Features

Features

• The importance of CIO peer review in cloud contract negotiations

  Part two of this SearchCIO feature story on cloud contract negotiations examines cloud provider liabilities and the importance of CIO peer review.  Continue Reading

• Negotiating cloud contracts: A new era for CIOs

  As cloud spending grows, providers are easing up on the 'my way or the highway' approach. Here's how to negotiate a cloud contract with terms and conditions that work for your enterprise.  Continue Reading

• Data virtualization tools move into strategic IT realm

  Data virtualization technology is moving into the strategic realm for CIOs. Find out why, and learn about the problems it's solving for companies.  Continue Reading

• Platform business model enters online food ordering fray

  The Cookie Dining debuts a platform business model designed to outcompete established rivals by offering real-time payment, lower commissions and analytics. It will have to grow fast to do that.  Continue Reading

• Digital leaders at DHL, CVS defend against, exploit digital disruption

  Digital leaders from two very different industries talk about how they are helping their companies identify opportunities in a digital business world.  Continue Reading

• Five digital disruptors talk successes and strategies

  Here is how five IT leaders are making digital disruption happen.  Continue Reading

• For CIOs invested in digital transformation, think platform

  Digital transformation is full of unknowns, but having a platform to enable transformation isn't one of them. MIT's Jeanne Ross explains in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• CIOs under pressure to generate revenue through data monetization

  Is data monetization the new gold rush? CEOs and boards of directors think so, and they are looking to CIOs to strike it rich.  Continue Reading

• Open source, adaptable infrastructure key to Etsy platform business model

  How does Etsy keep its platform business model in tune? Deploying up to 60 code changes a day is par for the course.  Continue Reading

• Cloud inventory management for CIOs: Build guardrails, not roadblocks

  Cloud inventory management saves money, reduces security risk and helps the enterprise compete. But first, CIOs must build relationships with business decision makers.  Continue Reading

• Platform business model picks up steam -- what's the CIO role?

  The platform business model develops and derives value from the ecosystem of users it connects. CIOs need to be in on it.  Continue Reading

• The outcome economy is upon us -- is your business ready?

  Smart products and services put a new twist on the old idea of giving customers what they want. Allan Alter explains the new 'outcome economy.'  Continue Reading

• CIOs future-proof the data center with hybrid strategies

  The cloud hasn't supplanted the enterprise data center, but, as these CIOs attest, public cloud services set the pace and offer ample reasons for keeping some IT on-premises.  Continue Reading

• NYT CIO uses niche apps to crack the digital media code

  Marc Frons, who recently announced he will be leaving his post as CIO of The New York Times, believes a culture of experimentation is the fastest road to digital glory.  Continue Reading

• Deloitte's Craig White: BPM tool tech paves way for digitization

  Deloitte's Craig White says BPM tools can drill down beyond key performance indicators to help CIOs suss out an organization's business process issues.  Continue Reading

• Is a flat organization the key to IT agility?

  In this Q&A, Rod Collins explains how CIOs can build and empower a flat IT organization -- even within a hierarchical enterprise.  Continue Reading

• Flap over Zappos holacracy puts spotlight on 'bossless' workplace

  In this Q&A, Rod Collins of Optimity Advisors sheds light on holacracy, a relatively new management style recently adopted by Zappos.  Continue Reading

• Multichannel retail depends on IT systems integration

  Before dressing up brick-and-mortar locations with customer-facing technology, CIOs need to integrate IT systems.  Continue Reading

• Whirlpool CIO: The future of IoT demands a new IT paradigm

  Whirlpool CIO Mike Heim is using cutting-edge tech to reinvent the lowly laundromat, but first he had to reinvent how his IT team worked. Welcome to the future of IoT.  Continue Reading

• Profiles in digital leadership at Forbes, CBS, US Bank

  Forbes, CBS and US Bank use social media marketing, mobile devices, Agile project development -- and strong IT-marketing partnerships -- to drive digital projects.  Continue Reading

