InformationWeek

In 2025, #AI turned# CIOs into power players and convenient scapegoats. That dynamic becomes a defining trend in 2026 -- unless you act fast. Here's how to lead from the hot seat without getting burned. -- By Pam Baker for InformationWeek https://lnkd.in/ezRF7-9W

Interested in joining Joao-Pierre Ruth on his next InformationWeek podcast episode? Make sure you review the ground rules -- and then get in touch!

As a leader, I’ve always believed in making critical decisions guided by core values and data, in the best interest of people and the business. A big thank you to Kelsey Ziser from InformationWeek for the fantastic interview, where we talked about that and so much more, including: ➡️ Honing and toning technology at ServiceNow for the people we serve, using the key AI metrics we track daily ➡️ Redeploying human potential in the AI era, building on curiosity, flexibility, and broad technical aptitude ➡️ Applying the latest lessons learned from AI’s transformative impact on the retail industry Check out the column and let me know what you think: https://lnkd.in/gxebMTFM   #PutAIToWorkForPeople #ServiceNow #Leadership

I was recently quoted in an InformationWeek article discussing whether AI is the only force holding up the U.S. economy. My perspective: while AI investment is clearly boosting productivity and capital spending, it is not the foundation. Services and consumer activity still account for the majority of GDP. However, growth is a different story... Read here: https://lnkd.in/gKvz_x_W #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Economy #AIEconomy #GDP #TechnologyInvestment #AIInvestment #BusinessStrategy #CIO Libra Analytics Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

🌾 From sugar fields to digital frontiers... In a long-running journey of technology transformation, Florida Crystals has steadily evolved its IT landscape — and CIO Kevin Grayling has helped accelerate that progress. Since joining in 2017, he’s built on a strong foundation to expand cloud adoption, digitize key business functions, and embed process intelligence that reduces manual work and informs better decision-making. In Carrie Pallardy's latest for InformationWeek, the company’s journey from SAP migrations to automation and early AI exploration shows how a legacy enterprise can use technology to drive operational resilience and future growth. 👉 Read the full story: “Florida Crystals CIO on Building on a History of Tech Transformation” 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eJisK4m8 #CIO #DigitalTransformation #ITLeadership #EnterpriseTech #InformationWeek

Is MCP soon to become the "USB-C of AI"? Or is enterprise AI too fragmented to suit a single universal protocol? In Pam Baker's latest for InformationWeek, she explores the future of MCP and what ecosystems could look like, as alternatives gain ground and some CIOs prioritize satisfying internal governance. The story includes insights from Nuha Hashem of Cozmo AI, Dag Calafell, III of MCA Connect, Mark Friend of Classroom365, and Xiangpeng Wan of NetMind.AI. Read the full story at the link below: 📝 "The battle for agent connectivity: Can MCP survive the enterprise?" 🔗 https://lnkd.in/emQr2wXJ

Confirm. Contain. Anchor. In a recent InformationWeek article, our CISO, Brian Blakley shares why effective ransomware response means acting fast, staying flexible, and restoring the systems that matter most to the business. He breaks it down into 3 steps: 1️⃣ Confirm: Confirm ransomware quickly. 2️⃣ Contain: Isolate compromised systems and stop the attacker’s momentum. 3️⃣ Anchor: Make decisions based on the critical business functions that drive revenue. 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eC4PrXaM #ConnectSecure #VulnerabilityManagement #Compliance #MSP #MSSP #Cybersecurity #CISO #vCISO #IncidentResponse #Ransomware

Leading with cost for #AI is ill-advised to motivate a company to explore its capabilities," according to Tracey Franklin, chief people and digital technology officer for Moderna. "No one gets excited about cost and cost savings," Franklin said. "That's not a driver of an employee. A driver of an employee is innovation." Click the link to read more from Joao-Pierre Ruth, InformationWeek, and hear from Ilario Corna w/International Olympic Committee – IOC; David Wong w/Thomson Reuters and more on AI disruption in 2026. https://lnkd.in/gX3mGr7V

⚡ Last week, AWS and Google Cloud announced a new cross-cloud interconnect service, designed to make it easier for customers to host workloads across both providers at once. ☁️ It sounds great in theory, but what does this mean for cloud relationships long term? Especially with Microsoft set to join the collaboration in 2026, the old days of cloud rivalry may be over, replaced with a coopetition model that is yet to be fully tested. In my latest for InformationWeek, I spoke to Jo Peterson and Mohit Ahuja about this new era of coopetition, what it means for CIO strategy, and how it's more important than ever for CIOs to establish their own guardrails. Read the full article here: "From silos to strategy: What the era of cloud 'coopetition' means for CIOs" 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eyq4qMPV

Senior editor Kelsey Ziser spoke with Lumen CTO Dave Ward about Cloud 2.0 and how the cloud must evolve to support new AI workloads. Read the full article: "Lumen's CTO on the emergence of 'Cloud 2.0'" 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMetfz5R