Global CIO Blogs
Global CIO
A July 4th Thank You To Our Military, And Especially The Extraordinary Krissoff Family
Jul, 2, 2009 12:37:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Two highly educated and accomplished sons join the United States Marines to defend their country. One is killed in Iraq; the other still serves there. The 61-year-old father – an orthopedic surgeon – gets an age waiver to enlist and now serves as a combat surgeon near his son. The mother – strongest of all – supports and prays for them from home. Meet the remarkable Krissoff family, whose story reminds us all of the debt we owe our military families.
Global CIO
How U.S. Government Spends $200M Daily On IT
Jul, 1, 2009 07:43:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Federal CIO Vivek Kundra has shown outstanding leadership in creating easy-to-use websites that let taxpayers see how their money is being spent (or wasted) by the federal government's vast array of IT projects. But after looking at outlays for $38.6 billion in "major investments, I almost – but not quite – wished Kundra had kept some of these ugly and depressing details out of sight and therefore mercifully out of mind.
Global CIO
Can Merck CIO Avoid Conflicts Of Interest As Member Of Netezza Board?
Jul, 1, 2009 12:47:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Should CIOs join the boards of directors of IT vendors? By joining the board of Netezza, Merck CIO J. Chris Scalet will gain unmatched insight and input into the strategic plans of a key IT partner, and Netezza gets front-line customer expertise and cachet. But many vendor-customer relationships go through rough stretches or even dissolve altogether -- will Scalet be able to equitably fulfill both sets of responsibilities?
Global CIO
Dell Needs To Make An Acquisition -- But Which One?
Jul, 1, 2009 08:37:AM
Posted by Bob Evans
In a rapidly changing IT market, Dell has stood pat for a while as competitors have jumped into virtualization, the cloud, software, networking, and services. A few financial analysts feel Dell needs to quickly regain the confident aggressiveness that made it a global powerhouse earlier in this decade, and here are some acquisition targets they think will enable Dell to make that leap.
Global CIO
30% Of Auto-Industy Supply Chain Will Die, Expert Says
Jun,30, 2009 05:53:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
With bankrupt Chrysler about to resume production and as both it and General Motors struggle with huge losses and drastic new ownership structures, at least 30% and perhaps even 40% of the suppliers that feed the U.S. automobile industry will not be able to survive, says a restructuring expert.
Global CIO
Indian IT Firms Cutting Billing Rates At Unprecedented Levels
Jun,30, 2009 01:14:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Indian IT services firms have been cutting their rates by 35% or even 40% as global clients continue to look for ways to reduce costs in the global economic downturn. The depth of this latest round of rate cuts is "unprecedented," according to an industry expert based in India.
Global CIO
SAP Looking At 35% Margins And Doubled Revenue By 2014
Jun,29, 2009 06:38:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
A leaked SAP strategy document says the company expects to reach an operating margin of 35% by 2014 and also expects current revenue to double during that five-year period. Right now, archrival Oracle has an operating margin of 51%, so it will be interesting to see how each side spins its profit story to its customers.
Global CIO
Top 10 Companies For US Patents In 2008: IBM Again #1
Jun,29, 2009 04:07:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
IBM was awarded 4,186 patents last year to lead the Top 10 list, marking the 16th straight year IBM has earned more US patents than any other company in the world. IBM's achievement – that's more than 11 patent granted every single day for the entire year – also marks the first time any organization has been awarded more than 4,000 US patents in a single year.
Global CIO
CIOs Don't Listen To Vendors Anymore, Says Salesforce CEO
Jun,29, 2009 10:19:AM
Posted by Bob Evans
During the global economic downturn, an IT industry that delivers too much complexity and not enough flexibility has lost a lot of credibility, says Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, and a major repercussion has been the rise of the reference-account CIO as sales driver. Is your commission plan all set up?
Global CIO
Oracle's Larry Ellison Touts Company's New Hardware Chops
Jun,25, 2009 02:35:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
In Tuesday's eagerly anticipated earnings call, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison might have been expected to talk about the company's $23.5 billion software business or its Q4 operating margins of more than 50%. But in a sign of the changing times, he talked not about software but instead about a hardware-based Oracle product that "is shaping up to be our most exciting and successful new-product introduction in Oracle's 30-year history."
