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March 20, 2012 20 Mar'12
Renewable energy sources scarce, but there's plenty of energy to save

This wasn't a new story, but it was to me. So, I was a little disappointed to read about the dangers of wind power. Dangers? From a clean, renewable energy source? Yes, the magnets used to build ...
March 16, 2012 16 Mar'12
The bad example set by the Britannica online edition

This week, the Encyclopaedia Britannica announced that its most recent print run would be its last, ending a 244-year run of printing out giant tomes. The $1,395 print-bound sets were swooped up by ...
March 16, 2012 16 Mar'12
Siri, find me a good lawyer

In this week’s roundup, a legalpalooza: Yahoo sues Facebook, someone sues Siri and a lawyer slowly backs away from her Pinterest boards.
March 16, 2012 16 Mar'12
Where are the women in computer science?

Women are nearly at parity with men when it comes to bachelor's degrees in science and engineering. So, why are so few women in computer science?
March 15, 2012 15 Mar'12
How big data improves an information security strategy

A security guru discusses new ways of looking at the intersection between big data and an information security strategy.
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March 12, 2012 12 Mar'12
Who’s afraid of the iPad 3?

This week’s bits include why the iPad 3 should put a scare in the competition, and an example of how CIOs who consider the consumer come out on top.
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
The love-hate nature of unified communications

A unified communications strategy where workers are empowered to make decisions comes up against management's need to control.
March 03, 2012 03 Mar'12
Security woes and a different kind of Net threat

We're feeling a little vulnerable this week. Maybe it's because our cache of tech bits is a little heavy on security issues.
February 28, 2012 28 Feb'12
Data loss statistics: Emerging culprits

Social networking, cloud computing and mobile technology create business opportunities. But data loss statistics show these advances create risks too.
February 24, 2012 24 Feb'12
Silence on business analytics speaks volumes

The next time your CIO pals clam up about business analytics, watch out. They're on to something. You should be too.
February 24, 2012 24 Feb'12
No need to search, they know what you want

Tidbits of news and analysis from the week that was, including another manipulation of big data, three steps to becoming the CIO you know you are and one mobile device that might give you headaches.
February 22, 2012 22 Feb'12
BI strategies evolve for big data analysis needs

"Big data" is a buzzword no more. CIOs are adapting their BI strategies to meet the challenges of big data analysis.
February 21, 2012 21 Feb'12
Mission-critical systems taking on dual roles

As CIOs take on new roles, they are finding new uses for mission-critical systems -- and that in turn is making their role more business-critical.
February 20, 2012 20 Feb'12
Are personal privacy violations just the cost of mobility?

Each week, we scour the Web and bring you the most tantalizing tidbits that hit our radar. This week, we're looking at the nasty reality of personal privacy violations, the price of insider trading ...
February 15, 2012 15 Feb'12
Is technology leadership training lacking?

A lack of technology leadership training specific to the CIO position leaves the up-and-comers fending for themselves.
February 14, 2012 14 Feb'12
CIOs learning to juggle business growth strategies with technology

You start spending enough time around CIOs and you can really feel the changes swirling around them. On the one hand, CIOs and senior IT executives must drive business growth strategies through ...
February 14, 2012 14 Feb'12
No honor-student bumper stickers for Steve Jobs

A roundup of items you might have missed from around the Web, including Steve Jobs' high school GPA and a possible storm over cloud privacy in the EU.
February 13, 2012 13 Feb'12
No honor-student bumper stickers for Steve Jobs

Top o’ the week to you. We're as laden with interesting Web tidbits as Adele is with Grammy awards today. Without further fanfare, here are six stories from around the Internet, the leadoff one a ...
February 09, 2012 09 Feb'12
Days are dwindling for successful Windows 7 migration

If you've been hitting the snooze button on Windows 7 migration, it's time to wake up -- you're already late.
February 08, 2012 08 Feb'12
2012 Global IT Forecast

TechTarget asked 2,642 IT professionals and business analysts around the world for their IT forecasts for 2012. The direction of IT budgets and the technologies getting attention may surprise.
February 07, 2012 07 Feb'12
Big data is dead? Long live analytics apps?

The view of BI as an enterprise-wide system similar to ERP is giving way to a more tactical, "disaggregated" approach based on analytics apps.
February 01, 2012 01 Feb'12
Who's the 'insider' security campaigns target?

