InformationWeek is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.
|
IT Budgets: Still Guardedly Optimistic?
InformationWeek last week held its annual Editorial Advisory Board meeting. The Editorial Advisory Board is made up of several leading CIOs (and former CIOs) and technology-oriented executives and investors. The most incendiary topic: the economy.
Time For Congress To Enforce 'Prevailing Wage' H-1B
A great idea hit me after reading George Will's column last Friday, lamenting our "shortage" of qualified high-tech workers. Sadly, Will sidestepped the controversial issue of whether foreign nationals undercut U.S. engineers by working for less under the H-1B visa program. So why not enforce domestic pay levels for these folks, and lift the current annual cap of 140,000 H-1B green cards? Under my
CIO Values: Greg Marr, VP, IT And Facilities Management, RedPrairie
"IT has an obligation to find a simplified approach to a business problem, and everyone should be challenged to find the most elegant solution."
Video: Socialtext Turns Wiki Into Killer Web Platform
I'm big on community-centric sites as the next Web wave. My three regular readers know that from my recent post, Joomla Rocks, Or How To Build A Professional Web Site For No Money Down. While Joomla is indeed fantastic, there's another platform that's probably better out of the box for corporate users. It's called Socialtext, and I've got a video with company chairman Ross Mayfield to show you the high p
Hospital Implements High-Tech Emergency Response System
Location-based mapping system helps public safety officials, hospitals, and emergency responders more quickly and efficiently get aid to people in trouble.
What Big Vendors See In The Clouds
This week we profile the cloud computing strategies of eight tech vendors. As we debated how to describe them on the cover of our magazine -- leaders, stalwarts? -- we settled on "behemoths." That's right, the unifying characteristic is just their bigness.
CIO: The Buck Doesn't Stop Here
How involved are CIOs in corporate decisions? Fewer report being involved at the front end of important decisions, more being brought in only afterward. That's not a good sign.
Looking Into The Work-Trend Crystal Ball
A new report forecasting the top 10 workplace trends of the future says video and Web conferencing will make business travel extinct while social networking sites and other Web 2.0 technologies emerge as the primary tools for job recruiting. Is your organization ready to support these and other workplace trends? Or maybe you're already making these shifts.
SQL Injection Remains Scary Back-Door Security Threat
I got onto the subject of SQL injection thanks to Intel software blogger Kenneth Graf, who caught my attention with a post provocatively entitled, "Your password is potentially dangerous." (Who knew ? :) While SQL injection is nothing new, it remains a downright terrifying security threat, since it's a very easy way for hackers to get into the database behind your Web site.
The Aggressive IT Department
Is it important for IT departments to be perceived as aggressive? Because they aren't. In our recent "Tomorrow's CIO" research survey of 720 corporate managers and CIOs and VP-of-IT level executives, only 6% of those on the corporate side describe their IT departments as more aggressive than the rest of the company. Is that bad, or business as usual?
Bill Gates Waxes Philanthropic At Microsoft 'Exit Interview'
The Microsoft chairman will retire from full-time duties this week, but expects to remain busy with his foundation's work.
AP Correct In Calling BS On Blogosphere
No one else has voiced support to the AP for drawing a line in the virtual sand and attempting to preserve the tattered remnants of the profession of journalism, so it falls to me. Here goes: Just like the New York Mets with their firing of manager Willie Randolph, the AP botched big time the implementation of its copyright cease-and-desist claim against a tiny Web site, but the basic point was correct. Here's why.
CIOs Uncensored: Do You Have What It Takes To Be Tomorrow's CIO?
It's a tall order to fill. Here are some indicators of what will be required of future CIOs.
The Renewed Allure Of Telecommuting
With gasoline prices rising above $4 a gallon, a recent survey found that 40% of tech workers would willingly take a pay cut to telecommute. Meanwhile, more employers are apparently offering IT pros the choice to work remotely as a perk to attract hard-to-find skills. Is telecommuting an option you offer your staff?
CIO Values: Mike Foley, CIO, MassMutual
"First and foremost, we in IT are business partners who must think holistically about how we add value, and not just focus on our technical specialty."
Who Is Tomorrow's CIO?
We're looking for nominations for the future leaders in business technology, or those already in place, who have the right stuff to lead their companies into the dynamic and demanding business environment of the 21st century.
Tomorrow's CIO: No Tech Lightweights
Of course tomorrow's CIOs need to be broad business leaders, not just technologists. But skimp on the tech foundation, and CIOs may have no future at all.
Data: The CIO's Most Underutilized Asset
In my recent feature story, "Tomorrow's CIO," one interesting fact that emerged from the original research we did for the piece concerned the use of data: Corporate managers see leveraging their organizations' data assets as one of the CIO's most important opportunities. So why don't more CIOs see it that way?
Qualcomm Says 3G Sales Booming, Despite Slow Economy
The manufacturer of advanced cell phone components increased its revenue and earnings projections based on strong second quarter results.
