InformationWeek Stories by Bob Evans

Global CIO: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's Goodbye Letter To European Customers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about the possibility that Oracle might suspend its operations in Europe to bypass the EC's absurd and unreasonable conditions on approving the Oracle-Sun acquisition.

Global CIO: IT-Led Opportunities Abound, So Stop Sniveling

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Lose the Depends and ask yourself why you find it so hard to believe when so many before us have given us so very much to work with.

Global CIO: Cloud Computing's New Name: 500 Reader Suggestions!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

The CEOs of HP and IBM say "cloud computing" is a lousy name, so we asked you to come up with a new term--and your 500 responses tell us a lot about ourselves.

Global CIO: SAP Tells Oracle To Free Java But Keeps Own Software Closed

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about SAP CTO arguing that Oracle and Sun should place Java in public domain, but he doesn't think SAP should have to follow same policy.

Global CIO: Why Oracle's Larry Ellison Will Tell The EU To Pound Sand

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about why Larry Ellison wants to complete the acquisiton of Sun and get it approved by the European Commission: so he can start competing head-to-head against IBM.

Global CIO: Cloud Computing's New Name: Who Will Win $100 Million?

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:01:00 EST

Column showing some nominations from readers for a new name to replace the term "cloud computing," and a request for more entries from readers.

Global CIO: Oracle Trapped By EU Politics As Sun Employees Suffer

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about the European Union continuing to abuse Oracle Corp. by refusing to allow it to complete its acquisition of Sun as the EU tries to make itself look important and capable.

IBM CEO Sam Palmisano Talks With Global CIO

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Column about IBM CEO Sam Palmisano's vision for the company around Smarter Planet, business analytics, and cloud computing.

Global CIO: IBM's New CIO Sheds Light On Priorities And Plans

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about the plans and priorities of new IBM CIO Pat Toole.

Global CIO: Juniper Attacks Cisco Head-On With Help Of IBM And Dell

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Column about Juniper Networks' attempt to become the top networking supplier via its powerful new products and its equally powerful new alliances with IBM and Dell.

Global CIO: SAP Eliminates All-Up-Front Payment Requirement

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:21:00 EDT

Column about SAP letting 580 big customers spread payments across the term of their license instead of requiring them to make the entire payment up-front.

Global CIO: Hewlett-Packard's Hurd Says Bad IT Means A Bad CEO

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about HP CEO Mark Hurd's belief that bad IT usually starts with a bad CEO.

Global CIO: Greenpeace Shakedown Targets Google, Microsoft, And IBM

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:25:00 EDT

Column about Greenpeace's attempt to shake down the IT industry to gain greater influence over restraining capitalism and global business.

Global CIO: Why Are Microsoft, Oracle, And HP Bashing IBM?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about the CEOs of Microsoft, Oracle, and HP bashing IBM for various reasons, none of which seem terribly legitimate.

Global CIO: Hewlett-Packard CEO Hurd's Strategy: The Infrastructure Company

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd saying HP's strategic vision is to the the infrastructure company for the IT industry.

Global CIO: Informatica Joins Ranks Of Elite Enterprise Software Companies

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about ongoing impressive growth from Informatica under CEO Sohaib Abbasi, who says cloud computing presents a huge opportunity for the company.

Global CIO: New Tech Firm Hiring Hundreds In U.S. To Take On The World

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about a new tech firm based in the U.S. looking to hire hundreds of IT workers to offer high-quality IT sources at prices that rival those from offshore service providers.

Global CIO: Can Oracle's Larry Ellison Keep MySQL From EU Whiners?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about how some EU groupies are claiming Oracle must divest itself of MySQL in order for the acquisition of Sun to be approved by the European Union.

Global CIO: SAP Preps For Cloud Future Via New Intel Partnership

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about extended partnership between SAP and Intel to accelerate the development and improvement of cloud computing and SaaS.

Global CIO: In Oracle Vs. SAP, IBM Could Tip Balance

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Oracle needing a lot of allies beyond Salesforce.com since it plans to compete with both IBM and SAP.

Global CIO: IBM CFO Refuses To Comment On Corporate IT Spending

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:55:00 EDT

Column about IBM's third-quarter financial results and CFO Mark Loughridge's unwillingness to comment on whether corporate IT spending has stabilized.

Global CIO: Oracle's Larry Ellison Gets Served By Netezza CEO Jim Baum

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Netezza CEO Jim Baum nailing Larry Ellison for too much talk about competitors and not enough about customers.

Global CIO: As IBM Preps For Justice's Probe, Who Started This Nonsense?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about who is behind the CCIA-inspired investigation of IBM by the Justice Department over charges that IBM is attempting to monopolize the mainframe market.

Global CIO: Suicide Strategy For CIOs: Aligning IT With The Business

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about how CIOs need to keep engaging more deeply with customers and reject the deadly notion that their job is "to align IT with the business."

Global CIO: Will U.S. Protectionism Blunt Outsourcing's Next Wave?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Column about Indian IT-services companies needing to move up into full-scale, end-to-end outsourcing, and whether the Obama administration will penalize them with protectionist measures.

Global CIO: Oracle-Salesforce Shocker As Benioff To Speak At Oracle World

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:10:00 EDT

Column about the surprising news that Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff has been invited to speak at next week's Oracle Open World mega-event.

Global CIO: IBM Is Being Railroaded By Our Clueless Justice Dept.

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about the bizarre and wrong decision by the Justice Dept. to pursue antitrust charges against IBM for wanting to to nothing more than defend its intellectual property in the mainframe business.

Global CIO: SAP Is Testing Flat-Rate Pricing For Large Enterprises

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EDT

Column about SAP testing some new pricing models that would let large enterprises pay a fixed fee for unlimited access to SAP software, while SMB's could pay subscription fees for the software they use.

Global CIO: SAP 2.0 Promises Business Value Over Products: Can It Deliver?

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about SAP's new emphasis on driving business value and not just selling software to CIOs.

Global CIO: Why Hewlett-Packard Must Articulate Its Enterprise Strategy

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 08:20:00 EDT

Column about how Hewlett-Packard needs to articulate its enterprise strategy for CIOs so that the company has a vision behind its big and broad product line.

Global CIO: Will Oracle Or SAP Blink First On 22% Maintenance Fees?

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about the 22% maintenance fees charged by Oracle and SAP and three scenarios that describe how that situation might change to the benefit or detriment of customers.

Global CIO: Accenture Should Start Buying—Here's A Shopping List

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:45:00 EDT

Column about how Accenture can become a hunter instead of the hunted by acquiring several great IT companies to deliver new value to CIOs.

Global CIO: Ballmer Blasts IBM For All The Wrong Reasons

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Column about how Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has criticized IBM for pursuing the same type of strategy that Ballmer is now unfolding for Microsoft.

Global CIO: An Open Letter To Oracle CEO Larry Ellison

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EDT

Column about how Oracle CEO Larry Ellison often focuses his comments on IT companies instead of on Oracle's customers and what his vision and strategies for them are.

Global CIO: Bill Gates Blasts China Over Corporate Software Piracy

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Bill Gates giving a keynote speech at the dedication of the Gates Center for Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, after which he said many large businesses in China use software that they do not pay for.

