to show that you understand the business and explain how to leverage technology to achieve a competitive advantage.