Can CIOs learn anything from a security campaign launched by the military more than 60 years ago?
January 31, 2012 31 Jan'12
Shared services model puts focus on external customer

For Owens Corning CIO David Johns, a shared services model is key to a low-cost, high-value IT and business services delivery strategy.
January 31, 2012 31 Jan'12
Shared services are the next generation of IT

Last week I wrote about the transformation of banking services into products. This week I want to discuss different types of services--shared services. One of the first technology news stories I ...
January 24, 2012 24 Jan'12
Google data center solutions to adapt in your own IT shop

Each week, we scour the World Wide Web to give you a quick punch of last week's biggest news stories and interesting blog posts. This week, we're taking a look at whether computer science should be ...
January 23, 2012 23 Jan'12
The CIO and the extended enterprise

The CIO role is stretching further into the outer limits of the "extended enterprise."
January 19, 2012 19 Jan'12
CIOs: Should your next IT hire be a consumer advocate?

How IT shops are changing and whom CIOs need to hire are big topics in the age of cloud and mobility. Should consumer advocates be on the list?
January 16, 2012 16 Jan'12
Banks on Twitter? Don't bank on it

Recently, I was with my son to open an account at the local branch of my once mighty but now struggling Mega Bank. The customer service rep ran through the "product" options we had for creating his ...
January 12, 2012 12 Jan'12
CIOs proving the value of technology investments

There's no easy way to prove the value of technology investments, but smart CIOs are finding new ones -- and smarter still, being proactive about it.
January 05, 2012 05 Jan'12
Time to re-evaluate need for some endpoint security tools?

Security investments and priorities are a tricky thing to nail down, given that threats are constantly shifting, but one security precaution could be going the way of the dodo bird. Michael Daly, ...
January 05, 2012 05 Jan'12
Rosy outlook for services broker model may have thorns

The IT services-broker model might be good for your business, but one CIO cautions against letting the label define your role.
January 05, 2012 05 Jan'12
Re-evaluating endpoint security tools

Has technology advanced to the point that some endpoint security tools -- and the staff needed to support them -- will go away?
December 23, 2011 23 Dec'11
Bill limiting IT worker overtime pay could put CIOs in a tough spot

With technology boosters like these, who needs Scrooge? That's what many IT folks must be thinking when they take a gander at the sponsors of a bill before the U.S. Senate to limit overtime pay for ...
December 23, 2011 23 Dec'11
Overtime pay limit could put CIOs in a tough spot

A bill limiting overtime pay for IT workers is one more example of politicians putting corporate interests ahead of individual workers, opponents say.
December 21, 2011 21 Dec'11
'IT as a services broker' model will carry beyond 2012

IT leaders are positioning themselves as facilitators or IT services brokers rather than as the managers and mainframe minders of yore.
December 16, 2011 16 Dec'11
CIOs have to be passionate and in fighting trim

To be executive material for the CIO job these days, you'll need more than a well-cut suit.
December 13, 2011 13 Dec'11
Cloud security planning should be part of strategy from beginning

What are you doing about cloud security planning? I say planning because, in a survey of attendees at the recent SearchCompliance.com Making the Case for the Cloud virtual seminar, more than ...
December 13, 2011 13 Dec'11
Application portals for managing mobile devices no joke

CIOs are turning to application portals to meet mobile needs while protecting corporate IT policies.
December 08, 2011 08 Dec'11
Software laden with technical debt heading for a crash

Enterprise apps are carrying millions of dollars in technical debt, one study says. CIOs need to zero in on the mistakes that could level their companies.
December 05, 2011 05 Dec'11
Can you use the Kindle Fire for business?

Each week, we mine the Web for the jewels of knowledge that appeal to CIOs. This week, we're looking at the trend of using the Kindle Fire in business, what compels women to quit their IT teams and ...
December 02, 2011 02 Dec'11
Are you at risk? Huge Java vulnerability now weaponized and exploited

It's every CIO's worst nightmare -- that panicked call when you least expect it, delivering the worst possible news: "The firewall has been breached." We know that you do everything possible to ...
November 14, 2011 14 Nov'11
Tweak your corporate Twitter policy or risk getting p0wned

Each week we scour the Web and bring you the freshest scoop from around the blogosphere. This week, we're serving up tasty helpings of corporate Twitter intellectual property questions, IT ...
November 01, 2011 01 Nov'11
PCI DSS compliance may be the answer to more than credit card privacy

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard -- PCI DSS -- has been around for a few years and has seemingly done a good job of keeping credit card data safe. No, it's not a binding regulation, ...
October 31, 2011 31 Oct'11
How to be a strategic leader in the IT industry

What happened in the IT world last week? Here's the scoop on what you might have missed, including how IBM set an example for strategic leadership, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s recent decision and cloud ...
October 25, 2011 25 Oct'11
Apple's Siri speaks to iPhone users, but what is the message?