Global CIO: IBM Exec Says India Will 'Lead Second Wave Of IT Adoption'

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about IBM survey and an IBM exec's belief that the results show that Indian companies are more forward-looking than companies elsewhere, and that India will lead the second wave of IT adoption.

Global CIO: Oracle And SAP Race For Mid-Market Opportunities

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about SAP and Oracle racing to win the hearts and wallets of medium-sized companies, but the real race could be on-premises software versus SaaS applications.

Global CIO: Dell-Perot Cashouts And The Media's 'Windfall' Idiocy

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Bloomberg.com saying Ross Perot's cash-out from the Dell acquisition a "windfall."

Global CIO: Apple's Next Billion-Dollar Idea: The Enterprise Mobility iCloud

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about how Apple, as it becomes more of a services business, can orchestrate the creation of an enterprise-mobility cloud to connect hundreds of millions of mobile workers to their enterprise data and information.

Global CIO: Where Do Oracle's Profits Come From?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Oracle's business model being totally dependent on revenue and profits from its annual 22% maintenance fees.

Global CIO: SAP Jilted Again By Siemens: Isolated Case Or Deep Problem?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about SAP losing out on two big deals from its longtime customer/partner Siemens, which went elsewhere for maintenance support and HR software.

Global CIO: Oracle Dumps HP After Co-Creating 'Most Successful Introduction Ever'

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about fractured relationship between Oracle and HP and how Sun hardware is now at the center of Exadata 2.

Global CIO: Why CEOs Must Tie CIO Pay To Customers And Growth

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about shifting focus of CIO pay from SLAs to customer experiences.

Global CIO's Friday Update: Hair On A Wooden Leg

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column called Hair On A Wooden Leg about quirky CIO-related news and information.

Global CIO: IBM's Massive Study Says Future Belongs To High-Growth CIOs

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about huge new study from IBM showing difference between performance of and value created by high-growth CIOs versus low-growth CIOs.

Global CIO: Microsoft Opens $500M Data Center Mothballed In January

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Microsoft's new 700,000-square-foot data center in suburban Chicago and all the trials and tribulations it took to finally get the giant facility up and running.

Global CIO: Oracle Nailed By EU Protectionism As HP And IBM Raid Sun

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about European Commission conducting a groundless extended investigation of Oracle's intent to acquire Sun Micrososystems.

Global CIO Friday Update: Hair On A Wooden Leg

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about interesting business and technology news for CIOs.

Global CIO: Citrix CEO Templeton On Killing IT Inertia Before It Kills You

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Column about Citrix philosophy of virtualization, optimization and centralization to help CIOs lower IT costs and increase business agility.

Global CIO: HP And IBM To Add 4,000 U.S. Jobs In Three Small Towns

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about HP and IBM opening taxpayer-subsidized support centers in three small towns across the U.S. that will eventually lead to 4,000 jobs.

Global CIO: In The Age Of Facebook, IT Problems Become CIO Nightmares

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about how CIOs need to master Facebook and Twitter and other social media because their customers are deeply into those conversations whether the CIOs know it or not.

Global CIO: Salesforce.com Surge Pushes SaaS Into Mainstream

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about rise of the SaaS platform from a limited product set for small companies to a mainstream enterprise-level standard.

Global CIO: LG Transforms Global Operations With New Oracle ERP

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:00:00 EDT

Column about huge project by LG Electronics to standardize key business processes around the globe before installing Oracle's newest ERP platform, called R12.

Global CIO: An Open Letter To Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

An open letter to Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd about HP's opportunity to help CIOs transform their IT organizations by spending less internally and more on growth.

Global CIO: JetBlue Genius And Hollywood Lunacy: 5 Essential Lessons For CIOs

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:50:00 EDT

Column about need for CIOs to drive growth by following customer-centric approach of JetBlue instead of customer-isolating beliefs of many major Hollywood studios as they try to isolate Redbox and Netflix.

Global CIO: Chevron's IT Transformation: A Tech Company In The Energy Business

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about Chevron Corp. CIO Louie Ehrlich leading a sweeping IT transformation at the sprawling energy company.

Global CIO: As Regulators Jam Oracle, IBM And HP Snatch Sun Customers

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about HP and IBM pursuing Sun customers while Oracle awaits clearance from regulators in U.S. and Europe to complete its acquisition of Sun.

Global CIO: Welcome To The CIO Revolution: A New IT Manifesto

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Column about a CIO revolution against traditional constraints and stereotypes and in favor of deeper customer engagements, more innovative risk-taking, and an eager embrace of new technology models.

Global CIO: Why CIOs Need The Transformative Power Of Twitter

Mon, 3 Aug 2009 08:49:00 EDT

This columns offers case studies for CIOs of how six very different organizations are using Twitter to engage with customers, build powerful relationships with customers, and create new types of business value.

Global CIO: IBM's Game-Changing Plunge Into Predictive Analytics

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT

This column describes how IBM will become a leader in predictive analytics by buying SPSS and will force other IT companies to change the way they position their products.

Global CIO: An Open Letter To Cisco CEO John Chambers

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EDT

In an open letter to Cisco CEO John Chambers, this column notes that Cisco is expanding beyond its traditional networking business with its Unified Computing System, telepresence, and other enterprise-level efforts. While this offers great potential, it also raises this question: What business is Cisco in today?

Global CIO: Have Oracle & SAP Hit Tipping Point With 22% Fees?

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Alternative providers of support and maintenance services are winning over CIO hearts and wallets, but is this a real threat to SAP and Oracle or just a fad?

Global CIO: Why CIOs Without Customer Engagements Will Fail

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:19:00 EDT

Listen in as a CEO tries to understand a non-negotiable demand from a Global CIO his company is trying to recruit.

Global CIO Summit: Insights From 12 World-Class CIOs

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Global CIO: How 22% Annual Fees For You Equals 51% Operating Margins For Oracle

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT

The enterprise-software powerhouse is rightfully proud of its financial prowess. But in this brutal economy, are its customers getting a fair return?

Global CIO: Hey, CIOs -- Augment Your Strategic Reality With This Great New Technology

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:05:00 EDT

During this difficult economic time, augmented reality has the potential to help you enhance your role as a visionary business technology leader, inspire your team, and steal the march on your competitors.

Global CIO: Should CIO Compensation Be Capped By The Government?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT

It seems inevitable that the Obama administration will seek to cap executive compensation across the board, including CIOs, and not just for companies bailed out by taxpayers.

Global CIO: Six Lessons CIOs Must Learn From Coke's Dazzling Innovation

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT

CIOs from all industries need to sit down with their C-level peers and imagine fresh new approaches and processes that give customers more choices while driving more actionable, customer-based knowledge back to headquarters.

Global CIO: Should Microsoft Buy Salesforce.com?

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 07:15:00 EDT

Maybe Microsoft and Salesforce could each be very good for what ails the other.

Global CIO: Sam Palmisano's Grand Strategy For IBM Revealed In $5B Global Financing Plan

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT

The company is offering billions to help customers "mind the gap" until so-called stimulus money begins to flow around the globe. And it expects much of that funding will be used to purchase its very own products and services.

Global CIO: How Do You Match Up Against 50 Of The World's Top CIOs?

Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT

The global economic downturn is accelerating the evolution of the CIO position, requiring CIOs to be more business-driven, customer-focused, and accountable for growth.

Global CIO: An Open Letter To SAP CEO Leo Apotheker

Wed, 20 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT

SAP's plans to connect its operations and priorities more intimately with its customers are great signs, but they're also just the first steps in what's sure to be a long journey.

Global CIO: Autonomy, Part II: Multivariant Testing And Killing The Hippos

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:12:00 EDT

In the second of a two-part series on Autonomy, find out how companies are putting its software to practical use.

Global CIO: How The World's Hottest Enterprise Software Company Defies The Downturn

Wed, 13 May 2009 07:30:00 EDT

In this first of a two-part series on Autonomy, find out how the company finds growth and drives change in the gloom.

Global CIO: A Remarkable Story Of Health Care Success

Wed, 6 May 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The CIO at a small hospital system in rural southern Ohio shows the power and potential of digital progress

Global CIO: Upheaval In The IT Industry: The End Of The World As We Knew It

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:45:00 EDT

The old model where hardware was hardware and software was software is gone, finished, and not to be seen again.

Global CIO: Prove IT's Business Value To Your CEO -- Or Else

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EDT

CIOs face relentless pressure from CEOs to prove, in financial terms, the business value of the IT team and the IT budget.

Global CIO: Would You Risk Your Career To Be A Whistle-Blower?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:30:00 EDT

It's not an easy choice, but you don't get paid to avoid conflict.

Global CIO: Let's Put The Offshoring Bogeyman In Proper Perspective

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 09:15:00 EDT

We need to avoid getting caught up in the emotional flashpoints of offshoring and outsourcing without putting the extent of those practices into perspective.

Global CIO: What CIOs Must Do To Survive The Recession

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 12:04:00 EDT

The old ways are gone forever -- CIOs must adapt to a new environment fully engaged with operations, customers, and revenue generation.

Global CIO: The Ugly And Dangerous Prejudice Against Outsourcing

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:54:00 EDT

If American businesses yield to the anti-outsourcing caterwaulers, then don't be surprised to see them go after other equally legitimate business tools next.

Global CIO: The Excellent Opportunity Facing CIOs

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:45:00 EDT

CIOs today are in the perfect position to lead the next wave of customer-centric business evolution.

Global CIO: The $200-Million-A-Day Man: Our New Federal CIO

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EDT

With his staggering federal IT budget, Vivek Kundra needs to address these six crucial questions.

Global CIO: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Has Declared War -- Are You Enlisting?

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 09:48:00 EST

It comes down to whether you believe that Salesforce could reduce some costs for you and deliver every single bit of functionality and value that Oracle or Microsoft or SAP could.

Global CIO: CIO As Chief Cost Cutter: It's Not Enough

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:10 EST

When the upturn arrives, will your customers be satisfied with the capabilities your company had before it went into lockdown mode or will they be looking for growth strategies?

Global CIO: Why Do CIOs Get No Respect?

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

CIOs need to examine what they've done -- or not done -- that perpetuates the no respect mantra.

Disaster Recovery: Can California CIO Defy Odds And Fix State's IT Mess?

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Global CIO takes a look at the heavy lifting that faces California CIO Teri Takai and team as they modernize the state's IT infrastructure.

Global CIO: Business/IT Alignment 'Is Dead' -- What's Next?

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 11:15:00 EST

A new book offers a prescription for rethinking the role of technology and getting ready for the post-recession world.

Global CIO: An Open Letter To Oracle CEO Larry Ellison

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:10 EST

The issue that needs your fresh thinking: the one-size-fits-all, non-negotiable maintenance fees most software companies charge.

Global CIO: What CEOs Want From CIOs

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:01 EST

Inspired leadership, customer-focused innovation, and a relentless business focus just about cover what CIOs need to bring to the table.

Global CIO: Align IT With Customers, Not Business

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:10 EST

CIOs who can't unshackle themselves from the bonds of internally focused thinking and execution won't survive.

Global CIO: Stop 'Aligning IT With The Business'

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:18:00 EST

It's time for IT to show its value by focusing on customer needs rather than internal issues.

Global CIO: A 10-Point Plan For Success In 2009

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 11:03:00 EST

Pat the CIO offers his pointed plan to achieve better ways of operating, calling it a comprehensive plan that needs support to succeed.

Global CIO: The Top 10 CIO Issues For 2009

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:45:00 EST

What should be on your agenda next year: A CIO-centric blend of business and tech issues that will help you increase business and customer value.

Global CIO: Remembering Bill Gates: A Faraway Look At The Larger-Than-Life Legend

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:07:00 EST

Poorly delivered jokes aside, Bob Evans remembers interviews with Bill Gates over the years and wishes him success in philanthropy and future endeavors.

Global CIO: Stop Treating IT Like A Cost Center

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:07:00 EST

A fly on the tavern wall relates a conversation among three CEOs about cultivating business technology leadership and innovation.

Transforming Your Business Model

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:01:50 EDT

A new book examines the two elements you need to embrace to succeed in the New Age of Innovation.

The Inexorable Rise Of The New CIO

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:11 EST

Anyone who thinks the changing role of the CIO is cyclical is asleep at the wheel -- or worse.

CIOs Uncensored: CIOs Should Be Fired For Foolish Security Breaches

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 09:00:00 EDT

It's time for CIOs to step up, allocate resources, and make cybersecurity airtight.

Down To Business: Solve The Mystery Of The Disappearing CIO

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:01:00 EDT

Bruce Rogow comments on the current upheaval in the position of the CIO.

CIOs Uncensored: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:10 EDT

There's a challenge to us all in the final lecture of one computer science professor: Do we nurture creativity and enthusiasm, or squash it?

CIOs Uncensored: Are CIOs Disappearing (Part III): The Tipping Point

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:01:00 EDT

The role of the CIO is evolving. The reality as we reach this level will be the different ways organizations pursue the new order of IT business.

CIOs Uncensored: Are CIOs Disappearing?

Sat, 8 Sep 2007 00:00:09 EDT

An informal and *very* unscientific search of the Web sites for a dozen global companies reveals that seven out of those 12 don't list their CIOs among their executive teams. Why, and what does it mean?

CIOs Uncensored: The Wall Street Journal's Irresponsible And Dangerous Attack On Corporate IT

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:00:11 EDT

An article that instructs people on how to get around corporate IT policies sends many wrong messages.

Wal-Mart's Latest 'Orwellian' Technology Move: Get Over It

Fri, 6 Apr 2007 12:55:00 EDT

Many government workers exist in a world seemingly free from the forces of market demand. Wal-Mart doesn't, and it doesn't need to apologize for managing its business accordingly.

Business Technology: After 10 Years And 500 Columns, It's Time To Go

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:09 EST

Bob Evans turns to online projects full time, taking with him fond memories of the business-technology community.

Business Technology: Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Column

Mon, 6 Feb 2006 00:03:00 EST

Back in the day when The Columnist was king, no one would dare question him, Bob Evans says. How times have changed.

Business Technology: Industry Changes Lead To Difficult Choices

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:00:09 EST

Bob Evans asks, are you prepared to answer the tough questions that changes in technology are bringing?

