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Protect Your Organization from the Next-Generation of
IT Security Threats?
by Eric Blaier
Spammers have gotten more enterprising and malicious. Rather than using email as a way to distribute extremely unwelcome content, they have found key areas in cyberspace that we utilize daily in our personal and professional lives. This article will examine those methods from a high-level view and discuss how it affects the typical enterprise, as well as some base solutions.
IT and the Adolescent Organization:
Time for a Vital, Strategic Role
by Dave Ramsden
From an IT perspective, the entrance into the maturing phases of business growth can be an excellent opportunity to support and accelerate company performance. Moreover, if IT truly embraces its potential, this can be a transitional moment that allows it to develop a vital, strategic role in the organization.
What Every CEO Needs to Know About Portal Development
by Rick Sidorowicz
Many, if not most portal development projects have fallen short of enterprise portal aspirations and promises. This article provides CEOs a framework for the critical thinking needed to ensure your effort meets your organizations needs, and succeeds. It presents an overview of best practices in design and development, a rapid envisioning process and the top ten critical success factors to ensure a significant return on investment.
Data Center Choices in the Year 2011:
Which is Right for Your Company?
by Eric Blaier
Variables to consider when selecting the proper environment for housing IT assets include proximity,
safety and security, regulatory issues, redundancy or “uptime”, cost, and organizational capabilities. As
such, we’ll examine the different types of data center providers available in today’s market to provide
an outline in which environments the models may be most effective. It will also provide a new
alternative that most companies may not be aware of.
Getting and Keeping the Seat as
CIO
at the Strategic Table
by Ken Kirsch and Robert Johnson
Getting and keeping a seat at your company’s strategic table is your path to greater influence, upward mobility and personal reputation. By strategic table, we mean the table around which the CEO conducts weekly or monthly staff meetings and discusses the company’s top priorities and business issues. By having a seat and being a contributor, you and your department will be held in high regard by your executive peers and other colleagues.
Why Your Management Application Might Cause
More Harm Than Good - The Importance of Security with Business Management Systems
by Lars Helgeson, founder GreenRope
Within any company or industry association, there’s typically a certain degree of role sharing. While it’s necessary to have a system in place to handle these various tasks, allowing all team members accessibility can lead to serious problems - and even worse - major security issues. For companies currently using such tools or considering implementing one, select a provider that places great emphasis on security for these three reasons.
An Agile Approach to Change Management
by Dr. Myles Bogner & David Elfanbaum, Asynchrony Solutions
Agile software development is designed to thrive within even the most dynamic business and technical environments. However, what Agile does not address are changes related to enterprise support of the Agile process or tasks that fall outside the scope of the project work. Enterprise Change Management (ECM) provides a framework that addresses many of these missing factors. This article focuses on how organizations can leverage ECM practices in conjunction with their Agile development teams to foster IT delivery adoption.
Is the Mega Deal Dead?
by Tom Cole, Claymore Solutions Inc.
Most large corporations have outsourced at least some of their work to one of the major service providers, many of them did so 10 years ago during the Mega Deal boom right after Y2K. What makes this year interesting is that 11 of the 24 mega deals signed in 2000 along with 7 others signed since then, will expire this year. CIO’s are now faced with the decision of what to do next.
Opportunities and Risks in M2M's Maturation
by Emily Nagle Green
As a fan of all things connected -- and I do mean, getting all things in our lives connected, as that's a foundational element of Yankee Group's Anywhere vision -- I have mixed feelings about the recent spate of network operator announcements in the marketplace about M2M (machine-to-machine connectivity) business strategies.
What is Insourcing?
by Tom Cole, Claymore Solutions Inc.
Quite simply insourcing is just the opposite of “Outsourcing”. Rather than buy services, the business requires, from a third party service provider you obtain the resources to provide the service internally. To be effective you need to study the outsourcer and implement the same cost management techniques.
Contract Discussions With an Outsourcer, Have You Done Your Prep Work?
by Tom Cole, Claymore Solutions Inc.
Contracts and SLA’s, the holy grail of outsourcing. This is where you are responsible for creating a mutually beneficial business relationship or one destined to fail. Claymore Solutions specializes in helping companies achieve successful outsourcing agreements. The following is a brief outline of what you need, to be prepared for success.