Full disclosure: I've been an iPhone user since 2008 and I just bought my second iPad. So, I'm not bashing Apple products, and I'm not bashing iPhone users or users of Apple products in general. ...
October 20, 2011 20 Oct'11
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo urges creative destruction

Creative destruction. I've heard that term a lot this year, although it's hardly a new concept. From what's happening with the Occupy Wall Street madness to the pressure to innovate in the IT ...
October 17, 2011 17 Oct'11
The fallout from the BlackBerry outage

Here's what you may have missed last week while you were standing in line to get your new iPhone 4S or waiting for your email during the cataclysmic BlackBerry outage: • As anyone with a ...
October 11, 2011 11 Oct'11
What can we learn from the Steve Jobs Way?

There have been many timelines, retrospectives and other examinations of Apple founder Steve Jobs' career, aka the Steve Jobs Way, and it would be a waste if we don't learn lessons from him about ...
October 10, 2011 10 Oct'11
Be more effective by increasing your business storytelling

It's been a busy week around the Web, and chances are you missed some things. Between the news of the iPhone 4S and Steve Jobs' death, it seems like the Web was absolutely sticky with Apple juice ...
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
Strong passwords are more important than ever

I recently asked one of my sons for passwords to his online accounts, for gaming, email, etc. Not because I'm nosy but because I'm trying to be a responsible parent and home IT administrator, and ...
October 03, 2011 03 Oct'11
Whatever happened to last year's promising iPad clones?

Things getting hectic as you enter Q4? It seems like no matter what you do, you still just keep feeling like you're two steps behind. We know how it feels, and we're here to make it better. We've ...
September 27, 2011 27 Sep'11
GE's journey from waterfall to Agile practices

General Electric Co. turned to Agile practices to revamp software development in its Energy division. Now Agile is making its way across the company.
September 27, 2011 27 Sep'11
SIM CIO survey: IT budgets trend up, BI reigns as top CIO investment

When asked, "Are you better off than you were three years ago?" most IT organizations answer in the affirmative. IT budgets, hiring and salaries are on the rise at the majority of companies, ...
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
Taking business back from cloud service providers

One in five of the companies responding to a Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) survey of cloud trends said they are moving some or all of their outsourced cloud systems back ...
August 30, 2011 30 Aug'11
Rooftop solar panels look to be a sound green investment

Rooftop solar panels are finally turning on a light bulb over some business leaders' heads. A big office park in my town is putting up solar panels on the roofs of two parking garages on its ...
August 22, 2011 22 Aug'11
Death to the HP TouchPad tablets! Long live the king!

It's been a busy week in tech, with the demise of WebOS on everyone's lips and the inevitable budget crunch as we prepare for 2012. Never fear: We've scoured the Web so you don't have to! Here's a ...
August 16, 2011 16 Aug'11
How the Google acquisition of Motorola affects your mobile workforce

It's been a busy week in tech. Google's acquisition of Motorola has everyone wondering how it will affect their mobile workforce. Here's a tasting menu of the choicest bits around the Web, ...
July 29, 2011 29 Jul'11
Does your Internet usage policy make your employees cry?

How are you feeling today? Lonely? Upset? Vaguely withdrawn from society? If so, quick -- check your Twitter stream on your smartphone. Better now? We've all heard BlackBerry jokingly referred to ...
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
IT transformation means one thing: New IT job skills needed

I found it amusing/disturbing during the NFL player lockout that players were worried about making ends meet. Many players should certainly learn new job skills for when their playing days end, but ...
July 22, 2011 22 Jul'11
Comic-Con: IT innovation lessons from dudes in Stormtrooper suits

There are a few annual events I adore even though I'll never ever go to any of them: Burning Man, SXSW, TED, and this time of year, Comic-Con. When you're hyper-focused on IT innovation, you ...
July 18, 2011 18 Jul'11
IPad Bluetooth keyboards, iPad’s own keyboard vulnerable to hackers

Were you on vacation and unplugged last week? While you're planning your shopping list for the week, you might want to add an iPad Bluetooth keyboard and a 20-foot touch-screen wall. Here's what ...
July 12, 2011 12 Jul'11
What chief information officers have in common with Kevin Bacon

What does a chief information officer have in common with Kevin Bacon? Mathematics. The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game has been around for a while. It proves that all of us are more intertwined ...
July 08, 2011 08 Jul'11
Can the new Google social network overtake Facebook?

