Deployment Strategies

IT departments don't like change

Judi Hasson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:05:03 -0400

A new Gartner survey found that 30 percent of users are unhappy with the rate of IT change at their companies, citing that the information technology staff is not always ready to embrace a different approach, even on simple software adjustments. The IT pros, it seems, don't want to fool around with potentially unreliable software, learn an endless array of downloadable tools, or cater to younger workers and their social networking needs.

Gartner suggests that IT professionals should loosen up, possibly reconsider uniform technology deployments and make use of new technologies for workers who are more than willing to experiment. At the same time, Gartner notes, IT departments must still coddle those who simply want their computers to work without a problem and can't cope with change.

For more on change:
- check out this cnet.com article

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Good biz analyst worth his weight in gold

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

IT departments involved in projects including software development should never underestimate the importance of good business analysts. Carey Schwaber, a senior analyst of application development at Forrester Research, believes the best business analysts are corporate diplomats, savvy negotiators and skilled peacemakers who understand where the technical and business elements all fit.

"They are good at finding common ground; they are good at being objective," she said. "They are really looking at, oftentimes, conflicting needs from the business and from IT.''

She added that they are the key to making a project hum. But other times, she believes, a bad business analyst can be the "critical failure factor."

To read more about the successful formula:
- see this CIO.com article

HP upgrades archiving software

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Hewlett-Packard Co. has rolled out an improved version of its HP Database Archiving software that could be good news for IT pros. The new software comes equipped with a visual design tool that HP says will allow IT departments to quickly model their core business applications and maintain data for regulatory compliance and e-discovery needs.

Kevin O'Malley, product marketing manager for database archiving at HP, said the new software "marries the infrastructure and business."

"We think this will change the game, he said. "Customers can do archived deployment far more readily and align the business and the IT objectives of managing the data."

To read more about the new HP software:
- check out this searchcio.com article

Google tries to sneak one past IT

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

During the last year, we've seen Google slowly sneaking into the enterprise, with a series of solutions that bring the company's web-based consumer technologies into a corporate environment. Just this past week, we saw the latest such product from Google, an email security/discovery suite based on Postini technology. Despite Google's best efforts, however, we haven't exactly seen enterprises rushing to deploy Google's software, which has proven quite popular with consumers. So, what's a Google to do? Why, sneak its software into the corporate world, of course.

The company's latest enterprise product, Google Apps Team Edition, is a version of Google Apps that's designed for corporate users but can be used without the IT department's knowledge. "Current business versions of Google Apps are linked to an organization's Internet domain and therefore require IT approval and at least some degree of administration," Ars Technica writes. "Team Edition eschews this approach, and allows end-users to create sharing workgroups so long as the individuals in question have valid e-mail addresses within the employer's Internet domain."

So, what's the big idea? Seems like Google is aiming to use GATE as a sort of Trojan horse--a way of convincing businesses to deploy Google Apps. "Google Apps has been, by definition, an IT project, and now we want to let people use it without IT involvement," Google Apps senior product manager Rajen Sheth said. "The IT department always has the option to sign up for the Standard Edition for free if they want to provide control over this. This is a solid, happy medium."

For more on Google's sneaky new product:
- see this Ars Technica article

Small steps or a giant leap?

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Every CIO is familiar with incremental IT. Sometimes it happens because there isn't enough money in the budget to do an overall change. Sometimes it happens because the CIO wants to transition slowly to a new way of operating. Yet architected IT is really the only way to get the best value out of your technology investment and a radical change may be the only way to really make over your system.

That's the thinking of Randy Mott, CIO at HP. He has already has made his reputation as the engineer of Wal-Mart's data warehouse and is working to transform Hewlett-Packard's new approach to its internal IT system. But don't envy him too quickly. His job is enormous. He, along with HP's CEO, has set a number of hard-to-reach goals for IT: consolidating 85 HP data centers worldwide down to six in the United States; cutting 6,000 legacy applications down to 1,500 and shrinking the 19,000 strong IT workforce down to 8,000.