The Rise of the CMO - But Where M = Mobility
by Emily Nagle Green
Corporate board members should begin considering how strategically their enterprises' leadership is thinking about mobility. How else will governance insure that the business is pushing the leverage of connectivity into every nook and cranny of its operations.
Stuck in Traffic on the Information Superhighway? By Assessing Your Alignment, Experience and Technology, You Can Shift into the Fast Lane
by Tim Hebert
To understand the true causes of your network problems, conduct a network “infrastructure assessment.” This is a comprehensive study of your IT infrastructure to ensure that it is strong, reliable, and ready to support the objectives of your business—today and in the future.
Hosted VoIP- An Option
by John Campbell
Hosted VoIP is becoming a very attractive option. This means using someone else’ VoIP system much like the Centrex system of POTS (plain old telephone system) whereby each line is connected to your provider’s switch instead of having your own. The good thing is that you don’t have to buy your own VoIP system. The bad thing is that with hosted services you never stop paying.
Is My Network Costing Me Money
I'm Not
Accounting For?
by Paul Cronin
Do you know how much it would cost your company if your computer network went down? If you add up all the costs, you might be shocked. Manufacturers today need to move to a strong offense as their best defense when it comes to architecting a resilient network. Instead of simply reacting, they need to uncover and fix the weakness in their network before it impacts their business.
Travel Industry Communications Trends
by Dennis Schooley
The world will continue to develop more and more Internet applications to make the rudimentary parts of life easier to manage. Wireless applications will continue to develop and will astound us in terms of what can be achieved. And the world will be 'flatter'. If that's a problem it's also an opportunity.
Weighing Options: How to Best Invest Your IT Budget for an “Always On” Network
by Robert Johnson
Managing a solid infrastructure requires skilled IT people, effective processing, and advanced technology. This article examines the economics of an “always on” IT infrastructure using in-house vs. external resources and the pros and cons of each alternative.
Does Your Technology “Fit” Your Needs? By Implementing a “Life-Cycle” Process, It Will
by Charles L. Nault
How reliable is your company’s technology network? How can you be sure you have installed the right system for your needs in the first place, and that it will keep working for you, day and night, warding off viruses, breakdowns and other threats or dangers? And if your system doesn’t appear to be all it should be, how can you stanch the “bleeding” of your company’s money in lost productivity?
Phone Systems Can Save Big Money!
by John Campbell
Did you hear about the company that moved into fancy new digs? They have state of the art everything with the best of ergonomic chairs, keyboards, perfect lighting, and carpeting that will look great forever. Sound expensive doesn’t it? But for this company I should mention that the cost of their new space is cut in half.
Controlling Access to Your Network: “NAC” Becomes a Critical Tool
by Chris Poe
It seems every time an IT team does due diligence to secure a network, another threat rears its ugly head. For a network to be truly invulnerable, it would have to be completely closed, but those who’ve invested a fortune in technology actually expect it to be usable. This problem of IT security is much like Homeland Security.
Advice to Clients: “Build Trust Outside
of Your Company”
by Charles L. Nault
Business owners need to recognize that a solid, professional relationship with a trusted partner in Information Technology can have a more dramatic, positive impact on their daily operations, and therefore their business success, more so in fact than any of the other three more traditional pillars. The following excerpt from my book provides some insights into just what that kind of relationship looks like.
Taking Advantage of Public WiFi Hotspots
by John Campbell
If you are a road warrior away from your home town you may not have an easily accessible place to find an Internet connection for your laptop enabling access to the Internet world to get your email, read reports, work on Excel spreadsheets and send off a Power Point presentation. That’s where WiFi ‘hotspots’ come into our picture. These are wireless networks that can be very convenient.
Know Your IT Stakeholder!
by Stephen E. Lipka, PhD, CMC
"Succeeding" in IT means you're a partner in the business, you're respected and sought out, and you're funded to do work that contributes to business. You can increase your chance of success by understanding your stakeholders. That starts with knowing who your stakeholders are and understanding what motivates them.
Buy or Lease Your Own Data Center? Think About It
by Eric Blaier
Let’s look at the present environment and why it may be favorable for a company to acquire and manage its own center, and also discuss the reasons why they might wish to outsource their core data center operations.
