How Intuit liberated IT to embrace mobile, social and the cloud

Intuit CEO Brad Smith has deftly steered what was once only a shrink-wrap software company into the cloud and mobile worlds and has led a re-engineering of Intuit's IT organization into a customer-focused, driver of innovation and value.

By John Gallant, CIO | Cloud Computing, insider, intuit 2 comments

December 21, 2011, 4:21 PM — Intuit, known for personal financial products like TurboTax and Quickbooks, isn't considered a corporate IT company nor does it have any grand designs to expand beyond its consumer and small business roots into the enterprise. That would seem to make Intuit CEO Brad Smith an odd candidate for the IDG Enterprise CEO Interview Series. But Smith has deftly steered what was once only a shrink-wrap software company into the cloud and mobile worlds and has led a re-engineering of Intuit's IT organization into a customer-focused (actually, 'customer back' focused), driver of innovation and value.

In this conversation with IDGE Chief Content Officer John Gallant, Smith talks about that IT journey -- which included five CIO changes in half a dozen years -- and what it means to really be a 'connected services' company in this new age of consumer IT. This discussion is invaluable for any business or IT leader struggling to embrace mobility, social media and the cloud. You'll find it reassuring to learn -- according to Smith -- that you already have the transformational IT employees you need. You just have to liberate them.

Tech Titans Talk: The IDG Enterprise CEO Interviews

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John Gallant brings more than 28 years of editorial and technology experience to his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer of IDG Enterprise. In this role, Gallant works with the editorial leaders of IDGE’s CIO, CSO, Computerworld, InfoWorld, ITworld and Network World titles, setting content strategy and ensuring that the brands serve their respective audiences with the best online and print products and services in the industry. Gallant also helps drive IDG Enterprise's strategic efforts around social media. Gallant, one of Network World’s founders, was formerly CEO and editorial director for the company, where he guided content and business development for print and online, as well as Network World’s seminars and events programs. Gallant is highly visible in the marketplace and frequently speaks at industry conferences. In 2010, Gallant was inducted into min’s Magazine’s Editorial and Design Hall of Fame. He has been named by Technology Marketing magazine as one of the most influential people in computer journalism, and was cited as one of the “most visionary editors-in-chief” by Press Access. Gallant’s expertise in covering the technology industry has been tapped by top-tier television media outlets, including CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, NPR, and Bloomberg. He often hosts roundtable discussions on technology and other topics for a wide variety of organizations, including leading vendors, I.T. buyers and industry associations. Gallant also chairs the executive committee of the Boston College Technology Council and is on the board of Dream Big, a non-profit that helps underprivileged girls build confidence through sports.

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