Gadget Man

The CIO-Who is he? Is he the gadget-savvy techie who has gadgets
falling out of his overloaded coat pockets, or is he that simple gentleman for
whom technology is only about bigger deployments. DQ finds out

With a Blackberry in hand, an iPod in the
pocket, a Wi-Fi enabled laptop, and a business plan in mind. Is that our CIO?
Maybe, maybe not. Time now to take a peek into his personal tech wishlist-does
he enjoy listening to his favorite music on WorldSpace and reading his mail
while on the move? 

From what DQ finds out, more and more CIOs are letting
technology influence the way they work.

The findings: Blackberry gets thumbs up from our CIOs. While
it is in different stages of adoption, there is no way that they can ignore it.
Also, CIOs are taking to podding in a big way. Apple wins hands down in this
category. Wireless connectivity is the next big thing in the industry and also
on our CIOs' laptops. The need for anywhere anytime connectivity drives our
top guys towards wireless net access on their laptops, mobile phones with more
functionality, and the latest business communicators. While cellphones and
laptops/notebooks are indispensable  both
at home and at work, digital cameras, home theatre systems, and even acoustic
guitars have found a place in their  personal lives.

However, one thing is certain-Indian CIOs are conservative
about acquiring gadgets, as compared to their Western counterparts. Maybe their
preferences are often guided by monetary considerations, or maybe their age
profiles dictate so-our CIOs are no geeks; they would rather go in for gadgets
that are widespread in usage over new gizmos yet to be commercially available in
India. So picking up 'new toys' from duty-free shops at international
airports is ruled out for them. Instead it is 'Mera Bharat Mahaan' where
they usually pick up their stuff from.

On the hot seat this month, we have Amit Kumar, Sr VP, head
of Technology, Max New York Life Insurance;
Zoeb Adenwala, chief IT, Pidilite Industries; and Clynton Almeida, CIO,
Redington India. We asked them about their 'Must Have Gadgets' and they
allowed us a sneak peak into their coat pockets, bags, and homes. Read on as our
CIOs tell Dataquest the items on their wish list.

Amit Kumar Sr VP, head of Technology, Max New York Life Insurance
Gadgets I have Toshiba Laptop-I have had it for about a year. My sturdy Nokia Mobile phone with a speaker, a feature I find extremely helpful.  Gadgets I would own in future An MP3 player with voice recorder to capture some thoughts quickly in voice, especially while driving. Aspiring to get a Blackberry and synchronizing it with my mail server. That is after a cost benefit analysis. New Laptop with wireless Internet access and sufficient security (personal firewall). A new home theatre system, when I shift my house this year.
Zoeb Adenwala Chief IT, Pidilite Industries
Gadgets I have Fujitsu tablet PC for the past 2 years. Palm Tungsten PDA. A Samsung cellphone, which is GPRS enabled. Reliance Aircard to wirelessly connect my laptop anywhere throughout India.  Gadgets I would own in future Nokia Business Communicator-It bundles features that are way beyond a cellphone, receiving and sending mail, faxes. Trying out the Blackberry right now, if all goes fine the next step would be to integrate it with my mail server. Biometric Security for access into applications.
Clynton Almeida CIO, Redington India
Gadgets I have Notebook WorldSpace        Gadgets I would own in future Nokia N90 Triband 2 Mega Pixel Camera Bluetooth Umts Phone. iPod Video 5th Generation 30GB MP3 Player. Canon PowerShot S2 IS-digital camera    Fender CG-11 acoustic-electric guitar.

Jasmine
Kaur, New Delhi, Shrikanth G,
Chennai, Minu Sirsalewala,
Mumbai