Opinion

Opinion

CIO mission

• Championing IT operational excellence: The strategic CIO's first day

  CIOs may be tempted to roll out their strategic initiatives to C-suite peers on day one, but savvy CIOs know IT operational excellence is step No. 1.  Continue Reading

• CIOs need a strategy for AR and VR use cases -- now

  CIOs need to start thinking about AR and VR and other immersive technologies as the new enterprise UI.  Continue Reading

• IT service delivery model: CIOs pressured to reinvent the process

  Tech managers are on the hook to reinvent the IT shop, but tools like user self-service, ITSM practices and the rent vs. buy option are helping effect change.  Continue Reading

• Putting tech ethics to work is the right thing to do

  That cool new app might bring in a fortune on the market, but what are the human and social implications? The time to think about tech ethics is now.  Continue Reading

• Software robot tech arrives: Are CIOs ready?

  RPA technology is coming of age and becoming a strategic play in the public and private sectors. The task for CIOs is to make sure deployments are enterprise-grade.  Continue Reading

• In IT, 'suitcase words' carry baggage

  Marvin Minsky used the term 'suitcase words' for the broad concepts we use to denote the brain's complex machinery. CIOs use buzzwords in a similar -- and perhaps dangerous -- way.  Continue Reading

• A CIO lesson in the fast-fading distinction between Amazon and AWS

  IT folks see Amazon and AWS and think retailer and cloud provider, but these powerhouses share a different view. What does their symbiosis say to CIOs?  Continue Reading

• Data center disasters: Preparing for the improbable

  Data center disasters come in all shapes and sizes, as IT expert Dan Morris knows from firsthand experience. Here's how he advises CIOs to prepare for the unknown.  Continue Reading

• How to get more women in IT jobs? Mandate an inclusive culture

  The Flatiron School, a coding boot camp in New York, calls on the entire organization -- not just the top ranks -- to create a safe, welcoming environment for women.  Continue Reading

• Three trends to keep top of mind when crafting an AI strategy

  Gartner: The first step in forming an enterprise AI strategy is to look at how users are accessing apps in their personal lives. The end game? AI-enabled computing ecosystems.  Continue Reading

• Gartner Catalyst conference keynote shows, tells IT what to build for next

  The research outfit's conference for tech pros takes a novel storytelling approach to guide IT on building for a digital future.  Continue Reading

• David vs. Goliath no more, Agile adoption is the new standard

  As Agile adoption grows, companies should not be looking to specialists to support agility, says Joseph Flahiff. Make Agile coaching a standard job requirement for team managers.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft digital transformation: CIOs to see industry, partner focus

  Digital transformation is the magic word at Microsoft these days. What can CIOs anticipate from the company as it organizes itself to reinvent its customers?  Continue Reading

• Thinking through the CIO role in digital transformation

  The CIO role in digital transformation is not about technology. It's about understanding how technology can help capture business value. Expert Dan Morris makes the case.  Continue Reading

• Needed now and for the foreseeable future: Five hot IT skills

  Demand for IT talent is at an all-time high, Niel Nickolaisen says, because every company today really is a technology company. Here are the hot IT skills he's on the lookout for.  Continue Reading

• Data literacy in high demand; academia responds

  Data literacy is at the heart of new computing programs at two of the country's premier private research universities. The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Don't let impostor syndrome hold you back

  Lots of accomplished people feel like frauds -- and that can get in the way of success. An IT pro shares his experience and the tools to move on.  Continue Reading

• CIO roles: A CIO becomes a cloud enthusiast and outgrows his mentors

  Want to get a sense of how much CIO roles and responsibilities have changed? Try explaining your cloud strategy to your IT mentors.  Continue Reading

• The new products development process and IT innovation

  Most people don't know what their company's business objectives are. But for IT to contribute to a successful new products development process, your team needs to know.  Continue Reading

• The commanding presence of quiet leaders

  The MIT CFO Summit explores the inverse of the stereotypical extroverted leader and the effect that quiet leaders can have in an organization.  Continue Reading