• Integrating a hybrid environment now a CIO core competency

  Integrating a hybrid environment presents huge challenges for today's IT organizations. New tools, more manpower and a deep understanding of business data are par for the course.  Continue Reading

• Among C-level relationships, CIO-CMO proving key to business success

  Companies are discovering that the relationship between the CIO and CMO is increasingly important to business success. Frank Davis, CIO of Organic Valley, and Linda Ban of IBM offer tips on how to forge a strong partnership.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise mobile app development: No easy answers

  Enterprise mobile app development tools are proliferating but far from mature, say CIOs and analysts -- and forget about a single platform that can do it all.  Continue Reading

• Disruptive tech and its impact on wireless protocols and networks

  How are disruptive technology trends like BYOD and IoT impacting wireless networks? Networking expert Craig Mathias explains in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Embedded IT vs. central IT: Finding common ground

  ITSM expert George Spalding says that the key to solving problems between embedded IT and central IT is a common language based on services and not technology components.  Continue Reading

• Evolution of mobile hinges on marriage between data and devices

  Enterprise mobile computing marches on, and data is proliferating. Companies need to put them together to compete effectively.  Continue Reading

• Under-the-gun managers and other factors that kill IT innovation

  In this interview, author Jill Dyché explains why IT innovation should be on every CIO's agenda  Continue Reading

• Curing the IT identity crisis starts with understanding corporate culture

  Author Jill Dyché stresses it's time for CIOs to recreate their role, especially if they want to stay relevant to the business.  Continue Reading

• Chief innovation officers need friends in high places

  Hyatt, Merck and Nestlé Purina execs explain their business processes for innovation and detail why backing from on high is important.  Continue Reading

• CIOs make the tough call on legacy systems

  After decades of building up their IT infrastructures, companies are faced with deciding which legacy systems to keep and which to cut. CIOs can attest there are no easy formulas.  Continue Reading

• AMD CIO jettisons data centers and gives the company a lift

  The CIO of multinational semiconductor company AMD shares his story of how he consolidated 18 data centers into two.  Continue Reading

• CIOs beef up security tools in wake of 2014 data breaches

  What's different about security strategies in the aftermath of the 2014 data breaches? More money, more monitoring, more employee training, and that's just for starters.  Continue Reading

• A tale of two retailers profiting from big data

  A young and an old retailer shed light on how they're profiting from big data. (Hint: The secret is in their approach to project management.)  Continue Reading

• A new IT model and CIO role for the digital age

  A former CIO and author lays out the blueprint for how to disrupt old-school IT.  Continue Reading

• 7-Eleven guru's eight-step program for building an innovation team

  IT innovation is on every CIO's agenda -- or it should be. Before plotting your strategy, consider these eight tips from 7-Eleven's innovation guru.  Continue Reading

• Practice makes perfect when it comes to being a great CIO communicator

  How important is being a good speaker to a CIO's career? It may be the single biggest factor for success, according to CIOs from Johnson & Johnson, Starwood Hotels, Southern Company and Walmart.  Continue Reading

• TechTarget's 2014 IT Salary and Careers Survey infographic

  Is it time to play the technology field? Find out in TechTarget's 2014 IT Salary and Careers Survey infographic, which indicates fatter paychecks and increased optimism.  Continue Reading

• Cop-turned-CIO uses open data to improve Chicagoland

  While serving under Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the city's former CIO launched an app that integrated data from multiple sources to improve situational awareness. Now, he's taking that project to the next level.  Continue Reading

• CIOs called on to master multichannel customer engagement

  The customer is already multichannel. Companies -- and CIOs -- are scrambling to catch up. It won't be easy.  Continue Reading

• Emotional intelligence is the hallmark of a good leader

  Author and consultant Roxi Bahar Hewertson's new book, 'Lead Like It Matters Because It Does,' contends that businesses do a poor job of picking their leaders. She explains why in this Q&A with SearchCIO's Nicole Laskowski.  Continue Reading

• Smart robots pave way for better human-machine collaboration

  Robots will find a place in the enterprise, but can we trust them? Here's how they will impact the role of IT.  Continue Reading