Business Technology: Through The Prying Eyes Of 'Privacy Advocates'

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:00:08 EST

Fighting children's access to pornography is a noble cause, so Google must find a way to aggregate search information without compromising the privacy of individual customers, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Nanotech Nannies Threaten To Cripple Industry

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:05:00 EST

Let's not allow the drive to regulate interfere with reasonable advances as a promising technology takes off, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Prep For Sober.z Sends Vermin Back Into Rat Hole

Mon, 9 Jan 2006 00:00:09 EST

Cooperation and preparedness by vendors, customers, and law enforcement scared off hackers planning to unleash the latest variant of the Sober worm, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Google Becomes An Irresistible Force

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:01:00 EST

Hot companies come and go -- it's Google's leadership in helping others imagine what could be that will measure its lasting impact, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Fog, Smog, And Too Much Grog On The Blog

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:03:00 EST

Bob Evans imagines what bloggers might say about cybersecurity, phishing, Google, and raw lamb.

Business Technology: Self-Evaluation: How'd You Do In 2005?

Mon, 5 Dec 2005 00:00:09 EST

Look back at your work year via these questions and see how you score. Do it before you take out that second mortgage, Bob Evans suggests.

Business Technology: Authors Use Scare Tactics To Discredit RFID

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 00:00:55 EST

If we let two publicity-loving zealots blunt the adoption of a terrific new technology, then we deserve the fate we're helping to create, Bob Evans says, because it's a short distance from stifling RFID to outlawing cameras in cell phones or banning Google Earth or pursuing a lot of other equally paranoid delusions.

Business Technology: RFID Friends And Foes Share Their Views

Mon, 7 Nov 2005 00:00:09 EST

What's needed is a clear understanding of the pros and cons of technologies like RFID, Bob Evans says. That will require more research, more bold initiatives, more clear thinking about privacy, and less hysteria.

Business Technology: RFID Is Already Proving Its Value

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:09 EST

The adoption of radio-frequency identification has reached such a critical mass across a diverse range of applications that we're about to see indisputable evidence of the power of RFID and related technologies, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Respect For Customers Still Counts In The Virtual World

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 00:00:09 EDT

The best things to come out of the drive to virtualization, Bob Evans says, are the value and respect delivered to customers, not just the increased customer options.

Business Technology: Rainy-Day Dreams For A Better IT World

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 00:04:30 EDT

Endless rain and more bad news on the cybersecurity front leave Bob Evans with nothing to do but slink back to bed, bury his head under the covers, and take a nap. Such dreams...

Business Technology: Competitiveness, Truth, And Today's Universities

Mon, 3 Oct 2005 00:00:09 EDT

When blame is assigned for the current shortage of U.S. graduates with degrees in engineering or computer science, universities always seem to get away without even a harsh word. But not any more -- a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution thrashes university presidents for their lack of leadership in this area of vital strategic national interest. Bob Evans wonders if it might be time for the ivory towers to get a taste of some free-market discipline.

Business Technology: Tech Chiefs Deserve A Round Of Applause

Mon, 26 Sep 2005 00:00:09 EDT

These IT leaders are tops, in part because they break down the perception that technology has to be dull, difficult, and frustrating.

Business Technology: Registry Web Site As Model Of Cooperation

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:09 EDT

In less than 60 days and for less than $1 million, the U.S. Department of Justice has built a Web site giving access to sex-offender information from 28 states. It's a model of collaboration and cooperation, Bob Evans says, that gives access to information that, while deeply disturbing, is also extremely important.

Business Technology: For SCO, Value Is In The Eye Of The Litigator

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:50 EDT

SCO Group should give customers software that delivers business value, not lawsuits, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: A Microcosmic View Of A Cockeyed World

Mon, 5 Sep 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Last week battered us all with hard-to-fathom images of suffering and devastation in Katrina's wake, but by the end of the week the accumulated scenes of misery, pain, and loss began somehow to feel "normal," Bob Evans says. And in the same week, our little world of business technology produced a handful of developments that were also, in a very different way, hard to fathom.

Business Technology: Security Tips That Will Scare--And Help--You

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Security nightmares are swirling all around us--more sophisticated, more malicious, more damaging--and perhaps the next theater in the battle will be industrial networks: energy generation, power transmission, utilities, transportation, telecom, etc. Feel overwhelmed? A great place to start looking for ideas, Bob Evans says, could be InfraGard.

Business Technology: If You Get Hacked, Are You A Victim Or A Culprit?

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:00:30 EDT

Why do many companies not report cyberattacks, Bob Evans asks? Why does FBI Director Mueller say it's time to cut back on highly intimidating raids of companies that have been hacked? Why is some legislation having the exact opposite effect of what was intended?

Business Technology: Phone Service Rings Up Customer Loyalty

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:01:30 EDT

One of the latest buzzwords is MVNO. Is it another silly acronym or a bold new technology-based opportunity to enhance customer experiences and increase revenue? Plus, Bob Evans asks, how do you feel about men in capri pants?

Business Technology: Redefine Your IT Mind-Set At Fall Conference

Mon, 8 Aug 2005 00:01:00 EDT

Want to win an expense-paid trip to InformationWeek's Fall Conference, Sept. 18-21 in beautiful Palm Springs, featuring Wal-Mart CIO Linda Dillman? Just read Bob Evans' column and answer a few questions, and you're in the running!

Business Technology: U.N. Snatches Internet; Tomorrow All IT?

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 00:00:09 EDT

In a phony-but-it-could-be-real memo, a confidential operative for The Private Sector warns CIOs and CEOs that the United Nations' recent posturing to take over the Internet is only a tiny hint at its larger intent: to seize control of all IT systems, networks, software, and processes in the world!

Business Technology: HP Makes A Strategic Move By Hiring Mott

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:09 EDT

In the six years Randy Mott was CIO at Wal-Mart, its sales tripled. In the five years he was CIO at Dell, its sales increased more than 60% and it rose to global prominence. Now Mott is at HP--can he do it a third time?

Business Technology: Everyone's A Publisher; Should You Care?

Mon, 4 Jul 2005 00:00:40 EDT

With the explosion of personal technology and mobile communication and the dissolution of old models, we find that in today's Experience Economy, everybody's a publisher, Bob Evans says. Why should you care?

Business Technology: A Trip To The Cafeteria--With The CFO!

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 00:00:30 EDT

Some stuffed shirts try to ram a knee-jerk reaction to customer-data threats down your throat but you're not having any of it but the conversation's not going so well until all of a sudden the CFO steps up and supports you and as a team you unstuff the shirts and put them back on their hangers and get the company back on track and then head to the cafeteria for lunch where you of course will pick up the tab and life is good for at least a couple more hours right?

Business Technology: Asinine Florida Law Undermines Efforts

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Perhaps it's time for us to initiate some public advocacy concerning outdated and asinine laws that run counter to our own anti-cybercrime efforts, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Implementing RFID Is A Risk Worth Taking

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 00:00:09 EDT

With all the talk about RFID, what's the real story? Is there hope or is it all just hype, Bob Evans asks, as he looks at specific examples and advises that while there's risk in jumping in, there's probably a whole lot more risk in standing pat.