• To be leaders, technical professionals must move beyond IT expertise

  Technical professionals sometimes flounder when adapting to leadership roles. Here are the four critical skills that they must strengthen to become high impact business leaders.  Continue Reading

• Automation of knowledge work: Mapping out IT role

  In this issue of CIO Decisions, we explore knowledge work automation, in the form of RPA, and its promise to make business processes more efficient and productive and save money.  Continue Reading

• Cloud office productivity suites: Cultural divide

  In this month's CIO Decisions, we explore the cultural divide in the cloud office-productivity-apps space, in which Google and Microsoft are battling for market share.  Continue Reading

• Why I should own enterprise mobile application development

  Who should be in charge of enterprise mobile application development? How about the person who has a passion for using technology to make businesses better?  Continue Reading

• How I learned to love Agile ERP and why you should too

  CTO Niel Nickolaisen's road to Agile ERP began with an 'insane' ERP experience and a vow.  Continue Reading

• Blockchain use cases and how to get going

  Blockchain observers talk a lot about the widespread impact the technology will have on various industries, but pinpointing use cases and putting them into action isn't so easy. In July's CIO Decisions, dive into potential blockchain use ...  Continue Reading

• The DevOps approach calls for openness to change

  DevOps speeds the software development process, but it is also highly disruptive. In the June issue of CIO Decisions, read about the challenges and rewards of adopting the DevOps approach.  Continue Reading

• IoT could revolutionize food safety

  Sensor technology could have sped up the search for the culprit in the 2006 E. coli outbreak that was linked to contaminated spinach. In May's issue of CIO Decisions, we explore the ways food safety could be improved with the integration of IoT into...  Continue Reading

• A CIO faces a cybersecurity threat, a cool head prevails

  Two weeks into a new CIO job at a global bank, Harvey Koeppel was faced with a cybersecurity threat halfway across the globe. Keeping a level head made all the difference.  Continue Reading

• Data lake governance is crucial to big data management

  Data lakes have become a major boon for companies as they seek to more effectively manage and analyze big data. But without proper data lake governance, they can easily lead to disaster.  Continue Reading

• As use of mobile apps for employees grows, so does CIO role

  As the need for mobile apps for employees grows, so does the need for CIOs to take the lead on mobile app development -- and they'll need to partner closely with the business to do so.  Continue Reading

• 3D printing technology payoff beyond imagination

  Skeptical about all the hype around 3D printing technology? We ain't seen nothin' yet, says SearchCIO columnist Harvey Koeppel.  Continue Reading

• Augmented and virtual reality make a play for the enterprise

  Augmented and virtual reality are breaking out of the consumer space and into the enterprise. Deloitte explains why it's a good time for CIOs to get ready: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Want to go the private cloud computing route? It's no breeze

  Private cloud computing comes with many benefits, but building and managing it is no simple feat. Does your company have what it takes?  Continue Reading

• How to do an advanced data analytics project on the cheap

  Delivering an advanced data analytics project to the business can cost a fortune. But with some imagination, CIOs can do it for pennies on the dollar. Niel Nickolaisen explains how.  Continue Reading

• Hadoop security, Spark top list of 2015 Data Mill columns

  We've rounded up the top five most popular Data Mill columns in 2015, which touched on bimodal IT, automation and Apache Spark.  Continue Reading

• Five analytics priorities for 2016

  Looking to sharpen your analytics programs in the new year? Follow this cheat sheet on how to win with analytics in 2016.  Continue Reading

• Cognitive technology, microservices top 2016 analytics trends list

  The International Institute for Analytics released its annual list of predictions, which highlights the rise of analytical microservices and data curation tools.  Continue Reading

• Prospects are bright for CIOs and chief data officers who work together

  CIOs and chief data officers will own data strategy, if they can learn to play nice. Plus, is the United Airlines customer engagement app cool or creepy? And a gimmick to build C-suite trust: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• The importance of modernizing your APM strategy

