In the Media: Excerpts from articles citing John J. Davis & Associates:

CTO: The not-so-popular, misunderstood title, COMPUTERWORLD

John Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates, an executive recruitment firm, said CTO continues to be a title in search of a definition -- and one that has seen its use slow with the recession.

The problem, according to Davis, is this: "Does the CTO report to the CIO, or vice versa? Or are they complementary positions? Is the CTO part of the IT organization, or does the CTO have a supernumerary role that reports directly to the senior management team? We've seen everything."

Industry executives interviewed this week agreed.

Survey: slow job market makes tech candidates more flexible, Services News

NEW YORK - According to John J. Davis & Associates, an executive search firm with a focus on IT management, the current job market and economic conditions have made technology candidates more flexible about the jobs they would consider.

In 2001, the same survey of 250 senior IT executives showed that top candidates most wanted immediate advancement or reward. This year, 37 percent say they will consider a position that offers only long-term potential.

The firm says the weakened economy has not made IT executives overly cautious. Only 19 percent indicated the slowdown has made them less willing to take a risk on a new job opportunity.

In fact, a new business challenge was cited by more than half of the respondents as the most attractive reason to take on a new job opportunity.

Nonetheless, Davis & Associates says, IT executives are not quite willing to jump into just any opportunity that comes their way. The largest element of the "other" category, which was cited by 15 percent of the respondents, was company stability.

When asked if they would consider a position with a dot-com, only 17 percent said "Yes," 26 percent "No" and 56 percent "Maybe."

IT Confidential, InformationWeek

Less vision, more mission. That's the trend in hiring top IT execs, says John Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates, a 25-year technology executive-search firm in New York. "In the 1990s, there was great emphasis on the strategy side of the fence," Davis says. "Now companies want to optimize the technology dollar." Not only has the CIO's mission statement changed, he says, so have candidates' resumés. "What we find in recent resumés is an emphasis on deliverables--'Here's what I've done and here's how I did it.'" Also gone are the days when IT execs got a blank check for E-commerce initiatives. Says Davis, "they're not getting carte blanche any more."

Security Directors Needed, Computerworld

Security Directors Needed
In an announcement that was much more prophetic than it had realized, John J. Davis & Associates Inc., a New York-based search firm specializing in IT management, recently cited information security as the new top corporate post that companies most need.

In a press release issued just prior to last week's deadly hijackings, John Davis, the firm's president, said, "Security was once a below-the-radar issue, but more companies have elevated the job to the senior level because of growing exposure to the Web and concerns over privacy and hacking."

The demand for a top IT security director is coming from the corporate board level in most cases, Davis explained. "So many issues seem to converge, not just hacking or government regulation, but also protection of data integrity, potential for industrial espionage or even [the] threat of terrorism," he said.

A chief of information security can earn $250,000 or more per year, according to Davis. Candidates are expected to have a broad set of skills and qualifications.

Expertise in cyberlaw and vendor analysis and a professional certification from the Framingham, Mass.-based International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium Inc. are often required. Communications and business skills are also critical. This is especially important if the candidate isn't an internal promotion, said Davis.

The Chief Information Security Officer has emerged as a top corporate post, InfoWorld

WITH BUSINESSES in a heightened state of alert and newly sensitive to the threats posed by terrorism, the CISO (chief information security officer) has emerged as a top corporate post. This executive is likely to be one with whom CTOs will interact more and more in the future, balancing security, functionality, and strategic business concerns.

The CISO posts are well paid, according to John Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates, a New York-based search firm, who says CISOs often earn more than $250,000 annually.

Five years ago, Davis did very little work on the InfoSec front. Today, with board impetus, his firm places more CISOs than ever. "Financial services, petroleum, and pharmaceuticals firms have led the way, but eventually all companies are expected to follow," Davis says.

The CISO's spot on the corporate organizational chart varies. "The [CISO] may or may not be independent of IT and may report to the COO, CFO, overall corporate security head, or even the top legal or compliance executive. Specific responsibilities may include audit, compliance, [and] privacy as well as risk assessment," Davis says.

Corporate IT will feel more heat in terror battle, ComputerWorld

Corporations will feel more pressure to re-examine IT security and privacy policies and procedures now that Washington is calling for new measures to fight terrorism.

Yet most companies don't have chief security officers who have both the IT skills and law enforcement training to guide management through the legal and technical issues stemming from government acquisition and analysis of private data and communications.

John J. Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates Inc., a New York-based IT management search firm, says financial services and health care companies have senior-level IT security executives because of government mandates, but most industries don't. "After Sept. 11, this issue is on the front burner," he says.

Sculpting a New Position, Information Week

Something is under construction at most corporations today: the senior information systems post.

According to consultant John Davis in New York, three of every four large companies restructure the position when they look for a new candidate, up from some 40% two years ago. Why the urge to refine, sculpt, or in many cases overhaul the duties and expectations of the job? Davis says few companies change the job title to reflect changes in responsibility.

But even though a chief information officer may hold the same title, he or she is more likely to preside over a broader range of technologies-from the desktop to the factory floor-and be asked to provide both long-term vision and savvy day-to-day management. Also, the senior IS executive is charged with managing relationships, Davis says, acting as a conduit of information about technology and a translator among corporate constituencies

Field Guide to Nerds, CIO

DON'T LOOK NOW, but while you're going about your busy day, being Lee or Chris or Terry or whoever you are—a unique human being with a whole universe of associations, connections, abilities, interests...and incidentally a profession as a technology executive—you're being studied. Researchers are compiling ethnographic, sociologic and other kinds of profiles in an effort to understand the elusive creature that is you. A few of these investigators, such as the consultancy Gartner Group in Stamford, Conn., and the executive search agency John J. Davis & Associates in New York City, have come up with their own field guides to spotting CIOs in the wild.