This is a job for the hardy and brave, not for anyone without a backbone. The first step, Mott recently told Information Week, is realizing that a radical change in the IT structure is the only way to achieve lasting results. Are you a CIO willing to take a risk? Remember that making changes incrementally carries the potential for great losses. And doing things in a big sweeping manner takes a huge commitment and nerves of steel. Where are you these days? Are you a leader or a follower? -Judi

How to become a successful CIO

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Unlike doctors, accountants and lawyers, the CIO is a relatively new profession. There are few master's programs that give you a degree in being a CIO and fewer training courses at the undergraduate level. So today's CIO is often flying in the dark, testing out ways to carry out a job that is becoming increasingly important at every kind of company. Here are a few ways to handle the job, though not by any means all of the ideas out there that can help you in your mission to become a great CIO:

Find the right technology partner
Build steady relationships with vendors
Get your board and executive in your corner
Keep the business unit appraised of what's going on in your shop and get their buy-in
Get your strategy down and follow it
Communicate with those above you and those under you

By employing some of these ideas, you can get your job to sing and make the CIO an integral part of your company's business. Let us know what helps you.

For more tips on being a great CIO;
- Check out this InformationWeek article

Microsoft preps 2008 enterprise launches

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

It's no secret: Microsoft loves the enterprise. And while the enterprise might have conflicting feelings about the behemoth from Redmond, there's no doubt that a major product launch is a cause for excitement. 2008 is set to bring Microsoft's largest enterprise rollout yet: Windows Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 will all see public release next year and the company is preparing a massive publicity blitz to accompany the launch. Titled "Heroes Happen Here," the company's advertising campaign will celebrate the everyday heroes that keep IT running around the globe. "This is the largest enterprise launch in our history, and both Microsoft and many of our industry partners are making a significant investment in a worldwide rollout," said Andy Lees, corporate vice president of the Server & Tools Marketing and Solutions Group at Microsoft. Are you planning to deploy Microsoft's 2008 products in your organization? Let us know in the comments.

For more on the company's 2008 lineup:
- see this Ars Technica article

A glitch in information sharing

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:59 -0400

Government chief information security officers recently told an industry conference that sharing information is not without its problems and can open up a new path for corruption of the system. Patrick Howard, CISO for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that computer companies may be inviting more attacks through the use of applications, especially web applications. He spoke at a conference sponsored by the Information Technology Association of America.

"Applications give a ready avenue to our data," Howard said. He added that in the rush to make information available, holes are sometimes built in, which aren't caught due to inadequate testing. Joe Gerrity, CISO for the Security and Exchange Commission, said that the increasing need to share information electronically has created additional security issues. "The need to know has shifted to the need to share," Gerrity said. "We tend to trust everyone on the inside and no one on the outside."

For more on this security issue:
- see Technology Daily article

Today's students, tomorrow's customers

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

In addition to her other projects, Erin Griffin, the CIO of Loyola Marymount University, and her 65 IT employees are heavily involved with web 2.0 initiatives. She and her team are using Wikis for collaboration as well as using other document sharing and collaboration technologies. Throughout the university, social networking is important. She and her team are on Facebook and they have their own blogs. It's an area that every CIO should be investigating, she says. "I see my peers in the business world just barely waking up to the fact that these students--our customers now--are going to be their employees and their customers very soon. All of these tools and technologies are so critical to the students' existence. It feels to me that the sooner corporate CIOs get using these web 2.0 tools, the better."

To read the full interview:
- click here

Salesforce bets on independent developers

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

As SAP gobbles up Business Objects, Salesforce took a dramatic step to position the company as a viable alternative to the traditional pillars of the enterprise software space. On Friday, Salesforce took the wraps off of a $25 million fund that will underwrite software developers and third party vendors. The move was made with VC partners Bay Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. The money will be distributed to some 50 software start-up companies, where teams will be given $500,000 to develop on-demand applications on Salesforce's platform, Force.com. This represents a major initial effort to establish the platform as a financial opportunity for third-party developers, and to create a broader variety of applications and capabilities for the enterprise. Australia-based Sqware Peg, for instance, has created an SMS (short-message service) marketing application using the platform. This is a big opportunity for the VC partners as well. Startups that develop innovative offerings on the platform may be terrific investment opportunities.

For more on the deal:
- check out the article by CNET