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Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• 2015 MIT Sloan CIO Symposium guide: Digital disruption

  This Essential Guide compiles all of SearchCIO's coverage of the 2015 MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, including panel recaps, video interviews and a comprehensive investigation into the impact of digitization. Continue Reading

• AI technology: Is the genie (or genius) out of the bottle?

  Artificial intelligence has come a long way since SearchCIO columnist Harvey Koeppel studied with some of the discipline's pioneers. He offers 10 steps CIOs must take now to prepare for the AI technology era ahead. 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

• Mobile payment methods come of age

  Cattle, grain, shells, metal coins, paper bills, plastic cards. Don't see a pattern? Look again: All of them were or are forms of payment, and all of them are mobile. Mobile device technology-enabled payments are simply the latest, natural ... Continue Reading

• Will the role of the chief data officer eclipse that of the CIO?

  Chief data officers make the case why organizations need them; watch out CIOs: The Data Mill reports from the MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium. 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

• Data storytelling is the next big thing in collaborative computing

  Data storytelling is gaining ground in BI and analytics circles. What is it and why should CIOs care? Howard Dresner explains in this SearchCIO podcast.Continue Reading

• New research suggests chief digital officers are no flash in the pan

  Chief digital officers who are running significant lines of business could become permanent members of the C-suite, according to new research from IDC. The Data Mill reports.Continue Reading

• Mobile payments come of age: A brief history lesson

  Mobile payments mark the latest iteration in our 19,000-year history of commerce, says Harvey Koeppel. It's up to CIOs to make this evolutionary development work better.Continue Reading

• Edge network key to IoT data collection and transmission

  IoT might be the next big thing, but the next big hurdle for CIOs will be figuring out ways to architect for it.Continue Reading

• A money-hater embraces the mobile wallet

  For mobility expert and entrepreneur Bryan Barringer, sitting on a wallet all day is a real pain in the backside. The mobile wallet represents a new and improved way to pay.Continue Reading

• Mobile payment systems boost data security, consumer trust trumps infosec fears

  Infosec professionals worry that mobile payment systems will increase the risk of data breaches, but experts argue their fears are overblown.Continue Reading

• MIT Sloan winner: 'Unity of effort' vital to digital transformation

  In this video interview, 2015 MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award winner Michael Nilles discusses why a company-wide effort is needed for enterprises seeking successful digital transformation.Continue Reading

• Readers debate using the Apple Watch for business

  The Apple Watch offers nuggets of data that could drive employee productivity. We asked our readers to weigh in on the potential usefulness of the Apple Watch for business.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

• CIO role in digital projects hinges on understanding business models

  When it comes to leading digital projects, Peter Nichol is a business executive first. In this video excerpt, the head of IT at Access Health CT talks about how he piques people's curiosity about the possibilities of a digital transformation.Continue Reading

• Three steps to creating a great senior leadership team

  You're only as good as your direct reports, says leadership coach and author Joseph Flahiff. Here's how to build a senior leadership team that makes breakthrough contributions to the business.Continue Reading

• Smart machines will create a safer workplace, spark human ingenuity

  Smart machines and automation will lead to a safer work environment, argues Duke University's Mary 'Missy' Cummings in this SearchCIO video interview.Continue Reading

• Value sensitive design helps CIOs tackle social, ethical tech issues

  Before releasing a new technology into the wild, CIOs should study the Google Glass case study, according to Duke University's Mary 'Missy' Cummings.Continue Reading

• Automated systems problems and dangers: Employee boredom

  Researchers are seeking a cure for the employee boredom induced by overseeing automated systems, according to Duke University's Mary 'Missy' Cummings.Continue Reading

• Cognitive robotic process automation poised to disrupt knowledge worker market

  KPMG’s Cliff Justice lays out a vision for the future with the work of 110M to 140M knowledge workers handled by cognitive robotics technology.Continue Reading

• Startup guide: Don't be afraid to give your strategic goals a tuneup

  A few months into launching our new business, all signs were pointing to success. So why did we feel we had lost sight of our strategic goals?Continue Reading