Business Technology: Build Your Company's Receptor Capacity

Mon, 6 Jun 2005 00:00:50 EDT

We need to build our capacity to understand new ideas, the co-CEO of Research In Motion says, so we'll be better prepared for a future that's rushing toward us.

Business Technology: Pertinent Questions -- Are Your Answers OK?

Mon, 30 May 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Bob Evans has some questions for you to consider on such subjects as business-process optimization, supply-chain strategy, patch management, legacy monsters, Barry Bonds, customer-data privacy, and publicly funded outsourcing, plus a thought for the people we remember on Memorial Day.

Business Technology: Coming Soon: Transformation Upheavals

Mon, 23 May 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Hollywood represents the world of fables and make-believe, but the shift from analog to digital is causing some very real pain and upheaval. And, Bob Evans says, you can be sure that a similar Radical Overhaul is coming to a supply chain near you. Soon.

Business Technology: What's The Curve On Your Time To Change?

Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:09 EDT

IT was first focused on time to financial transparency, then on time to product. Today, Bob Evans says, a SAP executive says it's all about time to change.

Business Technology: Protecting Customer Data Is Good Business

Mon, 9 May 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Our insatiable appetite for customer data has overwhelmed our ability or our willingness to match those efforts with increasingly powerful privacy initiatives, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: The Real Impact Of The IBM-UPMC Deal

Mon, 2 May 2005 00:02:00 EDT

The stunning deal between IBM and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is not only a landmark for those two organizations but a new standard for the type of forward-looking, precedent-setting relationship that should begin to characterize the new ways the IT customers and vendors regard each other, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: If Data Is Breached, Do The Right Thing

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:00:09 EDT

Let's say you get a call at 2:30 a.m. from your team, and they tell you they've uncovered a security breach that has let 250,000 customer files be stolen, Bob Evans says. What's the first thing you do? Do you call the CEO? Do you call the FBI? And what about those 250,000 customers--do you contact them, or try to keep a lid on the breach and resultant theft?

Business Technology: The Biggest Threat To Your Career

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:00:09 EDT

You're still spending 75% of your IT budget on maintenance, your CEO still treats you as a bit of an outsider, and the closest you get to strategic involvement is implementing it rather than helping develop it. If you don't see the interlinked connections among those three conditions, Bob Evans says, then it's time to wake up.

Business Technology: Time To Apply 'If You Build It' Principle To IT

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:09 EDT

''So today, the trend is toward punishing IT--the CIO and his team are sitting in the corner with a dunce cap on. It's not fair, but that's what it's like right now.'' Sound a little too close to home? Bob Evans asks. Courage: Here are some suggestions toward new headwear from Accenture chief technology strategist Bob Suh.

Business Technology: 'There Is No Darkness But Ignorance'

Mon, 4 Apr 2005 00:00:30 EDT

While business challenges of transparency and visibility get a great deal of attention these days, the problem isn't a new one, Bob Evans says. About 400 years ago, noted ERP guru William Shakespeare illuminated the eternal struggle.

Business Technology: 20 Questions To Get You Thinkin'

Mon, 28 Mar 2005 00:00:09 EST

Well, I can't promise the cogitating will make you another Lincoln, but here are 20 questions that could lead you to some thoughts you should be thinkin'.

Business Technology: If Speed Kills, Are You In Danger?

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 00:01:30 EST

How would your company fare versus competitors in a benchmarking of speed and agility? Speed -- or the battle against latency -- is moving to the top of priority lists for companies in all industries as customer requirements accelerate. Are you ready?

Business Technology: Your Tax Dollars At Work

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:00:09 EST

Bob Evans digs up 10 recent examples of how some of your tax money is being spent. By his reckoning, there are some good, some bad, and some very, very ugly.

Business Technology: Security, Microsoft, And High-Stakes Poker

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:09 EST

Microsoft is playing high-stakes poker with its customers over the security of its products and technologies, and so far, Bob Evans says, the company's raises and bluffs have held up. But the other players are getting tired of the game, and Microsoft might find that dominating such a game will be little more than a Pyrrhic victory.

Business Technology: RFID: Time To Take A Stand

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 00:02:00 EST

Sensing defeat, the ACLU and other hand-wringers crank up to attempt to squelch RFID initiatives regardless of potential benefits these technologies and related business-process improvements might offer, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Supply Chains Hit Home (Sweet Home)

Mon, 7 Feb 2005 00:00:09 EST

A not-so-Socratic dialogue on in-home supply-chain fulfillment experts, dog food, cereal, TV ads, Webvan, Walgreen's, Jim Collins, and just-in-time shampoo shopping.

Business Technology: Defining The Business You Want To Be In

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:09 EST

Concluding our three-part series on a new way of thinking about business technology, Bob Evans warns, "Companies that profess that IT doesn't matter or is simply wasteful overhead that needs to be gutted will grow increasingly isolated, sluggish, backward, and irrelevant."

Business Technology: IT Transformation: Two Companies That Get It

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:03:00 EST

In Part 2 of our three-part series, as you try to determine which technology vendors are tactical suppliers versus those that are strategic business partners, consider this: Do they talk only about scalability and manageability and reliability, or do they talk about nimbleness and agility and opportunity? Do they emphasize their ability to help you maintain competitive advantage, or do they help you conceive and build new and more-valuable competitive capabilities for the future?

Business Technology: A New Way Of Thinking About IT

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 00:05:00 EST

The IT community--the companies that make all this incredible IT stuff, and the companies that buy it--must shift their focus from the stuff itself to the processes, transformations, and other innovations that the stuff can support. (Part 1 of a three-part series.)

Business Technology: A Trip To The Woodshed For Serving Tainted Spam

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:09 EST

Three letter-writers take Bob Evans to the woodshed for publishing anti-spam solutions from readers without vigorously vetting the efficacy of those suggestions. Also, they offer a range of rich anti-spam resources and perspectives.

Anti-Spam Resources

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:08 EST

As promised, here are some additional anti-spam resources.

Business Technology: Readers' Ideas Take A Bite Out Of Spam

Mon, 20 Dec 2004 00:01:00 EST

You say your network's in a jam Because of that accursed spam?? Have no fear, help's on the way, You, our readers, have saved the day! We asked for ideas, you sent them en masse, So read 'em all and then go kick a**!!

Business Technology: Mixed Messages Conceal IT's Strength

Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:00:09 EST

Companies must retool their thinking to avoid falling into a mind-set that can be self-fulfilling, cautions Bob Evans. Think IT as enabler, not IT as cost center.

Business Technology: Ends Don't Justify Means, Despite Appeal

Mon, 6 Dec 2004 00:00:09 EST

Once again, Bob Evans says, we're presented with a sticky moral, ethical, and legal decision: Are we justified in using the spammers' own detestable methods in an effort to stop their malicious behavior?

Business Technology: Shhhh...: Kmart-Sears' Internal Memo

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 00:00:09 EST

Bob Evans imagines a memo from the honchos of the proposed Kmart/Sears to the CIOs of Kmart and Sears. It reflects the absence of any public discussion about how business technology would be used to beat Wal-Mart and other retailers that have embarrassed Kmart and Sears.

