Typical of today's globalized enterprise is Achievo Corp., an IT services provider with headquarters in San Ramon, Calif., and offices in Canada, China, Germany and Japan. "Almost everything we do has global implications," says Bernard "Bud" Mathaisel, Senior VP and CIO at Achievo. "That's the business model we have."

Mathaisel says doing business globally has become a way of life at Achievo. For example, he recently began a workday at 7 a.m. by speaking on the phone with colleagues in China who, 12 hours ahead, were just completing their day. Next, he switched to a conversation with staffers in Germany at the end of their afternoon. Later, Mathaisel got in touch with workers in Canada during the middle of their afternoon. He closed his own workday by conducting a video linkup with co-workers in China as they prepared to go to work the next morning. But Mathaisel is quick to point out that his behavior is no exception; being global, he insists, is pretty much a given for any major enterprise. "Even if your business is entirely local, the suppliers you depend on for services and materials may not be," he adds.

Globalization also presents CIOs with new opportunities to become major business partners. Globalized companies are expanding operations through the use of complex supply chains, the need to do business in multiple countries, and the increase in offshore outsourcing. All these can benefit from CIO leadership, says Andrew Boyd, Chief Research Officer at the Aberdeen Group, an IT research and analysis firm. "Globalization is a business issue, not an IT issue," he adds. "And the CIO's role is a business role."