10 CIO Books to Read in 2021

Today’s organizations are driven by technology, which means CIOs must work hard to stay effective as IT leaders. In this post, we’ll cover some of the best CIO books to read in 2021.

From leadership to ITSM, the books in this list will cover some of the most important topics that CIOs must master in today’s technology-driven organization.

10 CIO Books to Read in 2021

Here are some of the newest and most useful books for today’s forward-thinking CIO:

Taking the Reins as CIO: A Blueprint for Leadership Transitions

Taking the Reins as CIO: A Blueprint for Leadership Transitions, by Tony Gerth, was released in early 2020 and covers one of the most relevant subjects for today’s CIO – managing organizational change.

Transitions, such as digital transformation initiatives, rarely come easy and they are not always successful.

This book is an ideal handbook for transformational CIOs who must help their businesses adjust to today’s digital-first world.

Leading with IT: Lessons from Singapore’s First CIO

Leading with IT: Lessons from Singapore’s First CIO, by Alex Siow, offers insights into the real-world challenges faced by CIOs and how to overcome them.

As an accomplished leader in the IT sector, as well as academia, Siow discusses many of the practical considerations faced by today’s IT leader, including change management, fostering innovation, ITSM, and the future of work.

This book is yet another excellent resource for IT leaders tasked with leading technology-driven growth.

Digital Business Transformation

Digital Business Transformation: How Established Companies Sustain Competitive Advantage, by Nigel Vaz, presents a model that IT leaders can use to drive technology-driven change.

It covers many of the most important considerations faced by transformational IT leaders and C-suite executives, such as how to approach digital challenges, digital decision-making, and digital strategy.

The Economics of Data, Analytics, and Digital Transformation

IT leaders with a data-driven mindset should look at The Economics of Data, Analytics, and Digital Transformation: The theorems, laws, and empowerments to guide your organization’s digital transformation, by Bill Schmarzo.

This book outlines an approach to using big data to drive digital transformation – specifically, it explains the Big Data Business Model Maturity Index methodology. 

Readers will also learn eight “practical laws” that can guide digital transformation efforts, as well as the economics of digital assets, that is, data and analytics.

This book is an excellent choice for those who want to learn a digital transformation framework that is technical, practical, and data-centered.

Driving Digital Transformation through Data and AI

Strategic CIOs who are investing in AI and machine learning may want to consider Driving Digital Transformation through Data and AI: A Practical Guide to Delivering Data Science and Machine Learning Products.

This book, as the title suggests, focuses specifically on how to create value and products through AI. It offers insights and case studies from a number of industries, making it valuable for IT leaders in any sector.

In the years ahead, some predict that AI will have more influence than the internet, so every CIO should have books such as this one on their shelf.

Industrial Digital Transformation

Industrial Digital Transformation is published by Packt, with contributions from several industry-leading professionals.

Released in late 2020, this book focuses, as the title suggests, on a range of essential digital transformation techniques, tactics, and strategies. 

A few include: how to boost digital transformation with emerging technologies, how to leverage existing resources to generate more digital revenue, and how to identify potential sources of digital innovation.

Succeeding with Agile Hybrids

Succeeding with Agile Hybrids: Project Delivery Using Hybrid Methodologies, by Shawn Belling, is an excellent resource for today’s dynamic business. 

Since many businesses are transitioning between legacy processes and agile methods, a hybrid approach is often best. This book offers practical advice on how to integrate agile, waterfall, and phase-based approaches.

“Hybrid is the future,” after all, making books such as this important for IT leaders who want to stay prepared for that future.

The Year in Tech, 2021

The Year in Tech, 2021: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review covers some of the most innovative emerging tech trends that will reshape the world – and business – in the coming months and years.

From 5G to AI to wearables, from the C-suite to the factory floor, this book will offer insights that can help both business leaders and IT leaders capitalize on these trends, drive innovation, stay competitive, and thrive in tomorrow’s volatile world.

Data Teams

Data Teams: A Unified Management Model for Successful Data-Focused Teams is a guide to managing large data projects.

Many big data projects aren’t successful, and the blame is often placed on the technology, rather than management. Yet management is equally important in such large-scale projects, if not more so. 

This book explains why multiple teams are needed for big data projects, the three types of teams to create, and how they should be managed.

AI and Analytics at Scale

AI and Analytics at Scale is designed for enterprises that are integrating or have integrated AI into their workflows. 

This exclusive report, released in early 2021 by O’Reilly, covers why AI and analytics are best used together.

Readers will learn, among other things, how to implement AI and analytics at scale, how to stay efficient and cost-effective, and more.