Return on Investment (ROI)

Storage virtualization going mainstream

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

This time last year, desktop virtualization was the talk of the town in IT circles. If analysts are to be believed, however, 2008 could be the year that storage virtualization takes off in the enterprise--and starts showing a little return on investment (ROI) to boot. According to a new study by IT analysis firm TheInfoPro, roughly half of the Fortune 1000 companies that are currently testing storage virtualization will start using the technology for full production use during the next two years. "There is still a lot to go. This trend is expected to continue up in 2008 and 2009," TheInfoPro's Managing Director of Storage Research, Robert Stevenson said. "The number of storage organizations that are users of block virtualization has almost doubled since 2006, to 21 percent in 2007 from 13 percent." As storage virtualization can make use of physical storage that would otherwise go to waste, the technology can hook enterprises up with significant storage savings in the long run. If you haven't yet looked into the tech, you might want to book up some testing time in your 2008 roadmap.

For more on the latest virtualization trends:
- see this eWeek article

Tax tips for busy CIOs

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

Now that tax season is almost upon us, it's a good time for CIOs and their companies to figure out how they can increase their return on investment (ROI) on technology improvements. It's certainly a wise maneuver to consult your company's tax advisors because there are plenty of federal and state R&D tax credits that can provide as much as 15 percent of the wages and contractor expenses involved in qualified activities.

It's estimated that companies will claim $1 billion in R&D credits on their 2007 tax returns--hardly chump change for any company that is growing with new products on the market and others in development. It includes credits for such endeavors as improving storage, security, VoIP and other IT applications. Not to be overlooked are credits offered by states and large cities for jobs, training and IT-type investments within their borders. In addition, other countries also provide R&D credits and it's worth your time and money to find out who they are and if you qualify. For example:

Canada offers a 20 percent credit to large companies.
China provides a 150 percent deduction without a requirement that a company's spending increase by 10 percent.
India allows a 100 percent deduction.

So this year, before a company signs off on its 2007 tax return, plow the ground, and make sure you have taken every deduction that is available for your business, and be sure to look ahead for tax break opportunities in 2008.

For more on tax tips for the CIO:
- Check out this CIO Magazine Article

The CIO's job--by the book or not?

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:59:56 -0500

You could do your job as a CIO by the book, and get by. Or you could excel at the job, and you would shine. The problem is that for most CIOs, an ordinary job doesn't always work anymore, not when competitive forces are nipping at your heels every day of the week. CIO Magazine's 7th annual survey of CIOs found that many believe that the job is so complex that it is often difficult to find out what you should be doing, not to mention how to do it. Some of the 558 survey respondents are doing quite well. Others have no idea how to navigate their way in this brave new world. Nobody likes to be in this difficult position, least of all the CIO.

So here are a few tips. Stop talking about innovation and return on investment (ROI) and do something about them. Strong CIOs don't just cast around for a solution. They implement them.

The survey also found that those responding were making an average of $237,360, a 28 percent increase from last year's $185,240. But that wasn't the only good result of the survey. More than 82 percent of respondents said that aligning IT and business was their number-one activity. And while that is basic CIO 101 material, the CIO must move on from that idea to wrestling the other monsters in his job to the ground.

It's important to get on track with everyone else and to stay there and produce. "If other senior executives don't see you as one of them, you usually can't change their minds. You have to realize that," says Roger Parks, vice president of information technology and CIO at J.R. Simplot, a $4.2 billion agribusiness.

For more on crafting your job as a CIO:
- See this CIO Magazine Article

Got burnout? Build a more flexible workweek

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

It turns out that consistent 50-60 hour work weeks are leading to burnout in the workplace. Go figure. That's why more and more companies are offering flexible work schedules. According to the recently released National Study of Employers, some 68 percent of organizations today are offering employees the option of working alternative schedules--by engaging in job sharing, telecommuting or by working non-traditional hours. Corporations adopting this new attitude include Best Buy, McGraw-Hill, Cisco and Deloitte. So what if you don't work in one of these enlightened workplaces? Consultant Lori K. Long, author of The Parents Guide to Family Friendly Work and adjunct professor of management at Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio, writes in CIO magazine that there are ways to build a case for breaking out of the 9-5 grind. "The best approach to take when asking your boss for a more flexible work arrangement is to keep your company's interests in mind. Think about how your request could benefit your company," she notes. A well thought out proposal should provide the following: an outline of your proposed work arrangement, an outline of how you will address changes in workloads, and compensation changes for less hours worked and necessary support resources. She also suggests using a trial period to test the new working situation and providing metrics to determine whether your new schedule is successful. These can be a handy pieces of advice for CIOs who want to create more options for talent they want to attract or retain.