Facebook and Google have been at war for years. They want your eyes on their sites, and they'll do anything toward that goal. You've undoubtedly heard about the potential new heir to the Facebook ...
June 28, 2011 28 Jun'11
Even the Geek Doctor couldn't save Google Health

My first thought when I heard that Google Health is shutting down is, "what's the Geek Doctor going to do?" My second thought was shock. Dr. John Halamka, aka the "Geek Doctor," has been one of ...
June 24, 2011 24 Jun'11
Vulnerability in Dropbox security leaves user accounts wide open

No bones about it: Dropbox security just took a huge dive in user confidence. This past Sunday, Dropbox user accounts -- all of them -- were open and accessible to the world, no password required. ...
June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11
Does your business know the enterprise can't be run on rogue IT?

The question to Warren Ritchie, CIO at the Volkswagen Group of America, was pretty standard: What was the biggest surprise he faced when he came into the IT world? Ritchie was speaking at the ...
June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11
Public-sector CIOs leading IT transformation

I'm not sure about you, but my first impression of government's use of technology is that they are still working off VAX computers and dumb terminals. But, really, it's quite the contrary. Here are ...
June 13, 2011 13 Jun'11
TrueCrypt and Dropbox go together like peanut butter and chocolate

We've scoured the Web and compiled a crib sheet for the best and most interesting tidbits from around the IT blogosphere last week, including using TrueCrypt and Dropbox for data encryption, the ...
June 07, 2011 07 Jun'11
Outsourcing services need the right mix of commodity and strategy

Discover Card has made a celebrity out of "Peggy," but despite the credit card provider's efforts to humorously discredit outsourcing services in former Soviet Bloc countries, Ukraine is seeing ...
May 24, 2011 24 May'11
Failed promotion for Amazon cloud storage affects consumer confidence

It's one of those things that looks fantastic on paper: Introduce your cloud service to the consumer market by packaging it with a super-cheap, eagerly anticipated superstar's new album. Amazon did ...
May 03, 2011 03 May'11
CIO innovation is about getting ahead of the problems

My colleagues and I in the CIO/IT Strategy Media Group have spent much of the first half of 2011 talking with CIOs about innovation. So much time that I think I might go crazy asking another ...
April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11
PlayStation Network breach is Sony's shameful nadir

Another week, another major hack. It seems these things go in cycles. There was a major breach at email provider Epsilon earlier this month. But the recent attack on the PlayStation Network is ...
April 21, 2011 21 Apr'11
What does it mean that Wal-Mart is buying social media company Kosmix?

When I read the news that Wal-Mart is buying a small software company specializing in social networking, thoughts swirled. How they swirled! Kosmix upsets the Wal-Mart cosmos. All that stuff about ...
April 19, 2011 19 Apr'11
Cisco killed the Flip camera and other surprises

The news last week that Cisco killed the Flip mini-camcorder -- or, as Cisco put it, restructured its consumer products division -- is full of surprises. First, I have to admit, even as a Cisco ...
April 13, 2011 13 Apr'11
In the cloud, even custom apps will be a commodity

I'll make this short because God knows you've read enough about cloud computing and its software variation, SaaS. This concerns the cloud and custom apps, in particular the proprietary apps and IT ...
April 12, 2011 12 Apr'11
What have we learned from the Epsilon security breach?

My wife and I started getting the emails April 4. Best Buy. Our bank. Other e-commerce sites we had shopped. The impact of the Epsilon security breach was far and wide. My first thought was that at ...
April 07, 2011 07 Apr'11
Are CIO leadership skills moot if the business has you pigeonholed?

Are you lacking in CIO leadership skills, or do you lack CIO leadership qualities because the business has boxed you in, pigeonholed you as the IT guy? The question came up at a private dinner for ...
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
Are the Mozilla Firefox 4 and IE9 releases wreaking havoc on your old apps?

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and Mozilla Firefox 4 dropped within a week of each other, and now that the dust has settled, Internet users are finding that there are pieces of their daily lives ...
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
Cloudsourcing and lean methodology tap customer input

Whether your IT organization is thinking about becoming lean or using cloudsourcing techniques, it all boils down to customer input. After all, they're the ones on the front line, with the best ...
March 29, 2011 29 Mar'11
The need for IT innovation leads to aggressive collaboration

IT innovation is what happens when there's no money for new equipment but plenty of fresh ideas emanating from all parts of the business.
March 22, 2011 22 Mar'11
CIOs looking for ways to say yes to the iPad in the enterprise

CIOs are looking for ways to say yes to the iPad in the enterprise, despite the technological and cultural challenges associated with new mobile devices.
March 11, 2011 11 Mar'11
Why aren't more women in executive careers in IT?

