Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty occasionally in IT. And especially don’t be afraid of a project that just doesn’t work out. No one bats a thousand, learn and move on.

JAY WALLIS
CIO
Empire Materials and Recycling
Jay joined Empire Roofing, Inc in 2001 as Accounting Manager and network manager. In 2008 Jay took on the position of CIO to manage the growing computer network and rapidly expanding user base. Jay also manages two of the subsidiary operations spun off from Roofing operations, Empire Disposal and Empire Materials and Recycling. Prior to Empire, Jay spent over 20 years in accounting at several manufacturing companies, both large and small. In the mid 80’s Jay realized that accounting and computers were going to be lifeblood of the modern company and so has made learning the IT side of business a goal and passion.

Challenges in technology to meet enterprise needs in 2013 and expectations

Currently the biggest technological challenge is focused around backup and disaster recovery. Data is growing faster than ever due to digital photography. In this industry digital photos are good as well as bad, allowing us to show customers the problematic areas that need to be addressed. But this process demands storage space. We are working with a couple of cloud providers to get away from conventional backups. At some point in time I would also love to see affordable de-dupe technology that will work in the live environment.

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

Connectivity is the only factor that keeps me up at night. With seven offices across south and as work is being done almost everywhere in the country this is our biggest pain point. An overnight power outage, a cut cable somewhere or a major stormlike Sandy. As a roofing company we are the ones building. Owners call when a storm hits. Being off line can cost big money and can also cost the customers big loss and damaged assets.

Technology Trends Impacting Enterprise Business Environment

One of the technology trends we see impacting us over the next couple of years is moving a lot of our IT to the cloud, and with that, enabling users to be able, if necessary, to work from anywhere. A part of our DR strategy is not just to get online ASAP but to also have users work from home or wherever, by thus providing services to our customers.

My roles and responsibilities as a CIO

I have sort of created the role of CIO at this company. My educational background is in accounting and finance but I saw the need years ago to know how computers were impacting accounting and business. I still manage a small and growing business unit of our organization. I think a CIO who has no other business experience other than IT is handicapped. A CIO today must understand how the whole business works and IT systems work. I am glad I spent time doing accounting and working in IT. Sometimes as the only IT staff on hand, I am fortunate to work for a company whose management appreciates the importance of IT and encourages innovation.

Lessons I learned as a CIO that can help you
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty occasionally in IT. And especially don’t be afraid of a project that just doesn’t work out. No one bats a thousand, learn and move on.