Global CIO
iPhone Hammers Blackberry In Crossover Purchase Preference
Jun,24, 2009 05:51:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Among smartphone users who don't currently have Blackberries, only 14% say they plan to buy a Blackberry as their next smartphone. But among smartphone users who don't currently have an iPhone, 38% say the iconic Apple smartphone is the one they're going to buy. Eh, cut-and-paste, schmut-and-paste!
Global CIO
Oracle Takes Share From SAP, But Is It Signing New Licenses?
Jun,23, 2009 02:48:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Oracle's acquisition binge has allowed it to take customers and market share from SAP, analysts say, but their bigger focus is on whether Oracle can stem its recent declines in new-license revenue. We'll find out for sure later today when Oracle releases its quarterly numbers, but here's what some analysts are projecting.
Global CIO
IBM’s Patent Lawyer: From Reform Advocate To Mr. Fix-It
Jun,23, 2009 11:12:AM
Posted by Chris Murphy
When I was researching an article on the U.S. Supreme Court re-shaping patent law two years ago, everyone kept telling me I needed to talk with David Kappos, IBM's top patent lawyer. Guess President Obama got the same advice.
Global CIO
Enterprise 2.0 Panelists: Get On With The Cloud Already
Jun,23, 2009 08:34:AM
Posted by Rob Preston
In a "customer visit" session kicking off the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston Monday evening, executives from IBM, Google, and EMC laid out their companies’ cloud computing value propositions and then fielded questions from a handful of potential buyers. Much has changed -- and still much hasn't -- from the first "Evening In The Cloud" session at Enterprise 2.0 a year ago.
Global CIO
Citrix CEO Templeton Forecasts Consumerization Of IT
Jun,22, 2009 08:55:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
In yet another stark example of the type of fresh thinking CIOs need to embrace to overcome tomorrow's business-technology challenges, Citrix CEO Mark Templeton says IT organizations need to create self-service models to lower the cost of infrastructure and give employees more flexibility and power. He even says employees should be given the freedom to provision their own apps and services.
Global CIO
The Apple iPhone 3G S And The CIO
Jun,22, 2009 01:11:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
Not too long ago, a mythical CIO finally authorized the Blackberry for corporate use, and overnight was transformed from know-nothing whipping-boy to rock-star hero. But now comes the iPhone 3G S and the troops are threatening an all-out uprising unless they all get one. A real-life IT exec from the U.K. tells this tale of woe in "The CIO and the iPhone."
Global CIO
Hewlett-Packard Acquires HR Business-Process Outsourcer
Jun,22, 2009 02:42:AM
Posted by Bob Evans
Hewlett-Packard has acquired full interest in an HR business-process outsourcing firm formed as a joint venture between EDS and Towers Perrin in 2005 and called Excellerate HRO. Now that HP's wholly owned services unit, EDS, has full control over the venture, HP is likely to become more aggressive in courting outsourcing deals in the HR sector.
Global CIO
Is Oracle Looking To Acquire GoldenGate For Data Migration?
Jun,19, 2009 11:43:AM
Posted by Bob Evans
Reports are circulating that Oracle will trump this week's acquisition of Conformia with the purchase of GoldenGate Software, whose data-migration and real-time integration tools are already widely used to link Oracle with Siebel and other environments.
Global CIO
CIOs Belong On The Board -- Or Else They're Just IT Managers
Jun,18, 2009 07:52:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
"Having faced the humiliation of having their IT budgets unilaterally cut, [some CIOs] are now in a tail spin that will ultimately have serious business consequences." Sound familiar? IT consultant Ade McCormack says that unless such CIOs are willing to accept the job of IT manager, they need to heed his "call to arms for a 21st-century CIO."
Global CIO
Socialism Hits Home As BusinessWeek Asks, Should CIO Pay Be Limited?
Jun,17, 2009 12:46:PM
Posted by Bob Evans
At the end of a recent article detailing the 2008 compensation packages of the five highest-paid CIOs – with #1 on the list having earned $24.65 million – BusinessWeek asked the rather bizarre question, "Do you think limits should be set for CIO pay?" After reading the article a second time, I think BusinessWeek wants the answer to be yes.
