First there was the fiscal cliff. Now there's the sequester. Neither caused the sky to fall, but both will have a slow, steady impact on the economy. That means CIOs should tread carefully when crafting IT budgets for the next couple years--and shouldn't be surprised to hear 'No.'

"How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever."

For years, going back to the days of data centers, people in technology thought their first priority was to make sure the computer systems were operational. Key statistics focused on uptime-making sure the servers, networks and applications were functioning. Meeting such targets was considered success.

CIOs are partnering with their marketing chiefs more than ever, but they're not waiting around for marching orders. Getting to know the customer is job one for them, too.