"Develop yourself. Know the technology landscape all the way to the horizon and help your team be the Lewis-and-Clark guides for your business to be the innovative leaders."

BRIAN SHIPMAN
CIO
Heritage Auctions

Brian joined Heritage Auctions in 1999 as Chief Internet Officer with the specific task of helping Heritage transform its prestigious physical auction business into a thriving, on-line auction platform. Brian developed strategies for digital marketing, SEO, and online customer service. Brian’s role has since expanded to Chief Information Officer. Brian is an avid puzzle solver, and once appeared on the television show That’s Incredible in the 2nd Annual Rubik’s Cube speed solving contest where he placed fourth in the nation.

Challenges in technology to meet enterprise needs in 2013 and expectations
Mobile Device Accessibility (MDA) over and above talk of Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD). We need solutions that allow mobile devices to access enterprise systems securely while providing a full-functioning and satisfactory user experience, including the utilization of Legacy applications that will never be rewritten specifically for mobile

My roles and responsibilities as a CIO
Fraud prevention. While many solution exist to provide point-by-point validation (email address, telephone, address, identity, IP address, credit rating, etc.), we need better comprehensive solutions that consider all points in the threat matrix while also utilizing predictive analytics to suggest threat levels. What does my customer want? In our particular business, where everything we sell is unique and our customers include buyers, sellers, dealers, and those just interested in finding out what something is worth – how do I make sure that each client at every touch point has easy accessibility to his/her needs without feeling lost in the clutter of all the other needs we are trying to meet. I want more and better tools to determine quickly and accurately what the customer wants so I can provide it in a friction-free UX.

The areas in business environment where solutions do not yet exist or not up to the mark, and which if existed, would've made job easier
Social Media Search Optimization (SMSO) is rising to compete with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media sites that can map the interest graph of its users will begin to shift the power away from simple search engine search. Businesses must optimize both the quality and quantity of consumable content as well as the friction-free ability to share that content in order to not just appear, but be, valuable to the target market. Ecosystem  Development. The success of Apple and Amazon is based heavily on the ecosystems they have  developed. Users are tired of going to one website or app for part of their needs and  switching to others to complete those needs. Businesses must think about their clients’ needs  holistically and provided augmented information and functionality in the form of an ecosystem.  This simultaneously meets users’ needs in a single, satisfying UX while providing the  business with the revenue and customer loyalty it needs to thrive and continue.

Technology Trends Impacting Enterprise Business Environment
My role has shifted from achieving business technology objectives to setting business objectives in not only technology,butinbusiness development, marketing, social media, company culture, product management, and accounting. My IT department is no longer a service organization, but instead serves as Lewis-and-Clark guides through the frontier of disruptive technology and all of its implications for the business as a whole.

Lessons I learned as a CIO that can help you
The people who work for you are the most important part of your job. Hire them, know them, equip them, encourage them, thank them, reward them, take the blame for them, and build a community that loves being and achieving together.
Don’t silo yourself. Visit face-to-face and voice-to-voice as much as possible with team members and colleagues to strengthen relationships and avoid the natural enmities that can develop between those who have to work together over email and to-do-lists but rarely mingle.
Develop yourself. Know the technology landscape all the way to the horizon and help your team be the Lewis-and-Clark guides for your business to be theinnovative leaders.