• CIO forms strong business partnerships by explaining value of IT

  In this video excerpt from the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, Access Health CT's head of IT, Peter Nichol, discusses how he forges business partnerships by educating C-level peers about the value of IT.Continue Reading

• CIO-CMO partnerships: Getting past the stereotypes

  One way to bridge the divide between IT and marketing is for the CMO to be a former CIO. Level 3's Anthony Christie talks about the CIO-CMO bond.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

• To 'fail fast,' CIOs need to think strategically from the get-go

  To innovate, IT employees need to fail fast. But what are the benefits of doing so? We ask a chief innovation officer in this SearchCIO video interview.Continue Reading

• Chief innovation officer is chief interlocutor at TrustNetMD

  Richard Singerman explains why a position like the chief innovation officer may be an asset to CIOs in this SearchCIO video interview.Continue Reading

• Enterprise mobility’s impact on wired network infrastructures

  Wireless upgrades have an impact on the wired LAN. Find out how the upgrade affects switching, cabling, power, WAN links and Internet circuits.Continue Reading

• Wireless network management tools for the mobile enterprise

  Good network management is important in an increasingly mobile enterprise. Learn the pros and cons of single-environment and unified network management tools.Continue Reading

• The future of IoT: Altered reality

  Many industries are now making use of the Internet of Things to change the way we live, but this is only the beginning. The future of IoT demands that companies reinvent how they do business.Continue Reading

• The future of IoT: New priorities and paradigms

  For Mike Heim, CIO of Whirlpool, delivering Clothespin, a system that connects laundry machines to smartphones and equipment service providers, wasn't just about cutting-edge technology; he also needed to work closely with various business functions...Continue Reading

• Must-know digital marketing advice for small businesses

  SearchCIO small business columnist Bryan Barringer offers a primer on marketing a small business in the digital age.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

• Enterprise networking strategy to support mobile device use

  Users are infiltrating the wireless network with their mobile devices -- and using them everywhere. CIOs need to decide on a network strategy to support them.Continue Reading

• The CIO's guide to the data center of the future

  When it comes to the enterprise data center of the future, past is probably not prologue, says SearchCIO columnist Harvey Koeppel. He offers five tips to prepare for the great data center unknown.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

• The data center of the future? It's the one CIOs don't operate

  IT leaders need to make tough choices on where to focus their efforts. Running the data center of the future won't be on Niel Nickolaisen's agenda.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

• Integrating hybrid systems? It's now a core IT service

  Most organizations today work in a hybrid infrastructure, with some applications running on-premises and others in the public cloud or running as software as a service. Because of the various components involved, the task of integrating these ...Continue Reading

• Hire for personality, not just skills, to build your startup team

  Finding people with the right experience and skills to build your new business is critical, but it's the personality mix of a startup team that can make or break a small business.Continue Reading

• Digital business puts data and data ownership atop CIO agenda

  It's time for CIOs to fast-forward to the past, says Harvey Koeppel. In the digital business world, IT is once again all about the data -- and data ownership. Koeppel offers eight ways to keep pace with the times.Continue Reading

• Is it time for a new data ownership manifesto?

  Niel Nickolaisen resolves a heated dispute between software engineering and operations over data ownership by locking the two teams in a room.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

• Startup takes on the future of mobile: Deep linking

  If mobile applications are going to be on par with Web apps, they'll need deep linking. SearchCIO visited a San Francisco startup that is aiming to make that happen.Continue Reading

• IT Priorities Survey: Pros' 2015 tech plans, projects and concerns

  What technology initiatives are IT professionals most concerned about for this year? This Essential Guide details the results of TechTarget's 2015 IT Priorities Survey.Continue Reading

• The digital effect on BPM systems

  Business processes have changed radically in the past decade, with rapid developments in cloud, social networking, mobile and analytics driving today's businesses to transform into digital companies. This requires just as radical a transformation in...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

• The marriage of mobile and data analytics

  Getting the right information to employees whenever and wherever they need it has become an increasingly tricky task for CIOs. Part of the reason is that today's mobile-tethered consumers are now data connoisseurs, and the data they produce has ...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