Hiring the Right IT Guy: A Vital Component in IT Success For Your Business
by Charles L. Nault
Look at whoever is leading your IT efforts and take stock of the attributes that he or she brings to the table. The best IT leaders should have some combination of a number of these six personality traits and attributes.
Unified Communications
by John Campbell
Desktop computers, notebooks, IM (Instant Messaging), email, voice mail, PDAs, soft phones, mobile phones, video conferencing have become everyday tools. The advances in technology have in many cases done the opposite of what they were intended to do which is to improve communications.
Uncommon IT Sense - Let's Get the Business Case Right
by Rick Sidorowicz
Why do so many business-critical projects, whether done in house or outsourced, fail far too often, take too long, cost too much, and fail to achieve the business value for which they were justified and designed. A little uncommon sense is in order with six things you can do to significantly improve your business case and economic justification process and ensure your projects come in on time and on budget. (N.B. A subscription is not required to view this article.)
Uncommon IT Sense - A Better Way to
Save Costs and Improve Service!
by Rick Sidorowicz
Have you slashed your IT budgets across the board indiscriminately, and suspended, delayed and limited your technology projects? You are not alone. There is no doubt that in times of uncertainty and "turbulence" you must reduce spending and get more for every dollar you spend however, consider a little “uncommon sense” to target investments in those areas that save costs without undermining capability. (N.B. A subscription is not required to view this article.)
Uncommon IT Sense for Turbulent Times, With Insights from Chaotics by Philp Kotler and John Caslione
by Rick Sidorowicz
There is a better way! Turbulent times call for more “uncommon sense” to target investments in those areas that save costs without undermining capability, and that can increase efficiency, improve productivity and yes, increase revenue. Consider the following principles and approach to strengthen your operations in turbulent times and emerge leaner, more resilient and more profitable. (N.B. A subscription is not required to view this article.)
Is Your Company Bleeding Money?
Yes, if Your IT Isn’t Efficient and Aligned
by Charles L. Nault
Organizations from multi-billion dollar corporations to the community church rely entirely on their e-mail, web access, and computer applications every moment of the working day. Any company that is going to compete and thrive in this world is going to do so through the effective use of technology. The optimal word is effective.
Business Intelligence Cures the Spreadsheet Problem
by Seema Haji
The benefits of using business intelligence features with your spreadsheets are twofold. Your company will be able to improve the accuracy of its reports in a manner that will be much more palatable to the employees and other users who work with these reports every day. You’ll also be able to achieve more transparency into how your business works and what can be improved upon.
(N.B. A subscription is not required to view this article.)
Plugging the Data Dike
by Bill Morrow
In this critical economic environment, identity thieves are going further than ever before to steal valuable consumer, customer and business sensitive information to make a buck. As devastating as it is for individuals to deal with identity theft, it is extremely costly for businesses attacked by identity thieves or those unwillingly exposed to risk because of employee errors and poor data privacy and security policies. Here is a brief data protection and security refresher for your organization.
Why IT ROI Needs to be Rethought
Stephen E. Lipka, PhD, CMC
In the world of IT, ROI is king. But should it be? How many approved IT projects have you seen with projected returns that – in spite of the vetted calculations – you just didn’t believe? And how many projects, rejected because ROI couldn’t be calculated or proved, would have turned your company into a well-oiled machine? ROI can be a great tool, but it’s not the only mechanism for judging value.
Tech
Vendors, Don't You Love 'em?
by Ade McCormack
The word alignment captures the nature of a buyer-supplier relationship.
The supplier must align its offerings to the demands of the buyer.
The partner relationship has an entwinement feel to it. Both parties
are entwining their destinies and so become reliant on each other.
I believe that we need to move beyond alignment to entwinement in respect of the business-IT department relationship.
Merge
the Tribes Before the Bloodshed
by Ade McCormack
In my little world there are two tribes. They speak different languages. They
try not to encroach on each other's turf. One tribe tells the other what to
do. The other tribe, unable to defend itself, reluctantly does what it is
told. These tribes are more commonly known as users and technologists.
Is
Your CIO Boardroom Ready?
by Ade McCormack
You recognize the need for some IT muscle in the top team. But are you sure
the incumbent CIO is boardroom-ready? Don't leave it to chance. Test-drive
your CIO with the following scenarios. How the CIO reacts will tell you all
you need to know.