  In today's "application economy," a company's employees and customers are conducting much of their lives through apps. It's time for CIOs to revamp their application performance management strategies to focus on user experience.  Continue Reading

• The digital roadmap demands a new kind of ITSM support

  Traditional ITSM support doesn't cut it in a digitally enabled and digitally disrupted marketplace. In part one, Harvey Koeppel describes the problem. Go to part two for the remedy.  Continue Reading

• Attention, CIOs and other humans: Advances in robotics will reshape society

  Robots are on track to be faster and smarter than humans -- someday they'll be as creative, too, says robotics engineer Hod Lipson. Now is the time to prepare.  Continue Reading

• Data-driven decisions win in blackjack -- and in business

  Still debating the merits of gut feel vs. data-driven decisions? Take a page from Jeff Ma's book, which tells how he used data to win millions at blackjack.  Continue Reading

• C-level execs should keep tabs on IBM-Weather Co. deal

  IBM’s plans to acquire The Weather Co. underscores the importance of IoT and predictive analytics.  Continue Reading

• Cloud contract negotiations: In praise of risk takers and caution

  The days of cloud service contracts heavily skewed in the provider's favor are fading. Robust adoption and increased competition are giving CIOs an edge in contract negotiation.  Continue Reading

• To shine in digital economy, CIOs need passion, partnerships

  IT leaders need to love what they do -- and they need to know the business they're in. That was the message from a career panel at the recent Gartner Symposium.  Continue Reading

• Pixar president on why building a 'fail fast' culture is hard

  The duality of failure, IBM's bet on cognitive computing, and the difference between a data officer and an analytics officer: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Big data ethics: Why the CIO needs to get involved

  At a recent Harvard University event, academics and industry professionals shined a light on the ethical challenges in big data's near future.  Continue Reading

• Strata + Hadoop World: A quiet mind is a creative mind

  Shhhh! The brain does its best thinking in quiet. Plus, meet the #HowOldRobot and find out how the IoT is influencing the Tour de France: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Emerging: DataOps and three tips for getting there

  A look at DataOps, Agile analytics and an IT leader who is striving to make Boston a data-driven city: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Fire all your managers: 'Supportive Leadership' is management's new role

  All-knowing bosses have had their day. Managing today's knowledge worker requires 'Supportive Leadership,' according to expert Joseph Flahiff.  Continue Reading

• Building a big data technology framework? Focus on business differentiation

  When building a big data framework, CIOs don't need to be a jack of all IT trades, but a master of business differentiators: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• People in CIO positions should stay off this list

  Today, customers rule -- CIOs who don't submit put their careers at risk. Analyst Bobby Cameron details five binds that spell doom for CIO positions.  Continue Reading

• Five IT leaders take on the challenge of digital transformation

  Digital disruption has become a catch-all term used indiscriminately to telegraph that digital technologies have turned businesses upside down. That's about right. Now, how will your business survive the journey to digital transformation?  Continue Reading

• Success in CIO position increasingly tied to business expertise

  Success for CIOs has little to do with technical knowledge, according to research out of Columbia University; a culture lesson from Disney; and the rise of digital humanism: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Three CIO communication tips that will change the way you lead

  Three communication tips, four characteristics of quantum computing, and the unhappiness of IT architects: The Data Mill reports from Gartner Catalyst.  Continue Reading

• Cloud inventory management: A 21st-century CIO's responsibility

  Cloud inventory management has more to do with CIO leadership and trust than covert tracking of rogue apps.  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

• 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

• 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

• IoT hype, hope give rise to new C-level position, chief IoT officer

  Ask a group of IT experts if IoT is going to change the world, and there's no debate. The question is, who's going to run the transformation?  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

• 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

• 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

• Unlocking business value in a hybrid environment

  The job of integrating a hybrid environment has become more complex and more urgent than ever as companies’ adoption of cloud-based systems gains momentum. But is the work about to get easier?  Continue Reading