• Lessons learned from FedEx's social networking platform project

  What big company doesn’t want a social networking platform that lets employees really connect, communicate and create? Take it from a pro: The benefits are many and, yes, it is hard to do.Continue Reading

• Is your new business poised for success? Take this leadership survey

  Too often a new business fails because its founders discover too late they don't share the same vision. This leadership survey will help.Continue Reading

• The digital effect on the BPM lifecycle

  Digitization has fundamentally changed how businesses operate, but is the same true for business process management? Here's why the BPM lifecycle remains the same.Continue Reading

• Don't use a BPM system as a cover for bad workflows

  The case for business process management tools is compelling, says SearchCIO columnist Niel Nickolaisen -- except when a BPM system is a dodge for the hard work of simplifying workflows.Continue Reading

• Gen Z: Design technology platforms for humans -- of all ages

  Tom Koulopoulos, co-author of "The Gen Z Effect" spoke to SearchCIO about how Gen Z-ers think about privacy, data ownership and failure, and what CIOs should do about it.Continue Reading

• Preparing your wireless network for the 802.11ac standard and beyond

  Get advice for assessing whether you should upgrade your wireless network to 802.11ac and for talking to network vendors about whether your core equipment can support it.Continue Reading

• Renegade IT essentials: A CIO quiz

  Are you properly handling renegade IT at your organization? Assess your IT management skills with this CIO quiz.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

• Next-generation security in a mobile era

  The early days of mobile computing are gone. Mobile apps continue to grow in number and complexity, and so has industry spend on mobile security, reaching almost $2 billion in 2014. Still, many experts say enterprises are significantly ...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

• Legacy IT systems: Keep 'em or cut 'em?

  How do you calculate the expiration date on your legacy IT systems? It's a question CIOs must grapple with as they look at which IT systems are worth keeping around, and which are on the way out. In this issue of CIO Decisions e-zine, we...Continue Reading

• Gartner: DevOps is good; DevSecOps is better

  Make way for DevSecOps. According to Gartner analyst David Cearley, CIOs need to add security professionals to their DevOps teams.Continue Reading

• Mobile pulls CIOs into vetting next-generation security

  Among its many other wonderfully disruptive consequences, mobile computing forces CIOs to figure out a next-generation information security strategy.Continue Reading

• The next stage in mobile network technology: A CIO quiz

  Think you know what the future holds for the intersection of mobility and networking? Review our recent coverage and then take our quiz to test your knowledge of mobile network technology.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 agendaContinue 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

• Loss of focus chief reason for startup failure

  Too much passion, too little passion, too many cooks -- there are many factors that can lead to loss of focus and, ultimately, to startup failure.Continue Reading

• A CIO's guide to SMAC strategy and governance

  In this Essential Guide, explore the benefits of a SMAC strategy and get expert tips on SMAC governance best practices.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

• The complexities of a diversified cloud strategy

  Experts urge using a diversified cloud strategy to offset cloud vendor instability, but the sophisticated management skills this approach requires may make it unfeasible for some IT organizations.Continue Reading

• Big data in retail: How to turn a profit

  To successfully capitalize on big data, an iterative, experimental approach is essential to data-focused companies, and especially retailers, analysts say. In the cover story of this issue of CIO Decisions ezine, Senior News Writer Nicole Laskowski ...Continue Reading

• How to use crowdfunding for business: Examples and benefits

  Now that the likes of Kickstarter and Indiegogo have the attention of big business, raising money isn't the only reason to use crowdfunding for your small business idea, says SearchCIO columnist, Bryan Barringer.Continue Reading

• Should enterprises join the rush to use Docker's container software?

  Docker's brand of container software has tech giants buzzing. What's all the fuss about and should enterprises pounce? Also in Searchlight: Samsung-Blackberry acquisition rumor nixed; the U.S. Central Command's Twitter gets hacked.Continue Reading

• Will IaaS offerings look radically different by 2016?