• A physician-programmer experiments with AI and machine learning in the ER

  One way for CIOs to start preparing for machine learning and artificial intelligence is to build a flexible architecture.  Continue Reading

• Visa risk manager rescues small retailer from credit card fraud

  Finding the right software tools to combat credit card fraud can save small businesses tens of thousands of dollars. Having a seasoned fraud specialist at the helm also helps. Just ask Speck Products.  Continue Reading

• Mechanical Turk supplies Gilt with 'artificial artificial intelligence'

  In this Q&A, a data scientist explains why he combines objective data with human critiques to assess risk in Gilt's pre-emptive shipping program.  Continue Reading

• Gilt's pre-emptive shipping is an experiment in data science

  In this Q&A, Igor Elbert describes Gilt's pre-emptive shipping program, which leans on his expertise in machine learning and predictive modeling.  Continue Reading

• IT and finance bond at TD Bank pays dividends

  TD Bank's CIO of corporate technology demonstrates the power behind a strong IT-finance alliance.  Continue Reading

• Startup leans on cloud analytics to parse e-commerce data

  A retail startup with a barebones staff relies on cloud-based analytics to take the place of IT.  Continue Reading

• Value drivers, contracts, cloud monitoring tools drive cloud economics

  Cloud economics is a fuzzy field, subject to a business' demands and constraints. Here are some best practices for getting a return on your cloud investment.  Continue Reading

• Cloud economics subject to business drivers, customer perception

  What are the financial benefits of using the cloud? Don't expect any hard-and-fast formulas. Cloud economics turn out to be a local affair, dependent on a company's business drivers and constraints -- and the ability of CIOs to understand them.  Continue Reading

• Up close and personal with the chief data officer

  Who is the chief data officer, really? Four CDOs describe their first 90 days, their primary objectives and their biggest mistakes at a recent symposium.  Continue Reading

• How PayPal rallied a 4,000-strong move to Agile

  PayPal’s wholesale move to an Agile methodology was built on ‘four pillars,’ took seven months and changed the way 4,000 IT and product people did their jobs. Here’s how it got done.  Continue Reading

• Four pillars of PayPal's 'big bang' Agile transformation

  PayPal's technology VP Kirsten Wolberg gives SearchCIO the facts, figures and philosophy behind a 'big bang' move to Agile that changed the way 510 cross-functional teams work. Included in the budget: $2 million to change out the furniture.  Continue Reading

• Big data projects: To build or to buy?

  Do CIOs build or buy the technology for big data projects? It's complicated, but the bottom line is, do whatever confers a competitive advantage to the company.  Continue Reading

• The big data architecture dilemma for CIOs

  CIOs face an age-old dilemma in architecting for big data: Do I buy or build? New business problems, inadequate vendor solutions and myriad new technologies complicate the decision. Add to all that the ambiguity of the term, big data, and well ...  Continue Reading

• Gamify your enterprise social network? It depends

  The best enterprise social networks are fine-tuned to corporate culture. Using gamification to spur employee adoption of ESNs will depend on your workforce and industry regulations.  Continue Reading

• San Jose Sharks win over employees with social software

  For the San Jose Sharks, employee morale and back-end integration factored heavily into choosing an enterprise social network tool but, as SearchCIO discovers, every company has its own reason for upping its ESN game.  Continue Reading

• Nordstrom digs into 5-star customer reviews and finds a shipping problem

  How does a retailer known for customer service get even better at it? Matt Fisher of Nordstrom uses text analytics to parse tens of thousands of online customer reviews.  Continue Reading

• Becoming 'brain aware' to calm chaos, boost productivity

  Intel's mindful awareness program introduces employees to new skills for dealing with the always-on demands of the digital age. In the future, will businesses become more 'brain aware?'  Continue Reading

• Intel experiments with mindfulness to combat digital overload

  To combat the negative effects of multitasking, a handful of Intel employees took matters into their own hands and introduced a mindful awareness program.  Continue Reading

• CIOs share secrets on reaping hybrid computing benefits

  These CIOs were early adopters of hybrid computing architecture. Here they share their tips for reaping the benefits and dodging the landmines.  Continue Reading

• CIOs embrace hybrid computing, warts and all

  CIOs have come to see the value of a hybrid computing environment that manages some applications and systems in-house and relies on external public cloud services for managing other data. That doesn't mean there aren't some challenges.  Continue Reading

• Is your CEO to blame for shadow apps?

