InformationWeek

August 11, 1997

IT Services In Demand

hen was the last time you stepped back and looked with amazement at the technology you use every day? IT evolves rapidly, and folks who develop and deploy it don't always appreciate the wonders they bring to the enterprise.

When I first started covering IT in 1984 at Information Systems News (the forerunner of InformationWeek ), big iron was king and networking was spelled SNA. Only a handful of enterprises deployed PCs, and the LAN was in its infancy. Few had heard of the Internet, and none could have recognized its usefulness as a business tool.

Much has changed. Yet the now-commonplace IT tools invented years ago still amaze me today. Take E-mail. A decade and half ago, E-mail mea nt messaging someone on a proprietary system. Today, you can reach nearly anyone, anywhere, who is connected online. Routine? Yes. Astounding? Definitely.

IS managers charged with making technology seem commonplace often seek outside help. This issue of the Technology Buyer's Guide focuses on three types of services: IT outsourcing, Internet integration, and self-paced training.

G2 Research analysts Lesley Kao and Anna Patitucci present the novel notion that if you're outsourcing year 2000-compliance tasks, you might as well outsource the management of those applications, too. Lou Bertin, our managing editor/industry, discusses why proper internal planning for Internet projects is a requisite whether you employ an integrator or not. And technology editor Logan Harbaugh explains how self-paced training tools let IS technicians interact as much with a virtual instructor as with a real teacher.

We'd like to know what you think of this guide. Is it as useful as we hope it is? Drop us a note at the ad dress below.

Eric Chabrow
Special Projects Editor
echabrow@cmp.com

Please note: The charts associated with this special section are available in PDF format. Please visit Adobe's site to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the charts.

Make Your Best Year 2000 Deal
With Jan. 1, 2000, just 872 days away, enterprises looking to outsource their year 2000 computer date-field projects should also consider farming out the management of applications after the coding is fixed. The rewards are bountiful: Not only does outsourcing cure the headaches of fixing noncompliant code, but enterprises can pay for the conversion over the life of the outsourcing contract. Just follow the road map drawn by G2 Research analysts Lesley Kao and Anna Patitucci.

Chart: List of Top Outsourcing Services Se e "Systems-Application Management Vendors" on page one of this pdf file

Plan Web Sites And Intranets With Care
The dash to set up Internet and intranet sites is forcing IS managers to act as educators, as well as implementers, within their companies. Those demands put a premium on making the right decisions on whether to undertake the endeavor with in-house personnel or to procure Internet integration or outsourcing services. Either way, Lou Bertin reports, careful planning is a must if online projects are to succeed.

Chart: List of Key Internet/Intranet Integration Offerings See "Internet Integration Services Vendors" on pages two and three of this pdf file

Learn IT At Your Own Pace
If you need to provide training for your IS staff but can't have them off-site for lengthy periods, check out self-paced training. As Logan Harbaugh expla ins, today's computer-based training programs perfectly mimic the software IS staffers need to learn. Users don't just see a presentation on a new networking product, for instance-they use it, install it, and administer it.

Chart: List of Self-paced Training Tools See "Self-Paced Training Vendors" on pages four and five of this pdf file

Complete Vendor Index See the last page of this pdf file.

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