Business Technology: A Thanksgiving Kiss To Our Reader-Partners

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:09 EST

In this season of Thanksgiving, Bob Evans says thanks to the million or so readers who are the heart and soul of InformationWeek.

Business Technology: Does Fine Arts + Comp Sci = A Better Future?

Mon, 8 Nov 2004 00:00:08 EST

Carnegie Mellon University's new master's program blends the disciplines of the university's top-rated computer-science school with that of its prestigious fine-arts program to yield a master's in entertainment technology.

Ballmer's Linux Blind Spot

Mon, 1 Nov 2004 20:29:00 EST

Is Microsoft's CEO blowing his chance to turn Open Source from a mortal threat into a major business opportunity?

Business Technology: Microsoft And Its Blind Spot: Linux

Mon, 1 Nov 2004 00:00:09 EST

Steve Ballmer's letter to customers said nothing about the widespread reality of tens of thousands of Microsoft customers who are eager to deploy BOTH Windows and Linux.

Business Technology: Cyberinsecurity And A Hot Job Market

Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:02:00 EDT

Nietzsche, who would no doubt have worshipped hackers, said that out of chaos comes order. Bob Evans says he doesn't know about that, but does know that unless software companies and their customers begin to think very differently about security, then out of today's cybersecurity chaos will come massive job opportunities for computer-security majors.

Business Technology: Looking Ahead: Getting To Know You, Faster

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 00:00:09 EDT

As we look back at the world InformationWeek has covered for the past 25 years, it's also worth a glance into the future to see what the next quarter-century might bring.

Business Technology: Bloggers, Fuzzy Logic, And The Search For The Truth

Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Our columnist gets caught in a blog from hell (or does he?) on the subject of software mega-mergers, meatloaf gravy, databases, The Lord of the Rings, and many other savory and unsavory morsels from the teeming table of the blogosphere.

Business Technology: Success Takes More Than A Good Idea

Mon, 4 Oct 2004 01:00:00 EDT

Why is a startup taking on not just Google but also search-engine newcomers Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon? And what does that have to do with an archive of business plans of failed companies in Maryland?

Business Technology: Our Nation's Health Depends On IT

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:00:09 EDT

If the U.S. health-care community could create a secure network that would make health records and prescription orders available online nationwide, it could save billions of dollars--and thousands of lives--every year.

Business Technology: Outsourcing On Outs At J.P. Morgan Chase, Wal-Mart

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 00:00:08 EDT

These days, discussions about outsourcing, offshoring, call centers, and help desks are being displaced by higher-level thinking about fundamental business issues, Bob Evans says.

RFID Needs Insight, Not Scare Tactics

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 12:30:00 EDT

Is RFID a powerful new technology that can help spark business innovation, or is it an intrusive high-tech vermin that should be obliterated, Bob Evans asks.

Business Technology: RFID Needs Insight, Not Scare Tactics

Mon, 13 Sep 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Is RFID a powerful new technology that can help spark business innovation, or is it an intrusive high-tech vermin that should be obliterated, Bob Evans asks.

Businesses Technology: Killer Businesses, Hubs of Commerce, And The IW Fall Conference

Mon, 6 Sep 2004 03:00:00 EDT

Small- and medium-sized businesses today have unprecedented opportunities to become deeply engaged in global business by aligning themselves closely with large organizations that are eager to have smaller partners work with them around the world on the condition that those partners follow tightly proscribed requirements for technology standards, business processes, product and service quality, and speed.

Business Technology: When Change Is Inevitable, Embrace It

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:09 EDT

There are signs that this extraordinary profession, which in 35 years has mutated in profound ways at breathtaking speeds, is simply in the midst of another massive overhaul, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Attention, Fiefdom Fighters

Mon, 23 Aug 2004 00:00:10 EDT

Bob Herbold, who was Microsoft's chief operating officer during the company's megagrowth in the late '90s, has written a new book called The Fiefdom Syndrome, and it offers extremely valuable advice from someone who earlier in his career served as CIO and then senior VP of advertising at Procter & Gamble.

Business Technology: From Offshore Outsourcing To Global Competitiveness

Mon, 9 Aug 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Plenty of myths, half-truths, and misconceptions still swirl around the phenomenon of offshore outsourcing, so Optimize magazine will explore this idea next month with a special issue featuring subject-matter experts discussing how the larger idea is one of global competitiveness.

Business Technology: The Death Of American IT Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Mon, 2 Aug 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Polar-opposite rhetoric isn't limited these days to political races; it's rampant in the business-technology world in discussions of workers and jobs. Bob Evans notes you can find a study to support your argument, and maybe even a bill wafting its way through the Senate.

Business Technology: Stay Ahead Of The Curve With Us

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 00:00:09 EDT

We're making a lot of enhancements to our online products and services to help you keep up with the maddening rush of news, trends, undercurrents, and other developments in the world of business technology, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: The Need To Know Never Goes Away, Redux

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 00:01:00 EDT

A column written three years ago this week generated more feedback than any other piece our columnist has ever written, so we're rerunning it and asking you to tell us if its two primary themes still ring true today: The need for end-to-end visibility, and the priceless recollections of a parent who needed to know the answer to a simple question: Where does the coal go?

Business Technology: The Security Revolution: Coming Soon To A Vendor Near You

Mon, 12 Jul 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Cyberattacks are soaring, countermeasures are sucking up tons of cash, and hardware and software vendors for the most part are sitting it out, Bob Evans says. But big customers are starting to say enough is enough, so the business-technology world is about to get whirled.

Business Technology: Nagging Questions Cloud Oracle's Vision

Mon, 5 Jul 2004 00:00:09 EDT

The Oracle antitrust trial offers some extraordinary peeks into the workings of major software players, Bob Evans says. Will customers perceive the proposed value of PeopleSoft-enhanced Oracle apps or will they respond by chosing other options?

Business Technology: Privacy Isn't The Only Thing That's Important

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:04:00 EDT

Professional whiners who believe they were put on earth to protect and speak for the rest of us have turned the discussion about preventing further terrorist attacks on this country into a debate over what sort of food airline passengers eat. That's not privacy, Bob Evans says--that's lunacy.

Business Technology: Beyond Microsoft's Business-Apps Play

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Can Microsoft be a major player in the complex and sophisticated market for high-end enterprise applications? Bob Evans thinks Microsoft's recent and huge emphasis on weaving business-process expertise and flexibility into its code and its services is proof that the company has very ambitious plans in this $25 billion market.

Business Technology: It's Time To Stop Playing Chicken With Cybersecurity

Mon, 14 Jun 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Why are so many of us doing so little about cybersecurity? Why do so many companies continue to tolerate unsecured systems? Some insight might lie in the research done by a physician in Vienna, Austria, more than 150 years ago, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: In The Cybersecurity Wars, The Good Guys Are Losing

Mon, 7 Jun 2004 00:00:09 EDT

"The worst is not/So long as we can say, 'This is the worst.'" -- King Lear

Business Technology: Words Are IT's Bridge To Credibility And Funding

Mon, 31 May 2004 00:00:08 EDT

We all know that IT matters and just as surely, so, too, does language matter. It might be comfortable to lean on the specialized internal jargon of our professions, Bob Evans says, but business-technologists need to continue making big strides in dropping the Soap and picking up the concepts, themes, and language of business.