  In this Ask the Expert, IDC analyst Rick Villars explains why 75% of IaaS provider offerings will be redesigned or phased out over the next year.Continue Reading

• TechTarget 2014 Information Technology Salary and Careers Survey guide

  TechTarget's 2014 Information Technology Salary and Careers Survey took the pulse of 1,200 IT pros on their earnings, projects and job satisfaction.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 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

• Artificial intelligence in business: The future is now

  Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t some far-off fantasy confined to Steven Spielberg films. Smart machines, robots and other such technologies that leverage machine learning to do tasks humans would otherwise perform are already making inroads in ...Continue Reading

• The future of incident response is in real-time OODA feedback loops

  Today's sophisticated attacks can only be foiled when humans are in the loop. In part two of Future State, security expert Bruce Schneier gives advice on how to augment IR teams and processes for the future.Continue Reading

• Cloud contract checklist: A lawyer's perspective

  It can be difficult to navigate cloud contracts. There are laws to abide by, SLAs, subcontractors and more. Where to start? One lawyer lays out the six basic issues he vets when he reviews cloud contracts with his clients.Continue Reading

• Enterprise mobile application development: A CIO strategy guide

  Ace enterprise mobile application development with the resources in this CIO Essential Guide.Continue Reading

• How many companies have cloud architects?

  In this Ask the Expert, analysts James Staten of Forrester Research and Kyle Hilgendorf of Gartner Inc. talk about how the majority of companies don't have a cloud architect, but should.Continue Reading

• What specific skills should a successful cloud architect have?

  In this Ask the Expert, analysts Kyle Hilgendorf of Gartner and James Staten of Forrester Research discuss the skills a successful cloud architect should possess. Turns out, the best candidate is a jack of all trades.Continue Reading

• Sharpen your data analytics strategy

  As new types of big data emerge, companies are struggling with integrating and interpreting that data for actionable business insight. Take this quiz for tips on developing your data analytics strategy for competitive advantage.Continue Reading

• Eight steps for comprehensive BYOD governance

  BYOD governance is not a destination, but a journey. It begins with this eight step roadmap for safe and effective BYOD policies.Continue Reading

• Chief digital officer vs. chief data officer: Who will win the day?

  Will the chief digital officer outlive the chief data officer? Where should data experts draw the line in the sand on data quality? The Data Mill reports.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

• IT leaders explain how to assign a value to your data assets

  In the latest CIO Decisions, CIOs and IT experts share their thoughts on infonomics -- placing a value on data assets -- and other of-the-moment IT concerns.Continue Reading

• SaaS governance breeds better business relationships for CIOs

  SaaS governance practiced in a holistic context is a means to be a better business partner and to move closer to the seemingly unachievable goal of aligning IT with the business. Harvey Koeppel explains why.Continue Reading

• Hype is rising over sensor data but success will hinge on fundamentals

  The buzz is on for sensor data but extracting value, as always, will hinge on mastering the data fundamentals: The Data Mill reports.Continue Reading

• The digital footprint: Business boon vs. privacy bane

  Like many IT execs, O.C. Tanner CTO Niel Nickolaisen is seeking a balance between digital footprint data mining and the privacy risks it entails.Continue Reading

• IT sourcing strategy guide for enterprise CIOs

  In this Essential Guide, learn to craft an IT sourcing strategy in the enterprise and consider the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.Continue Reading

• Prescriptive method of analytics boasts broad benefits

  Can the prescriptive method of analytics improve business outcomes in your industry? #CIOChat participants sound off on the potential and the reality.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

• Free templates: IT vendor selection, social sharing and mobile devices

  SearchCIO has rounded up free templates from around the Web providing guidance on IT vendor selection, social sharing and mobile device policies.Continue Reading

• CIOs should prepare for the battle between old BI and new BI

  BI and analytics will experience rapid adoption in 2014 as BI vendors face a changing market.Continue Reading

• Seven not-so-obvious roles your analytics pro will have to play

  What skills do CIOs need to develop or bring in-house to take on big data and advanced analytics? Here are some not-so-obvious candidates.Continue Reading