To learn about building a flexible schedule for you or your employees:
- read the article in CIO

Microsoft's Tafiti ups the web research ante

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Meanwhile, Microsoft launched Tafiti, an experimental website that includes support of two technologies that the company is counting on to play a key role in its web strategy: Internet-based search and Silverlight, a combination of player and development technology introduced in April. Silverlight competes with Adobe Systems's Flash and Flash Player. Tafiti allows people to organize and research by searching for various topics from different resources--including webpages, images and books--on the web. Microsoft has not revealed if it plans to offer the service commercially, though the graphics on the home page are similar to Windows Vista. After users enter a search topic, thumbnail-sized screenshots of the webpages appear. Users can then view the page, create a link to the page through the "blog it" command or email the site to someone through the "email" command. What does Tafiti mean? "Research" in Swahili, of course.

For all the details on Microsoft's Tafiti:
- read the article in Infoworld

In search of a more intelligent search

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The race is on to see who will create the next generation search engine. As ubiquitous as search queries are in the daily personal and business lives of most connected individuals, end-users are increasingly joining search's critics in wanting more. According to analysts, industry observers and vendors vying for a seat at the search table, individuals are averaging 11 minutes looking for what they want using the "pidgin" English that characterizes the way we talk to our search engines. Even with that effort, a recent analyst report suggests that a full 50 percent of online transactions end impotently because buyers can't find what they want. Next generation searches will use natural language and will do a better job of working with multiple media types to deliver more responsive results. At stake are millions of dollars and the hearts and minds of web surfers around the world.

For more on next-gen search:
- Check out this Information Week article

Wanted: ROI from SOA

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Only the iPhone has succeeded in out-headlining Services Oriented Architecture on the technology news front in recent weeks. But despite the hype, some analysts are asking "Where's the beef?" when it comes to cutting costs. CIO Insight's recent Emerging Technology study found an extraordinarily high satisfaction rate with Web services (90 percent) and SOA (86 percent) when it comes to process improvement, process innovation and fostering information integration. However, in many cases these technologies prove less successful at reducing costs and promoting software re-use. Still, SOA and web services do well enough that companies are upgrading or replacing a wide range of applications to take advantage of them.

For more on SOA's missing ROI:
- see this CIO Insight article

ITIL v3: Ready for release this week

Mon, 28 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The latest version of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a framework for IT best practices, gets released tomorrow. The framework, developed by the U.K. government, is taking hold with American companies that are implementing Services Oriented Architectures, hoping to reap the benefits of greater efficiency, cost savings and increased customer satisfaction. According to the experts, the latest version will focus on facilitating and measuring business outcomes. The new ITIL release provides in-depth guidance on business issues like asset lifecycle management and return on investment analysis, Sharon Taylor, chief architect of ITIL v3, told Baseline magazine. And don't fret if you're already an expert on version 2: according to analysts, version 3 is a natural progression from the previous version.

For all the details on ITIL version 3:
- see this article from Baseline Magazine

Survey: ITIL challenges start with staff

Tue, 22 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A new survey from G2G3, a communication and gaming solutions vendor, finds that of all of the challenges IT directors face in adopting the new version of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the largest are people-related. More than half of those surveyed plan to adopt ITIL V3, but more than 80 percent believe their biggest barriers will include achieving buy-in and gaining support from important stakeholders within the organization. Other concerns include resource issues and time. Only 17 percent believed that the financial implications of adopting the new ITIL V3 framework would pose a barrier to success.

Read more about the challenges in adopting ITIL V3:
- read the press release at ClickPress

ALSO:
- read this on the ROI of ITIL
- and this on making the most of ITIL

Managing global wireless diversity

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

The adoption of wireless technology varies worldwide, as systems, pricing and preferred devices differ from country to country. That makes it virtually impossible, at least for now, for a company to standardize wireless around the globe, and it doesn't pay to wait for one specific standard to emerge. The best companies can do today is choose the best wireless technologies by region and business unit, and achieve maximum return on investment for those purchases now. Start with business units or locations to mitigate risk. Also, embrace emerging wireless devices by standardizing on units such as the BlackBerry, and make sure your company's systems are compatible with them. Use multi-channel access gateways or wireless application gateways when you need to wirelessly reach back-end systems such as Oracle or SAP. These gateways provide a buffer between the wireless devices and the back end, so users can swap out and migrate to the wireless technology. Deploy Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) for globe-trotting executives; the PC card allows a notebook or BlackBerry to connect to the Internet across a cellular network and provides an 802.11b adapter in the same card. When users are in range of a public or private hot spot, they can connect at up to 11Mbit/sec.

Read more about global wireless:
- read the article at ComputerWorld