Business Technology: Business Weather Forecast: Hot Or Not?

Mon, 24 May 2004 00:00:09 EDT

There's lots of good news out there, along with some unsettling developments--what's going on? While these things can't be ignored, we also can't let them divert us from our objectives of business innovation, optimized processes, customer intimacy, and ever-increasing speed and opportunism, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Time To Put 'Lie Until They Buy' To Rest

Mon, 17 May 2004 00:00:09 EDT

The 'power to the customer' movement has gained a firm hold, Bob Evans says. Smart business-technology suppliers will recognize the growing optimism will include them if they work with customers.

Business Technology: Score One For The Customers

Mon, 10 May 2004 00:00:09 EDT

So why exactly did Microsoft and Sun agree to kiss and make up? Was it the $2 billion Microsoft is paying Sun? Or the $800 million Sun is expecting to lose in its most recently completed quarter? Or is it because you--their customers--finally told Sun and Microsoft to get over themselves and help you run your businesses?

Business Technology: Fighting For Survival, Or Global Opportunity?

Mon, 3 May 2004 00:00:09 EDT

How will Wal-Mart's secondary and tertiary suppliers handle its 2005 RFID mandate for the mega-retailer's top 100 suppliers? Opportunities abound for those willing to take the leap into a global supply network, where innovation and flexibility are indispensable.

Business Technology: The Readers Speak: Career Paths, Wish Lists

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 00:00:09 EDT

Given the option, here's what readers would change about their jobs. And, Evans reports, few would recommend IT to their kids. Also, tanning Darl McBride's hide.

Business Technology: A Tchotchke For Your Brainy Thoughts

Mon, 19 Apr 2004 00:01:00 EDT

While wondering what life would be like if he only had a brain, the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz sings a little ditty in which he claims that "With the thoughts that I'd be thinkin'/I could be another Lincoln." In that spirit, here are some thoughts from someone who often feels a close kinship with that baffled and brainless barnyard bailiff.

Business Technology: Making The Most Out Of Compliance

Mon, 12 Apr 2004 00:00:08 EDT

The winning entry from our recent contest for most-interesting compliance experiences describes a Web-based system that reduces risk, guarantees compliance, increases business value, and enhances customer intimacy. And you thought this compliance stuff just generated nightmares.

Business Technology: From Transparency To Corporate Nakedness

Mon, 5 Apr 2004 00:01:00 EDT

Oh, the rigors of this job. Spent all of last week in Florida at five-star hotels attending two conferences focused on business-technology executives

Business Technology: Do The Right Thing, And Reap The Benefits

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 00:01:00 EST

Ever see the bumper sticker that says: "So many pedestrians, so little time"? At Microsoft, it might go like this: "So many nonbelievers, so much to do."

Business Technology: Compliance Shouldn't Be A Nightmare

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 00:00:40 EST

The sweat pours down your face ... You toss and turn, thrashing the covers into a knotted mess ...

Business Technology: The Silos Of Protectionism: Time To Raise Them, Or Raze Them?

Mon, 15 Mar 2004 00:00:09 EST

An outsourcing conference generates strong opinions on both ends of the spectrum on such issues as free trade, offshoring, outsourcing, and the proper role of government in such matters. And Bob Evans muses that a year from now, we'll be thinking about these issues in dramatically different ways.

Business Technology: Don't Go Slow Over SCO

Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:09 EST

Lawsuits and litigants and torts, oh my! Should courtroom saber-rattling by SCO Group influence you to put a hold on projects involving Linux? Or should you leave that to the legal department while you continue to look for and deploy the best tools to support business innovation?

Business Technology: A Trip To The Cafeteria, Part VII

Mon, 1 Mar 2004 00:00:55 EST

To the former CEO of Enron has been indicted and could face up to 325 years in prison and his former CFO will probably do at least 10 years and you've noticed that in all those corporate scandals...

Business Technology: One Question Remains: Will You Be Ready?

Mon, 23 Feb 2004 00:00:09 EST

Would you be ready if an absolutely strategic customer told you it wants you to be a major supplier for an enormous new product-development project, but you'll have to switch immediately and completely to the customers' software for planning, purchasing, design, review, and manufacturing? Not to mention some new customized features that will be rolled out for the very first time with this project?

Business Technology: Keep Apps Simple As Possible, No Simpler

Mon, 16 Feb 2004 00:00:09 EST

Bob Evans says keeping apps simple as possible, not simpler, is the solution to increasing software complexity.

Business Technology: People, Processes, Tech--We Have It All

Mon, 9 Feb 2004 00:00:09 EST

Last week's issue offered observations from CEOs and other executives on what the coming year should be like in the world of business and technology

Business Technology: Diverse Views On Outsourcing

Mon, 2 Feb 2004 00:02:00 EST

While some lament lost jobs in the technology industry, others say the need to compete is driving companies offshore.

Business Technology: Let Common Sense Guide Privacy Rules

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 00:00:09 EST

Companies must decide how to balance the need to protect customers and the need to protect their customers' privacy rights, says Bob Evans.

Business Technology: Customers Long For What Matters Most

Mon, 19 Jan 2004 00:00:09 EST

The good news: In a survey of customers, enterprise-apps vendors get good marks for cutting-edge technology and technology vision. The bad news: That's not what customers value most in their big applications partners; rather, they value quick ROI, superb service, integrity, and simplicity. And they give the vendors lousy marks in those categories, Bob Evans says.

Business Technology: Outsourcing Debate Enters Political Arena

Mon, 12 Jan 2004 00:00:09 EST

Business Technology - January 12, 2004

Business Technology: Heartfelt Wishes For An Upcoming Year

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 00:00:09 EST

Some things I'd like to see in 2004

Business Technology: It's Time To Take Spam Fight To The Bad Guys

Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:00:09 EST

AOL says it blocks 1.5 billion spam messages per day. That's 1,500,000,000 pieces of electronic junk every 24 hours.

Business Technology: Clear Policies Needed To Fight Spam

Mon, 8 Dec 2003 00:00:09 EST

In the former attempt at enacting anti-spam legislation back in 1998, both the House and the Senate wrote their own versions, but neither of those versions ever passed the other chamber and therefore never became law.

Business Technology: Time To Give Thanks For Many Things

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 00:00:09 EST

Like so many others in this marvelous country of ours, I have many things for which to be thankful. Below is my list--please send me your lists as well, and we'll post them on InformationWeek.com

Business Techonology: There Hangs The Tale, On Two Questions

Mon, 17 Nov 2003 00:00:09 EST

I haven't seen any of the Matrix movies. I have nothing against the plots, the actors, the producers, the special-effects teams, the best boys, or the gaffers, or the key grips, or the Foley editors; I just for whatever reason haven't seen any of them

Business Technology: Grid Computing: Too Big To Be Ignored

Mon, 10 Nov 2003 00:00:09 EST

Here's a question that I suspect most of you won't have to think too terribly hard about: If you could spend $100,000 on an application of emerging technology and realize savings of $21 million directly from that investment, would you pull the trigger?