Market for IT Execs Still Strong Despite Economic Uncertainty, EXECUTIVE RECRUITER NEWS

The six-year-old boom in the job market for senior-level information technology executives is expected to continue in 2001, even through a slowing U.S. economy. “Demand is stronger than it’s ever been in our 24 years in IT management recruitment,” says John Davis, president of New York-based John J. Davis & Associates.

Weighing Two Good Job Offers, BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE

It’s a good guess that the Internet service provider is an entrepreneurial effort, says John J. Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates in New York, an executive-search firm focused on senior-level information-technology management. Entrepreneurial companies need to stay nimble, so you’re likely to become accustomed to the more-urgent pace. That’s a big plus in a world where employers like to see swift reaction in employees. The “major computer manufacturer” is probably bigger and more set in its ways – a competitive disadvantage. In fact, big companies might scout you out later just for your speed, Davis says.

Security in the Internet Era, EXEC

Think security isn’t your most pressing IT need? Then you’re in the minority. In fact, fewer than one in 10 CIOs would agree with you, suggests a recent study by executive search firm John J. Davis & Associates (New York).

The study found that 92 percent of CIOs rank security as their most pressing concern, up from 59 percent in 1997.

It’s a common refrain. A study by IDG (Boston) suggests that Internet security is the number 1 concern among IT executives. And a recent InformationWeek survey of 4,900 executives an IT professionals shows that 71 percent of companies rank security as a high priority, up from 60 percent last year.

Survey: More CIOs Report to CEO, Computerworld

More than half of the CIOs in U.S. firms now report directly to the CEO or president, up from 43% in 1997, according to a survey of 288 CIOs by New York executive search firm John J. Davis & Associates. Another 22% report to the chief operating officer. Half as many CIOs now report to the chief financial officer as did in 1997, the survey showed.

INFRASTRUCTURE A Host of Worries, CIO

John J. Davis & Associates, a New York City-based IT search company, surveyed 288 CIOs about their organization's infrastructure concerns. Presented with a list of issues, they replied whether or not it was a pressing concern in their companies. There's been a drastic shift in focus toward security in the past three years.

Size Matters, CIO Magazine

There are some rules for résumés that will never go out of style – never lie, for example and always proofread carefully. Others, however, can be the result of passing trends.

Take the “two page maximum” rule. John Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates, a New York City-based executive search company focused on IT management, argues that candidates for senior-level IT positions should provide recruiters with as much information as possible, however many pages it takes. “An IT résumé can’t be too long. The more detail we’re given, the better we get to know the candidate and evaluate her against the client’s job requirements.”

Most Pressing Technology Priorities, COMPUTERWORLD

Three years ago, CIOs said the most pressing concern they faced was completing information technology application projects on time and within budget. Priorities have shifted, and CIOs now say their biggest concern is improving security. John J. Davis & Associates in New York surveyed 288 CIOs to determine the most important challenges for IT departments.

What Do They Know?, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

A third of 200 chief information officers studied by John J. Davis & Associates, a New York information technology executive-search firm, say their CEOs aren’t capable of making an informed assessment of their performances. Jack Davis , the firm’s vice president, agrees that “a lack of technical understanding” clouds many CEO evaluation of CIO management skills.

CIO on CEO Survey Results

Rating the Boss, CIO

Many’s the CIO who has endured the complaints of a CEO claiming that IT executives either don’t understand broad business issues or aren’t team players. Recently IT executives fired back by way of a small but loud written survey conducted by New York City-based IT recruiter John J. Davis & Associates Inc.

Sure, most of the 80 responding CIOs gave their respective CEOs passing grades on most questions…

But more than half (52 percent) also reported that their CEO hinders their performance in some way. And the respondents weren’t bashful about explaining how their bosses make a hurdle of themselves.

CIO Search Becoming A Marathon Process, COMPUTERWORLD

Most observers view the rising corporate profile of CIOs as a good thing. But there’s a downside: It’s taking longer - often up to six months, even a year - to fill the job.

This can leave “IT rudderless for months at a time,” said John Davis, president of an eponymous information technology executive search firm in New York…

During CIO searches, IT responsibilities often fall to the chief financial officer, who is usually not qualified to manage IT projects, Davis said…

Davis said companies can speed up the CIO hiring process by developing a team of two or three key executives who can interview the candidates and quickly determine whether there’s a fit…

Indeed the short supply of CIO candidates and the long hiring cycles have caused companies to think more about succession planning, Davis said. “But most companies still haven’t done much about it,” he said.

The CIO Rates the CEO, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

About half of chief information officers surveyed by New York search firm John J. Davis & Associates give their chief executive officers good marks for understanding the role of technology. But they also say the CEO at times hinders their performance.

Big Companies, Bigger Salaries For IT Workers, INFORMATIONWEEK

Bigger is better, at least when it comes to the pay IT professionals receive. IT pros, whether managers or staff members, earn higher salaries at large companies than they do at small and midsize ones, according to the InformationWeek National IT Salary Survey of 21,398 IT professionals. Median salaries for managers at companies with annual revenues of less than $50 million were 74% of those for managers at $10 billion-plus companies. Similarly, IT staff members at the smallest companies earned only $73 for every $100 paid their counterparts at the largest organizations…

Jack Davis, vice president of a recruiting firm in New York, says sign-on bonuses are becoming more prevalent in small and midsize companies and are making a difference in an IT professional’s decision to move to a smaller company.