  SaaS risk, part two: The C-suite can take part of the blame for shadow apps by encouraging IT to focus on money-making IT systems at the expense of other lines of business. Also, security tools that pay dividends for CIOs.  Continue Reading

• Shadow apps: Turning SaaS risk into CIO strategy

  What can businesses' willy-nilly adoption of SaaS apps do for CIOs? Remove the invisibility cloak, and shadow apps become a golden opportunity to enable business goals, beef up security and save money.  Continue Reading

• Mobility trend: For this IT leader, connected car is both zest and threat

  The connected car is just one example of a mobility trend that is reshaping business as usual.  Continue Reading

• A strong information security program is a competitive gain, not just a cost

  In these days of a breach a minute, a strong information security program is a competitive differentiator. Here's how CIOs and CISOs prove it.  Continue Reading

• How to hire a website developer that does the business good

  Two small businesses with big website requirements explain how they ultimately got what they wanted in a website developer.  Continue Reading

• Prescriptive analytics: Start with the business problem

  Learn how some organizations are pioneering prescriptive analytics to revolutionize how work gets done. For starters, focus on the business problem.  Continue Reading

• Is prescriptive analytics the RX for optimal business outcomes?

  Prescriptive analytics promises to not just identify what might happen next but actually give us the RX for optimizing those outcomes. Is it for real?  Continue Reading

• CIOs architect a cloud computing business model, with watchful eye on costs

  CIOs dissect the true enterprise costs and value of the cloud computing model and, in the process, secure that elusive 'seat at the table.'  Continue Reading

• CIOs exploit the cloud computing model for business gains

  So, cloud spells the end of corporate IT? Not for these CIOs. They're exploiting the cloud computing model to benefit their businesses.  Continue Reading

• CIO advice for wrangling rogue IT in the consumerization age

  Not all rogue IT is bad for business. Here, we look at how CIOs keep tabs of the tech outside of IT and handling risk.  Continue Reading

• Out of the shadows: Rogue IT is becoming CIO business as usual

  The consumerization of IT and increasing demands for business agility are forcing the evolution of rogue IT. How are CIOs responding?  Continue Reading

• The enterprise data hub poised to become the heart of data management?

  Moving big data can cause network strain, leading some businesses to turn to the enterprise data hub.  Continue Reading

• Overcoming the big data bottleneck caused by data in transit

  By investing in new technology, a research consortium avoids the big headache caused by big data in transit.  Continue Reading

• What's in a title? A CIO/CTO shares perspective on his dual role

  What's in a title anyway? In this CIO Snapshot, CareWorks CIO/CTO Bart Murphy talks about what it's like to carry out the dual roles.  Continue Reading

• CIO/CTO shapes up shared services strategy and puts the fun into ITSM

  Bart Murphy was hired by CareWorks Family of Companies to create and carry out a shared services strategy; he transformed IT and became CIO/CTO.  Continue Reading

• CIO/CTO reaps benefits of a flexible ITSM platform

  In the second part of this story, CIO/CTO Bart Murphy explains how a cloud-based ITSM platform has helped transform IT and the business.  Continue Reading

• Allstate's tech leader on communicating vision, honing leadership skills

  Leadership skills: Allstate's Pat Coffey climbed the ranks from programmer to SVP. We asked her what it takes to get ahead.  Continue Reading

• Revlon CIO ushers in corporate cloud and sweeping culture changes for IT

  Former Revlon CIO David Giambruno reveals how he expertly led his team through a drastic transition from a vertical to a horizontal organization.  Continue Reading