Tuesday was International Women's Day. The United Nations' theme for 2011: "Equal access to education, training and science and technology." Last week at the FusionCIO conference in Madison, Wis., ...
March 04, 2011 04 Mar'11
Companies eyeing cloud brokers to manage multiple cloud services

Some IT departments are aggressively adopting "cloud-first" strategies for new deployments. Instead of buying new servers, they're looking at Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS); rather than ...
March 01, 2011 01 Mar'11
What would an Internet kill switch really mean?

The Internet shutdown in Eqypt last month raised questions regarding whether the U.S. would be able to do the same with a so-called Internet kill switch bill. This is not the first time such a bill ...
February 10, 2011 10 Feb'11
Effects of the Egypt Internet shutdown

It's a sign of how dependent our lives have become on the Internet, or more accurately, of "being connected." News of Egypt cutting off Internet and cellular service for five days this week shocked ...
February 08, 2011 08 Feb'11
Software tools can be basis for successful ITIL strategy

The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) can be a useful tool -- for those who have ventured into it. Just 40% of 169 IT managers at midmarket firms surveyed by SearchCIO-Midmarket.com last year ...
February 01, 2011 01 Feb'11
IT innovation is just a matter of time

Innovation is a popular topic among IT professionals and media. It's also one of the more misunderstood concepts. If you ask 10 CIOs what IT innovation means to them or to their companies, you will ...
February 01, 2011 01 Feb'11
IT offshore outsourcing markets, options on the rise, Gartner says

The never-ending quest to cut IT costs is opening up new IT offshoring markets. Here are a look at Gartner's latest assessment and a new index from IT advisory firm TPI Inc.
January 27, 2011 27 Jan'11
Offshore outsourcing: China runs the sun, will it rule the cloud too?

Gartner came out with its annual list of the top 30 countries for offshore outsourcing. Despite my complicated relationship with lists (totally sucked in and deeply skeptical), I've found the ...
January 13, 2011 13 Jan'11
Data center transformation: Evolution or revolution?

As we continue to chronicle the "disappearing" data center, we have to consider the ongoing transformation of the enterprise application. Software as a Service, Web-based applications, cloud ...
January 07, 2011 07 Jan'11
CIO resumes: Passing the eyeball test and the black ink test

Judging character and qualifications is a tough thing. The annual debate over the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame voting is going on, following the announcement of the two newest members, ...
December 23, 2010 23 Dec'10
Post-WikiLeaks computer security measures include hired hackers

Those of you who find the Wikileaks story fascinating, as I do, might enjoy zooming through Red's Query, a fictional piece of work by technology media executive Eric Lundquist. The last quarter of ...
December 22, 2010 22 Dec'10
Spreading cheer and good health through a virtual reality game

We got Kinect. For Christmas and the winter ahead, my husband said. For when the house is empty again and the weather outside is frightful. It will be good for our health, he told me. I do not play ...
December 16, 2010 16 Dec'10
Forget virtual machine management -- go to the cloud

There are still many IT shops that have not virtualized the majority of their servers. Many still haven’t moved virtual machines (VMs) to a production environment yet. In fact, some may sidestep ...
December 15, 2010 15 Dec'10
Can the use of social media skew sales forecasts?

Best Buy uses social media like a pro, or as professionally as a business can, given the newness of the communication mode. The company's Twelpforce service enlists the passion of Best Buy's entire ...
December 10, 2010 10 Dec'10
Budgets, big data and staffing among top CIO concerns

There's good news for CIOs who need to find a way to do more with less: most IT budgets will stay flat or even increase by as much as 10% in 2011, according to a live survey of more than 2,000 ...
December 10, 2010 10 Dec'10
Outsourcing vs. insourcing: The line's not so clear

An important part of a CIO's job is understanding which IT functions are best handled by others and which should be kept in-house. But the answer is not always so clear-cut in the outsourcing vs. ...
December 02, 2010 02 Dec'10
An old data center infrastructure looks new in a coat of green

Thinking about heading out to Gartner Inc.'s 29th annual Data Center Conference in Las Vegas next week, I'm reminded of how much data center infrastructure has changed since the mid-1980s, when ...
December 02, 2010 02 Dec'10
How do you know if your SaaS provider is healthy? Here's the scoop

How do you know if your SaaS provider is a good choice? A session at the recent MIT Sloan CFO Summit provided some insight that might prove useful the next time you're vetting a SaaS provider. The ...
November 30, 2010 30 Nov'10
Social bots by 2015, and other technology predictions from Gartner

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us. Time to bring out the 2011 technology predictions. Hot off the presses from the Gartner research files are the consultancy's top ...

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