• Ten analytics success stories in a nutshell

  Analytics success stories from the likes of Burberry, CBS, Coca-Cola and L'Oreal. The Data Mill reports.  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

• Big data and mobile marriage: No easy hookup

  In today's digital economy, providing useful data to employees when they need it has become a formidable challenge for businesses. See how CIOs are marrying big data and mobile to cut through the complexity.  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

• Legacy IT systems can be the kindest cut of all

  Should your legacy IT systems stay or go? CIOs tasked with this decision might find eliminating past-their-prime systems to be the kindest cut of all.  Continue Reading

• Next-generation security for a mobile culture: 10 risks, seven pointers

  The number of mobile devices now outnumbers the number of people in the world. Mass mobilization calls for next-generation security tools and some forward thinking on the part of CIOs.  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

• Desperately seeking security

  Your enterprise is probably no further than six degrees of separation from a damaging data breach. In CIO Decisions ezine, find out how those seeking security can turn hindsight into actionable intelligence.  Continue Reading

• Application consolidation: Business value beyond expense reduction

  Application consolidation is never an end unto itself. It's the business benefits that matter. SearchCIO columnist Harvey Koeppel explains.  Continue Reading

• Snowden: Data encryption is good, but not good enough

  Edward Snowden and Bruce Schneier talk data encryption and privacy in a networked world. The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Seven secrets to big data project success

  Are there traits that spell big data success? Are there big data pitfalls that can spell disaster? The answer is an emphatic “yes,” according to three experts.  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

• Systems diagrams help leaders manage change

  CIOs need to 'learn how to surf' the waves of change. Systems diagramming can help. The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Booz Allen Hamilton's innovation blueprint

  A peek at Booz Allen's innovation practice, what Etsy looks for in a data analyst and mathematical proof that vampires don't exist: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Big text and the 2014 World Cup

  There's big data and then there's big text. Find out why they're different. Plus, the key to a data team's success: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• Artificial intelligence in the enterprise: It's judgment day

  Artificial intelligence in the enterprise isn't some far-off science-fiction film fantasy: It's already here, and it's time for CIOs to judge its business applications.  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

• 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

• From smoke signals to SMAC, digital business arrives

  Sharing your content is no longer about writing letters, sending emails or placing advertising. SearchCIO expert Harvey Koeppel analyzes how social media technologies have transformed business communications along with mobile, analytics and cloud.  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

• Ten open data examples to get CIOs thinking

  Say hello to open data; the agricultural industry gets "smarter"; and UNICEF innovates: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• A crisis management plan steeped in IT for this year's Boston Marathon

  IT upgrades and social data mining better equip Boston Marathon organizers for their 118th year; plus, soft robotics and Microsoft's forced update.  Continue Reading

• 14 questions that drive cloud computing strategies in the right direction

  Stop debating what the cloud is and start asking these 14 questions that develop cloud strategies for the business worth talking about.  Continue Reading

• The struggle to integrate data keeps users tethered to same old apps

  Businesses' abiding love of Excel, the struggle to integrate data, the rising role of data temps and big data royalties: The Data Mill reports.  Continue Reading

• On a day of praise for disruptive technologies, a word of caution

  A former Google engineer schools aspiring disruptors on what really matters when deploying disruptive technology for human consumption.  Continue Reading

• Enable mobile workers by enabling digital business: Eight tips for CIOs

  From 33,000 feet up, traveling 420 miles per hour, expert contributor Harvey Koeppel offers CIOs eight tips for keeping pace with mobile workers.  Continue Reading

• In business-model innovation, cloud computing is imperative

  Business-model innovation is a necessity in light of the changes that cloud computing brings to the enterprise, columnist Harvey Koeppel explains.  Continue Reading

• Hadoop 2.0's deep impact on big data and big data technologies

  Hadoop 2.0, big data security, and the future of work: The Data Mill reports  Continue Reading