The
IT Value Stack - Process Entwinement between IT and Business
by Ade McCormack
The IT department should influence the business processes as much as the
user community. Some would argue that, as a "supplier", the IT department
should just do what it is told. In many cases this happens and the IT function
slavishly automates the flawed process without question. However, the IT department
is in a unique position in terms of its view of the process flows across the
organization and so can provide genuinely valuable process consultancy.
The
IT Value Stack - Layer One: Strategy Entwinement
by Ade McCormack
In The IT Value Stack, I present a model to help organizations
yield best value from their IT investment. This seven-layer IT Value Stack
takes IT value maximization into the boardroom.
The foundation layer deals with strategy entwinement - your IT leaders should have significant influence over business
strategy; too much of your organization's ability to function and out-innovate
your competitors relies on IT.
The
IT Value Stack
by Ade McCormack
Many executives question the value IT delivers. The IT department could very
easily demonstrate their value but I wouldn't encourage you to press them
on this. Turning the servers off for a few hours would certainly remind you
of why you need IT. I have spent the last few years developing
a model to maximize the value obtained from one's IT investment and have developed
a simple model for measuring it.
The Naked Truth: It’s Time to STOP Educating
the CEO About Technology
by Jackie Bassett
Completely contrary to what many have preached for awhile now, the naked truth is that educating the CEO about technology is a waste of time and we need to stop. Why? We’ve just run out of time. Digitization has just met globalization and CEOs of companies that say no to customer demands will lose to those who just say yes.
Information
Security: Protecting Your Data is NOT Just a Cyberspace Issue Anymore
by Tim Rhodes
Your office photocopiers and those found at stores like Kinko's can now be
added to the list of items that can leak your company's personal data. These
multi-function printers usually contain small hard drives that can be removed
and accessed by virtually anyone who has a computer and a hard drive data
cord.
The
Right IT Stuff for Small Business!
by Ilene
Rosoff
Do you often feel stuck in the computer abyss when it comes to managing your company's needs for web or information technology services? What's the best way to find a great web or information technology services
partner to work with and then get the most out of that relationship?
Disaster
Looms! Why Viewing Your IT Systems as a "Utility" is MUST
by Charles
L. Nault
What does it take to make your network a continuously
fully functional, expeditious, and a safe "utility" network?
Something's
in the Air: Is it Your Success?
by Gordon Hurst
There are issues, not always clearly apparent, of certifying
wireless products for use globally. Here is a checklist that can help CEOs
and their management teams avoid the hidden problems in this process.
Building
High-Quality Software - Establishing a Culture of Quality
by Alan S. Koch
Getting Management's, Developers', and QA's roles into
proper alignment will lay the foundation for the cultural shifts that are
necessary to achieve high quality.
The
Maelstrom Effect: The Next Generation
by Dr. James Bowen
The Effect is a set of strategies and tactics that companies are using to
thrive in a Maelstrom. We need to see the future as always rushing towards
us. In a sense we must always live in the future.
Making
"IT" Work for You
by D. Keith Denton
Executives normally do not need more data, technology,
or speed. What is needed is technology that helps make sense of endless data
so it can be turned into useful knowledge and work.
When
Will Outsourcing Grow Up?
by Walter Adamson
Outsourcing is by no means new, and some firms have
achieved outstanding results in terms of business improvement. What are the
lessons from the firms that have succeeded and from those that have performed
poorly?
Why
Systems Fail - The Dead-end of Dirty Data
by Olin Thompson
Dirty data causes problems - large and small, catastrophic
and insignificant. Maybe now is the time to use your resources to search out
dirty data and fix the problem - before your trading partners or auditors
find them.
Strategies
for Developing and Maintaining a Top Talent Pool
by
Dora Vell
Even as experts forecast a future war for talent and
reports on talent turnover's high costs further underscore talent's universal
importance, one industry stands out in its extreme reliance on this key resource.
That industry is technology.
Application
Erosion: Eating Away at Your Hard Earned Value
by Olin Thompson
The day any new system goes live, you have created value.
You paid for that value in money, time, disruption, frustration and many other
currencies. But you will lose the value if you do not do something to avoid
application erosion.
