Efficiency

How to get the CFO to buy into an IT project

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

How does a CIO get approval for new technology projects in tight budgetary times? Greg Baker, the CFO of technology provider Logicalis, said the issue is not always money, but the ability of the CIO to communicate and tie the proposal to business needs and future growth.

In broad terms, said Baker and other experts, a CIO must explain how the initiative will improve the security of the company's applications or operations, how it will increase productivity, whether customer service will improve, and what the impact will be on strategic, tactical or operational goals. In short, said the experts, the CFO will not want to know technical details, but whether the IT project will save money, make customers happy and mean more efficiency.

For more in selling IT projects:
- check out this baselinemag.com article

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Oil companies use BI to adjust prices

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Crude oil prices, gasoline at the pump and oil company profits are at all-time highs due to a wide range of economic and market forces. And it is those forces, or the data behind them, that are constantly being analyzed by the oil companies so that they can take advantage of the trends.

So it's the IT systems--the sophisticated business intelligence operations--that are crucial to these companies. David Knapp, a senior editor at the Energy Intelligence Group, said that without good business intelligence, oil companies risk their livelihoods.

Gary Lensing, VP and CIO for global exploration and production at Hess Corp., said, "Data drives what we do, always quantifying where that value is." At Exxon, officials said, the company even wants its geophysicists to know Fortran, C and Java so they can code their own, quick analysis.

For more on oil company BI:
- check out this CIO.com article

Small businesses select call center systems

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

High-tech contact center systems now are widely available to small businesses, not just large companies. CIOs have many choices in speech recognition, IP contact center solutions, call recordings, analytics, customer self-help solutions and CRM. So the question comes down to figuring out what system is best.

CIO-Today asked some experts for advice. CosmoCom Executive President Stephen R. Kowarsky recommended picking a product that offers a complete, consolidated solution for all call center needs so that there is no reason to buy multiple point solutions from different vendors and integrate them together.

Tracy Tufillaro, Vice President of Marketing for Five9, said the choice must balance "customer needs, business practices and operational goals.'' She recommends vendors that offer fast, affordable and easy-to-use solutions, in bite-size chunks over time.

To get more detailed advice:
- see this CIO-Today.com article

When to pull the plug on an IT project

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

After enormous time, effort, money and personal capital expended, it is often hard to come to grips with the realization that an IT project is not working and needs to be abandoned. Pulling the plug is never easy, but letting a badly conceived or poorly implemented project drag on can be a heavy weight for any CIO.

"The problem when you bury, ignore or lie about the state of a project is that you either look dishonest or incompetent,'' said Bruce Webster, an IT management expert. Webster and other experts have offered a series of tips on how to get out of a bad IT project, recommending that CIOs should never delay the inevitable, and be sure to get senior management on board.

For more advice on shutting down bad projects:
- see this baselinemag.com article

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U.S. tech companies losing sleep

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

The slowdown in the economy may be worrisome for U.S. technology companies, but the biggest concern is what is happening with their businesses outside the country, according to a report by professional services firm BDO Seidman.

The report, looking at the "top 20 risk factors of the 100 largest U.S. technology companies,'' found that the companies are most nervous about industry consolidation and competition; uncertainty about U.S. and foreign government regulations, including taxes; and risks involving their international operations.

To read more:
- see this InformationWeek.com article

Not my problem anymore

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

You have moved on, left your old job and are firmly ensconced with a new employer when a former colleague or boss calls with a software problem or a glitch involving code you had written and needs your expertise. Should you help? How far should you go in backing up your old team? The answers to these questions may depend on your personal relationships, the reasons for leaving in the first place, and how much help and time is being requested. There may be feelings of loyalty and friendship and of professional pride involved, especially if the problem is something you were involved with and can fix. But there are limits and boundaries, and many other considerations.

For more on how to handle this dilemma:
- See this CIO Magazine article

The corporate virtual world

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

There is new emerging job for CIOs and IT departments at many big corporations that have employees scattered across the country as well as around the globe. According to Business Week, IBM has found a hi-tech way to overcome new employees' geographic and cultural barriers by setting up a way for them to interact virtually using the same kind of 3D technology that runs virtual worlds such as Linden Lab's Second Life videogame. IBM has built so-called "virtual work spaces" that let workers use avatars, or graphic representations of themselves, to handle such tasks as rehearsing presentations or learning about employee benefits. Sun Microsystems executives say that virtual worlds can help their scattered colleagues forge closer bonds. "Virtual world technology is a way to bring the company together to build a global corporate culture where people are on equal footing," said Nicole Yankelovich, principal investigator at Sun Labs. Does your company have such needs, and the resources and capability to get on board with of this new trend?

For more on this emerging trend:
- See this BusinessWeek article

Data centers becoming mega-polluters

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

It may be hard to believe, but the world's data centers are becoming major contributors to global warming and are projected to surpass the airline industry as a major greenhouse gas polluter by 2020. That's the word from a new study by McKinsey & Co., which estimates that the carbon dioxide emissions from electricity consumed by fast-expanding data centers are growing rapidly, are largely uncontrolled and need to be cut. The study focuses on the cost and energy-saving opportunities that it says are being ignored in both corporate and government data centers.

To read more:
- Check out The New York Times article

Are you green enough yet?

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Pressure is growing for IT executives to figure out how to save energy. It's not just about the philosophy of going 'green,' it's about a growing mandate among more and more companies to save money. A panel at ComputerWorld's Storage Networking World Conference said that energy costs and the importance of consolidating IT infrastructure will force business managers to figure out how much power every device in their data center consumes.

Andrew Fanara, team leader for the Energy Star Product Specifications Development Group at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the conference, "Organizations and customers are now starting to pay real attention. There will be more pressure and scrutiny to drive products toward efficiency. They are looking at every way they use energy and see the data center as a great opportunity because it's highly centralized and can help reduce risk."

Is your IT shop green enough? What have you been doing to save money and turn energy excesses into efficiencies?

For more on going 'green':
- See this ComputerWorld article

Gartner: How to tighten your IT belt

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

A new blog entry at ZDnet talks about what to do when times grow tight in the IT world. The first piece of advice is to cut staff, an issue you hope never to visit. But take a look at this blog, which covers the recent Gartner IT conference on Emerging Technologies in Las Vegas, to learn about other suggestions that may, in fact, be useful to you.

For more on this Gartner advice:
- See this ZDnet blog

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