Jim Lieb has been on a 40-year quest to successfully deliver long term business value through the innovative usage of technology. During this quest, Jim’s IT philosophy continually evolved to exploit the new opportunities offered by a changing business and technological landscape. Mr. Lieb was an early advocate of architecting systems based on business empowerment. Jim is an advocate for simplifying IT to its essence; that the proper use of any technology is based on delivering the “right tool – to the right person – at the right time” and that the value of any solution is tied to its ease of use. This results in Jim’s view that IT can only be successful if it results in business success and that IT must serve as a primary strategic asset for any organization in the digital age.

The business successes of Jim’s contributions are proof of the power of his principles. Mr. Lieb introduced data warehousing and analytics to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. Since the implementation of these technologies, the Department has reduced potential fraud by over a billion dollars and has significantly increased collections through analytical optimization. Mr. Lieb architected and directed the technical solution for the Department’s system modernization project – e-MPIRE. This solution introduced many emerging technologies and concepts (SOA, XML databases, cloud, MPP, externalized security, BPM, shared services, and Business Analytics)and is predicated on end user empowerment. The solution saves the Department an estimated $4 Million annually indevelopment costs and is highly adaptable to changing business requirements. He architected the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance’s OnLine Tax Center (OLS). The solution is made up of a FICAM compliant security architecture based on Commercial eCommerce software that supports over 3.5 million customers and brings in payments of $45B per year. As NYS Deputy CTO he was the lead architect for many of New York State’s shared services.

Jim has been recognized for his contributions and leadership. He was inducted into the NYS IT Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named NYS IT Leader of the year in 2012. Many of Jim’s projects have been awarded recognition and he has been a frequent speaker on many IT topics.

Jim is a strong advocate of improving and challenging the future of IT. He has served on several boards to encourage the education and evolution of the next generation of IT and business professionals. Jim is committed to making a difference in how IT and business communities interact; so that a “culture of success” can be established where IT can truly be leveraged as a strategic asset and competitive differentiator.