• CIO Snapshot: Speed of change, cloud among biggest CIO challenges

  We asked IT leaders their opinion of the biggest CIO challenges. Change management, moving to cloud and customer service head the list.  Continue Reading

• MetLife takes a gamble on startup culture

  A 145-year-old company, MetLife shook off traditional IT for a startup culture.  Continue Reading

• IT career salaries infographic: Salary expectations, projects and mood

  TechTarget's Annual Salary and Careers Survey polled 1,771 professionals on their current earnings, the mood in IT and salary expectations for 2014.  Continue Reading

• 2014 cloud strategies include renewed security focus, business motivations

  2014 is predicted to be the year cloud really goes mainstream. As it does, CIOs will look at security and how services are provisioned in new ways.  Continue Reading

• 2014 cloud strategies embrace end-to-end implementation

  In 2014, there's evidence CIOs are moving beyond piecemeal cloud solutions to comprehensive cloud strategies. The ultimate? Going data center-less.  Continue Reading

• IT executive salary, career and project ambitions: Roadmap 2014

  The results of our IT Salary and Career survey are in. See how your salary and career goals compare with those of your peers.  Continue Reading

• Ensure mobile device security through a mobile device management policy

  A panel of experts at the ASAE's Technology Conference details how to create an enterprise MDM policy and implement a comprehensive MDM system.  Continue Reading

• IT involvement a key factor in social analytics success

  Part two of this SearchCIO Trailblazer profile delves into the challenges associated with doing social analytics and explains how CIOs can help.  Continue Reading

• Tweet analysis of teen smoking, a lesson in business value for CIOs

  A tweet analysis of teen smoking gives CIOs a window into the critical role IT can play in a company's social media marketing.  Continue Reading

• SaaS successes propel cloud-first philosophy at University of Miami

  After finding success with cloud-based IT Service Management, the University of Miami is emboldened to carry out a cloud-first approach to IT needs.  Continue Reading

• Push for centralized IT ushers in cloud-first philosophy at U of Miami

  In this CIO Innovator Q&A, University of Miami's Deputy CIO tells how a drive for IT centralization led to a transformative cloud-first IT strategy.  Continue Reading

• The new BPM program: A focus on data-driven business outcomes

  With an emphasis on data-driven business results, the new BPM program is giving CIOs the tools to help grow the business.  Continue Reading

• CIO's focus on people, innovative thinking leads to revenue-generating idea

  Visiting Budapest, CIO Alexander Pasik realized innovative thinkers are mostly born, not made. So he developed a process to capitalize on them.  Continue Reading

• Off the shelf or DIY, smart process apps add agility

  Smart process apps are a new breed of software designed for streamlining business activities that are people-intensive and subject to change.  Continue Reading

• Smart process applications: Next-gen answer to business agility demand

  With business agility more in demand than ever, context-rich smart process applications emerge as a difference-making solution.  Continue Reading

• The power and pain of using analytics to drive better performance

  Learn about the three Cs of IT governance and using analytics in part two of this CIO Innovator profile.  Continue Reading

• CIO team, good governance drive big data advantage at Penn Medicine

  Far from being a drag, IT governance is a game changer in CIO team's push on big data and high-performance computing at Penn Medicine.  Continue Reading

• MetroPCS, data center-free and more business-connected than ever

  In part two of this SearchCIO Trailblazer profile, Kevin Broadway talks about the business benefits of going data center-free.  Continue Reading

• MetroPCS plots data center-free course with cloud-based solutions

  MetroPCS's Kevin Broadway stumbled onto the cloud seven years ago. Now he's nearly data center-free and a strategic partner to the business.  Continue Reading

• The CIO secret to strong leadership: Be willing to go to extremes

  In this SearchCIO New Books Q&A, author Tina Nunno explains why CIOs need to be willing to go to extremes and even embrace 'the dark side.'  Continue Reading

• Tap your inner wolf to gain a CIO competitive advantage

  In this SearchCIO New Books Q&A, author Tina Nunno explains why CIOs have a lot to learn from Machiavelli.  Continue Reading