Business and Marketing

CMOs and CIOs have been trying desperately to get something going between them, but they don't seem to share the same assessment of their relationships, according to a study conducted by Forrester and Forbes Insights.

In a survey of 308 marketing and technology management leaders, CIOs seemed to have much brighter prospects for their futures together than did CMOs. Sixty-nine percent of tech chiefs said they were able to communicate the priorities of both partners, while only 49% of the marketers felt the same.

One of the reasons for the disconnect appears to be a lingering problem—the lack of suitable talent. Only 54% of those surveyed—87% of whom hailed from billion-dollar-plus enterprises—felt that competent leadership was in place to support marketing technology strategies.

Exacerbating the communications breakdown in this blooming relationship is overconfidence on the part of marketers, 71% of whom felt that their teams understand marketing technology. Only 54% of CIOs agreed.

At least the two would-be corporate partners are talking. Seventy percent of CIOs and 59% of CMOs said that they got together on a regular basis to review progress and objectives. That's a percentage point increase of nine and 14, respectively, compared to the same survey conducted last year.

Business Breaking News: Google Updates Google Apps with New Security Tools

Managing devices and cloud-based apps isn't easy for small businesses. In addition to managing users, administrators have to maintain security and troubleshoot cyberattacks. But not all small businesses can afford to hire IT professionals to manage these security tasks. If you use Google Apps or Google for Work, however, there are new tools that can help.

Google launched two new features today (Nov. 24) to help Google business users take more control of their security. The new Devices and Activity dashboard and security wizard provide businesses with improved tools to better manage and beef up the security of Google Apps devices and Google for Work accounts.

"Security in the cloud is a shared responsibility, and keeping your company information secure is at the core of what we do every day," wrote Eran Feigenbaum, director of security for Google for Work, wrote in a blog post announcing the launch. "By making users more aware of their security settings and the activity on their devices, we can work together to stay a step ahead of any bad guys." [Google for Business: A Small Business Guide]

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