Information technology jobs are notoriously short-lived. CIOs are among the most mobile of C-level executives. During a CIO's career she or he will likely be faced with the challenge of learning and adapting to a new environment many times. The ability to "hit the ground running" is thus a crucially important trait.

The sooner a new CIO can understand the structure, issues, and managerial imperatives of the IT department, the sooner improvements can be made. To that end, Swingtide, a management consulting firm specializing in CIO issues, is offering a service designed to assist in the new CIO's acclimation process.

The Swingtide 30-DAY "STATE OF IT" REPORT gives new CIOs a rapid and comprehensive assessment and action plan. Swingtide senior consultants take a "swat team" approach to collecting and summarizing all the important features of the organization's technology environment, including applications, assets, architecture, projects, service levels, staff, roles, processes, third-party relationships, and management reporting. Stakeholders are interviewed to help the new CIO gain a clear understanding of "success criteria." High-level future-state requirements are identified. Organizational inhibitors are explored and discussed frankly. Budgetary constraints are analyzed. Service gaps are revealed. The IT environment is examined for areas of improvement -- all in fewer than thirty days.

When delivered, the Swingtide "State of IT" Report becomes an invaluable reference. "We know from experience that the first sixty days of a new CIO's tenure are absolutely critical to his or her ability to make the improvements expected," said Swingtide managing director Diane Carco. "By providing immediate context, we free them up to do what they were brought in to do."

Swingtide, Inc. is an organization of high-value consultants with real-world experience, an analytical approach, and the ability to identify and solve IT-related business problems with well-defined methods. Its senior business and IT professionals have the experience required to solve complex business and technical problems in rapidly changing environments. Founded in 2001 with backing from FirstMark Capital and private investors, Swingtide helps its consulting clients reduce cost, efficiently outsource and effectively complete mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and realize the benefits of new technologies in information-intensive industries including insurance and financial services.