Escalating
Software Development Costs? Here are Strategies for Containing Them
by
Raj Phalpher
In spite of all the automated tools available for requirements
management, code generation, testing, etc., software development is very labour
intensive. Here are four strategies that can help reduce the cost of running
their software development factory.
Improving
CEO and CIO Relationships: Focus on eContext not eContent
by
D. Keith Denton
Information technology must be combined with a rethinking
of both the purpose and meaning of that information. We should begin by focusing
on the context of what and how the information is to be used and not simply
adding more content.
How
the CEO Should Move the Monkey for Major IT Projects
by Walter Adamson
Major IT projects fail, and millions are wasted, because CEOs and senior managers
allow themselves to be managed and to carry the monkey for the delivery of
these major projects. There is a better approach where the monkey is moved
to the back of those most able to explore the risk and recommend the solutions.
Do
Applications Really Erode? Diagnosing the True Causes of System Erosion
by Lynne Wardell
The
term "application erosion" was recently coined to explain the phenomenon of
decreasing value in a system occurring over time. It infers that applications
have life. Unfortunately, the term not only misdiagnoses a common problem
but also misses the point.
Supercharging
Your Information Technology Projects
by Derek F.
Martin
It's
been three years since you implemented that highly anticipated technology
project that promised to free up 20% of employee time for more value-add activities.
Walking around the office, you notice that the same people are doing the same
job with the same results. Why have the expected benefits from the new technology
not been realized?
Securing
Technology Products Without a Technology Policy Isn't Secure at All
by Bennett Tavar
Studies show that the computer systems of up to 85 percent of businesses nationwide
are vulnerable to breaches of security. There either are no security measures
in place, or practices that offer scant protection. The same studies show
this threat is an equal opportunity oppressor, and hangs over organizations
of every size and description.
Relationship
with Change
by Bray J. Brockbank
How
businesses manage change is equally as important as how they manage their
employees, suppliers, partners, and customers. Because "time-to-change" is
as central to business success as "time-to-market."
Data
Resource Management at Semantic Software.com: Chaos to Efficiency
by
Scott Tavelli & Rajeev Kaula
This case details the data management chaos that existed at Semantic Software.com
and the steps the company undertook to improve its management of data and
bring efficiency toward its operations.
Data
Cleansing: Save $$$ by Getting it Right
by
Andrew LaDuke
Businesses
are implementing ERP, SCM, & CRM programs to manage their data efficiently.
These systems are optimized only when the data they are using is accurate.
Nine
Future Catalysts
by
Bray J. Brockbank
Study
and research of the future or "futures" has emerged as an instrument for governments
and business enterprises in identifying and studying emerging trends and envisioning
the range of scenarios that they may produce. The author offers nine general
'catalyst' categories that will shape future business activities over the
next three to five years - and possibly beyond.
Weathering
the Storm
by
Gerry Smith
Technology
services companies need to focus on cost control and revenue generation, and
consider business management software that can have a rapid impact on profitability.
Digital
Revolution or the Wild, Wild West?
by
David Tibi
The core of the problem is a lack
of management processes and centrally available decision support information
to competently manage rapid deployment of change to the mission critical technology
infrastructure.
Offshore
Outsourcing: ‘Nirvana’ for Application Development?
by
Raj Phalpher
Outsourcing and especially, IT outsourcing, is not a
fad; it is here to stay. IT outsourcing has grown by more than 25% year-on-year
in the 1990’s, and the ‘Guru’ of IT outsourcing is India!
Adding
Value In Information Systems
by
Rick Sidorowicz
CIOs and CEOs that run IS as an integral component of
the business and see IT as an ‘enabler’ of opportunity can focus their investment
and energy to deliver value and create new business capabilities.
Technology
Powers Productivity Benefits in the Auto Credit World, Too!
by
Keith B. Stein
At last, we are enjoying the dividends in office productivity
that were first promised more than a generation ago.
ERP:
Successful Implentation the First Time
by
R. Michael Donovan
How can we avoid these costly mistakes? Guidelines to
help you with ERP success.
The
Balloonist
Anonymous
submission
A man piloting a hot air
balloon discovers he has wandered off course and is hopelessly lost. He descends
to a lower altitude and locates a man down on the ground.
Related
Topics: eBusiness | ERP in Logistics
& Supply Chain Management
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