Business Technology: Acting--And Wishing--Upon A Rising Bubble

Mon, 3 Nov 2003 00:00:09 EST

Two thoughts came to mind late last week as I read about the spectacular economic performance the U.S. economy racked up in the third quarter. The first was the bromide often cited as an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." And the second was, "Be careful what you wish for--you might get it."

Business Technology: Software Vendors Gamble On Fee Hikes

Mon, 27 Oct 2003 00:00:08 EST

Some software companies, desperate to increase revenue through means other than straight product sales, are quietly but aggressively jacking up their fees for licensing, maintenance, and professional services.

Business Technology: About Linux: An Open Letter to Microsoft

Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:00:09 EDT

Dear Microsoft: I've long admired your warrior spirit, your commitment to winning, and your drive for success.

Business Technology: Don't Let Protesters Scare You About RFID

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 00:00:09 EDT

The subject: RFID. The question: Will privacy hysteria render RFID DOA? Or will CHP (cooler heads prevail)? Business Technology - October 13, 2003

Business Technology: Compliance, Kafka, And Criminal Charges

Mon, 6 Oct 2003 00:00:09 EDT

I want to suggest a nightmare scenario that ties in with this week's special issue on compliance. And it's not some Halloween fantasy--it's right out of a blockbuster federal court case going on right now in New York.

Business Technology: Reality Check: What Business Are You In?

Mon, 29 Sep 2003 00:00:09 EDT

With signs of business activity beginning to pick up a bit, it seems like a good time to return to a question--actually, a series of questions--that is a central theme of not only this column but also all of InformationWeek.

Business Technology: It's Time To Start Reaching Again

Mon, 22 Sep 2003 00:00:07 EDT

Not since Columbus landed in America has anyone reaped such rewards for being so wrong

Business Technology: Secure Computing Must Move To The Front

Mon, 15 Sep 2003 00:00:06 EDT

One of the things that makes America such a fantastic place is our ability not just to tolerate an incredibly diverse range of opinions and outlooks, but also, in the first place, to produce these polar opposites and everything in between.

Business Technology: Don't Turn That Cheek To Hackers--Be Unchic

Mon, 8 Sep 2003 00:00:10 EDT

So what do we do with Jeffrey Parson, the 18-year-old whose Blaster variant attacked 7,000 computers last month?

Business Technology: The View From The Left Coast: Sobriety

Mon, 18 Aug 2003 00:00:10 EDT

I spent the past couple of weeks on the West Coast, primarily in the San Francisco Bay area, but also with side trips to Seattle and Southern California

Business Technology: A Trip To The Cafeteria, Part VI

Mon, 11 Aug 2003 00:00:01 EDT

There's major trouble in stomach-land for the CIO who's headed for lunch with his top two lieutenants who are about to be told that most of their people and projects are being signed over to an offshore outsourcer, Bob Evans writes.

Business Technology: The Global Game Of Innovation

Mon, 4 Aug 2003 00:00:05 EDT

It's a good thing that various forces throughout my life--my mother, my older brothers, and my limited physical and mental skills--have collectively fostered within me a modest ego.

Business Technology: Offshore Outsourcing: A Means To An End

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 00:00:05 EDT

Offshore outsourcing is today perhaps the most emotional and least-understood business practice in the world. To be sure, in a lot of cases it is and will continue to be wrenching and deeply disruptive for not only many individuals but also large groups of professionals caught on the wrong side of this trend.

Business Technology: Improve Processes For Better Business

Mon, 14 Jul 2003 00:00:06 EDT

So why do we have to have a meeting about some lame heavy-metal band from the early '70s and some other one that I never even heard of?"

Business Technology: Timing Is Everything In Making Jump To RFID

Mon, 7 Jul 2003 00:00:04 EDT

"Now is the time. It's not too late. A year from now is too late." Quick, who said that?

Business Technology: Send Us Your Ideas, Please--In Real Time

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 00:00:05 EDT

While we've got a lot of our Fall Conference program in place, we've left some spots open for your specific suggestions, so please consider this a call for ideas

Business Technology: Funds Misdirected In Apprentice Program

Mon, 23 Jun 2003 00:01:02 EDT

We have the U.S. Department of Labor to thank for this tortured application of what someone, somewhere, in some parallel and totally inscrutable universe, would call ''logic.''

Business Technology: A New Breed Of Standards Makers

Mon, 16 Jun 2003 00:00:20 EDT

ISC versus Intel, Linux versus Windows Server 2003, XML versus J2EE, Oracle versus DB2, PC versus Mac, etc., etc., etc.

Business Technology: Consolidations Will Change Industry's Face

Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:00:07 EDT

Oracle's bid to acquire PeopleSoft for $16 a share would amount to a premium of 5.9% over PeopleSoft's closing price last Thursday of $15.11.

Business Technology: What Customers Really Want

Mon, 2 Jun 2003 00:01:00 EDT

A three-page ad in last Thursday's Wall Street Journal reminded me of the old bromide postulating that in the past year 25 gazillion drill bits were sold, despite the fact that nobody wanted drill bits; what they wanted were holes.

Business Technology: Sometimes, Letting Go Can Really Pay Off

Mon, 26 May 2003 00:00:20 EDT

So what is the current state of the thinking about outsourced services? In this economy, it seems kinda weird to think of any sector as "booming," but I'd venture to say that while the money right now might not be gushing from customers out to service providers and outsourcers

Business Technology: IT Is A Must, No Matter How You View It

Mon, 19 May 2003 00:01:00 EDT

The vaunted Harvard Business Review may have intoned that ''IT Doesn't Matter,'' but General Motors CIO Ralph Syzgenda offers a significantly different perspective.

Business Technology: IT Doesn't Matter?

Mon, 12 May 2003 00:00:28 EDT

Whichever ancient sage who first divined that the gods do not always smile upon us surely knew of which he spoketh.

Business Technology: Right Is Right, So Let's Make It Unequivocal

Mon, 5 May 2003 00:01:00 EDT

We begin to learn at very early ages about right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable, responsibility versus apathy. We believe that doing the right thing leaves us in a position that's unassailable, perhaps unpopular in some instances, but ultimately beyond reproach.

Business Technology: Will Windows 2003 Play Well With Others?

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:01:00 EDT

Just over six years ago, on April 7, 1997, InformationWeek ran a cover story with a photo of Bill Gates and the headline, "The Billion He Really Wants."

Business Technology: Forecasts Of IT's Death Are Premature

Mon, 21 Apr 2003 00:00:06 EDT

It's not over. Not by a long shot.

Influencer Visions: It's All In The Process

Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

In 2003, real-time business will emerge as a powerful model for connecting customers, suppliers, partners, and other pieces of the extended enterprise. It's not a fad, warns Bob Evans, and companies that choose to ignore its, well, realness, do so at their very great peril.

Business Technology: Here's One That's Just Patently Absurd

Mon, 7 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EDT

I'm not as young as I used to be, and as I have ripened ("matured" doesn't seem to apply), I've tried to adopt a more-accepting, roll-with-the-punches attitude.

Ethics Or Morality? You Decide

Mon, 20 Aug 2001 00:00:00 EDT

Will South Carolina's legislature give out brown shirts when the law is followed?