How Tomorrow's CIO Can Buck The Trend Of Waning Influence
Our research reveals a conflict: huge expectations for what an IT exec should deliver, yet signs that CIO influence is slipping. Here's how to break through the fog.
Tomorrow's CIO: Are You Ready Today?
Use this tool to assess your readiness to be Tomorrow's CIO.
Keeping Secrets And Finding Clues In Data
Your company (probably) has rules about how frequently systems get backed up, e-mail gets deleted, and other data-retention issues. But would those policies hurt if your company was suddenly yanked into litigation, especially noncompete, patent infringement, or trade-secret cases?
CIO Values: Dave Flanagan, CIO, Lionbridge Technologies
"Make decisions! You may regret some, but it's important to make them and then stay focused."
Tomorrow's CIO: Process Before Technology
Which comes first: process improvement or technology implementation? If you answered the former, congratulations, you are well on your way to being Tomorrow's CIO. If you answered the latter, well, good luck with that patch-management project because that's what you're going to be doing for a long time to come.
Oregon State Wins 2008 Mars Rover Challenge
The team was commended for the way they used common household products in the competition, which involved geology, biology, basic engineering, construction, and emergency navigation.
The Trouble With Social Computing
Is it too simplistic to state that "we've left the PC era and we're now in the era of social computing"? That's how Tony Clement, CEO of social-collaboration software house Aegeon, put it in a fascinating session at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. Here's my take on his provocative statement.
How Tech Savvy Does A CIO Need To Be?
One of the areas explored in our upcoming feature story and analytical report, "Tomorrow's CIO," has to do with just how technical CIOs will need to be in the future. Will technology expertise be off-loaded, or will CIOs still need to call the shots, systems- and software-wise?
Lights! Camera! Action! New Job?
Unemployment numbers are rising, according to the U.S. government's latest labor stats. In the hunt for new work, do you think a Web-based video resumé would help you stand out from other job candidates? Some folks think it's worth a try.
Is 'Good Enough Security' Good Enough?
There's a name for security on a shoestring budget, where you're constrained by economic realities and so you delude yourself that the minimal steps you've taken are "good enough" to protect your organization against workaday threats. But the reality is, they're not good enough and you ain't protected.
Energy Woes? Blame The CIO!
A new survey puts responsibility for managing an organization's energy consumption primarily on the CEO, then on the CIO. There's a difference between responsibility and liability, but either way CIOs have to do more to influence corporate energy use.
Antidote To Apple's iPhone?
A couple of thoughts on Apple's introduction of its 3G iPhone, about which it's now becoming clear that the reality can never live up to the advance hype. First off -- I admit it -- I want one, even though there's nary a scratch on my "old" EDGE iPhone. Second, one is likely to get a much better deal -- like, cheaper service for near-equivalent functionality -- by waiting until next year for a Google phone.
CIOs Uncensored: For The Sake Of IT, Leave XP Alone
When upper management blames IT for Microsoft's decision to pull XP, it hurts the whole profession
Employees Are Also Consumers
Corporate users turn to consumer-oriented applications for business reasons. Also, working toward N = 1, and efficiency goes head-to-head with innovation.
Sci-Fi Shocker: Ray Bradbury Wrong On Future Of Electronic Books
Science-fiction icon Ray Bradbury, who was quoted the other day as saying that e-books will never succeed because they're "not books," is wrong.They're succeeding already, and they are -- pretty much -- books.
CIO Values: Steve Phillips, Senior VP And CIO, Avnet
"I should've been finding new ways to correct the cost base or helping create new revenue and profit streams."
Using Baby Carrots To Motivate Staff In Big Ways
How do you thank your hardest working staff? Is it through once-a-year raises, or perhaps with occasional bonuses? Some companies are using Web-based services to recognize outstanding employee performance throughout the year with small rewards that can really add up in goodwill.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer To Step Down Within 10 Years
The head of the world's largest software maker says he will retire in nine or 10 years when his last kid goes away to college.
CIO Succession: Lack Of Inside Talent, Or Lack Of Opportunity?
Following up on a lively recent discussion about hiring an insider or outsider to replace the CIO. Eight in 10 CIOs expect their replacement to come from within, a recent survey says. The disconnect: Other execs and managers don't share the CIO's faith in insiders.
More Than A CIO: Piling On Operations
HSBC North America, "the world's local bank," according to its tagline, has promoted its CIO to something called a Chief Technology and Services Officer. I'm all for CIOs taking on more responsibilities, but is there a limit?
Juggling Workloads And The Beach
Summer is almost here. Do you know where your employees are? When colleagues are on vacation, those back in the office are often left scrambling to make up the work that's left behind, especially when there's a project deadline approaching. But project resource planning tools can help.
|
The State of Cloud Computing - Fall 2020
Download this report to compare how cloud usage and spending patterns have changed in 2020, and how respondents think they'll evolve over the next two years.
2021 Top Enterprise IT TrendsWe've identified the key trends that are poised to impact the IT landscape in 2021. Find out why they're important and how they will affect you.
Tweet This
