partnerships

Top CIO concerns

Judi Hasson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:00:30 -0400

A report by the Society for Information Management has found that IT and business alignment remain the top concerns for CIOs.

"One would think that over 30 years, with all the smart people, CIOs, academia, IT and business alignment would move further down the list, but it hasn't," said the study's lead researcher, Jerry Luftman.

The other top issues on the list: building business skills in IT; IT strategic planning; attracting new IT professionals; making better use of information; managing change; reducing the cost of doing business; improving IT quality; retaining IT professionals; and security and privacy.

The report found that IT strategic planning moved up the ranks of top worries because of fears about the economic downturn. IT alignment remains elusive because it is difficult and requires organizations to address numerous issues including communication and partnerships between the business and IT people, metrics, governance, human resources and technology.

For more on the CIO's top issues:
- check out this InformationWeek.com article

What bad economy?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

You can't believe everything you read, can you? While it looks like the economy is tanking and investors are taking a vacation, there is a strange little trend going on despite all the economic gloom. Venture capitalists are still digging deep into their pockets and finding the money to fund technology projects. Just listen to Vag Goel, partner at Norwest Venture Partners: "In the past few years, the Internet has become more a part of business communications, and we're looking to invest in ideas that help enterprises take advantage of what the Internet has to offer while delivering rapid ROI." So if you are feeling blue, don't despair. Just look around and remember that IT runs the world, not the other way around.

For more on venture capitalists as risk-takers:
- See this Baseline article

Move over Silicon Valley

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

Silicon Valley and New England are no longer the fastest-growing regions to attract venture capital funding. There are many new parts of the country vying for the title, including areas of New Mexico, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C., according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. Last year, investors in New Mexico put $128 million into 21 companies, an increase of 375 percent over the previous year. Los Angeles is a hotbed, too, attracting $1.15 billion into 124 companies.

"Silicon Valley and New England are well-known for their entrepreneurial spirit," Tracy Lefteroff, global managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers venture capital practice, said in a statement. "However, VCs have been encouraged to look to other markets for talented individuals with great ideas and solid business plans, in part because the cost of doing business is less in these alternative markets."

For more on expanding VC markets:
- See this cnet.com article

The buck stops at the CIO's desk

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:00:00 -0500

The CIO's job has never been tougher. But it has also never been as exhilarating as it is right now. The CIO is a change agent and the buck stops at his desk. But it is still not easy to define what a CIO must do to be part of a central operation. Is the CIO a business manager or a technical manager? Is the CIO in charge of failures in the IT department or for making sure that flaws don't exist in the first place?

Luckily, there are plenty of new tools in the marketplace to help CIO deliver results. But does the CIO take a risk spending money on software and other tech that is not yet tried and trusted? In a year where there will be belt-tightening, where do you stand? Can you make good on the requirement to deliver the best technology and results at the cheapest cost? Are you the savvy professional that can cut costs without feeling an impact on your business?

We'd like to hear some of your ideas. Certainly, all eyes are on the technology gurus who can add power to the system without spending more money. Are you one of them? -Judi

P.S. By the way, don't forget to check out FierceCIO's ongoing trivia contest.

Rumor: AMD and IBM getting 'cozy'

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

If you keep your ear low to the ground, you might have heard some mumbling this week about a possible partnership being forged between AMD and IBM. According to JMP Securities analyst Krishna Shankar, the partnership "may involve a strategic equity infusion or even an outright merger between AMD and IBM Microelectronics." AMD is certainly in a tough spot right now and can use all the allies it can get. But what would IBM stand to gain from such a partnership? ZDnet's Larry Dignan took a close look at the rumors and tried to separate the reasonable scenarios from the wild speculation. While an outright merger and even a cash infusion probably don't fit into IBM's focus on software and services, a production partnership or strategic alliance could potentially benefit both companies. "AMD needs a big brother to fight Intel," Dignan notes. "IBM would fit the bill nicely."

For more on the speculation:
- see this ZDnet article

Dell, Microsoft partner for(RED) PCs

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:59:54 -0500

No, it's not quite a pink PC for Valentine's Day but it's just as timely: jumping on the (Product) RED bandwagon along with Apple and Motorola, Microsoft and Dell have announced a series of limited-edition, red PCs that will lend a helping hand to AIDS patients in Africa. Above you'll see the (Product) RED XPS One, $80 of the purchase price of which will go toward 6 months of antiretroviral treatment. If an all-in-one PC isn't your thing, Dell is also offering up two laptops (the M1330 and M1530) and a printer (the 948) in (Product) RED. Not only do these machines come in a coat of red paint, they also include "six unique desktop wallpapers, a screensaver, two innovative Windows Sidebar gadgets and a (RED)-themed Windows DreamScene." If that sort of thing suits your fancy, click on over to learn more.

For more on Dell and Microsoft's (RED) partnership:
- see this Gizmodo article

Wired looks back at the story of the iPhone

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

With MacWorld just a few short days away, now is a good time to look back and reflect on the bounty of MacWorlds past. For example, last year's announcement of the iPhone, which was undoubtedly one of the biggest announcements in Apple's 30+ year history. Sure, you know all about the iPhone's long journey from idea to rumor to final product (and if you don't, be sure to check out FierceWireless' iPhone timeline)--but do you know the behind the scenes, untold story of the iPhone? Wired does. In their extensive feature, the venerable tech magazine details the entire history of the device, from start to finish. While most of the article restates the sort of stuff that you already know, it is peppered with a few previously-unknown details relating to early prototypes, internal struggles and Apple's partnership with Motorola for the disastrous ROKR. If you consider yourself an iPhone fanboy, be sure to check this piece out.

For more on the iPhone:
- read the full article at Wired

Dell to launch 'iPhone killer' in 2008?

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Rumors of a Dell smartphone are nothing new--in fact, it seems like they surfaced as soon as the company discontinued their Axim line of PDAs. Still, we haven't heard much about the mystery smartphone in months--and it was supposed to launch during Q4 2007. While Dell probably won't be able to make that deadline at this point, it looks like a smartphone is still very much in the works, with Forbes stoking the rumor flames with a few new tidbits. According to Forbes, the phone "would likely include video, an MP3 player and Internet access and be unleashed on the world early next year." Allegedly, the device is being developed in partnership with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta and Dell's smartphone team is being headed up by none other than Ron Garriques--one of the designers of the original Motorola RAZR. What's more, Michael Dell says that the company could make another acquisition soon and Forbes suggests that both Asustek and Quanta are possible targets. Juicy scoops or unapologetic rumormongering? You decide.

For more on the rumors:
- see this Forbes piece

Sprint rejects $5 billion buyout offer

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

The Sprint buyout rumors have been floating around for a while now, so it's not surprising to hear that eager suitors are lining up at the carrier's door. What is surprising, however, is the fact that the ailing wireless carrier apparently rejected a deal of $5 billion from Providence Equity Partners and Korean carrier SK Telecom. It's a bit more complicated than that, however: it seems that the deal would have required Sprint's management team to step down and have some humble pie while SK stepped in to run the show. Nonetheless, it would have infused Sprint with $5 billion in capital and some new leadership, while also allowing the company to "significantly cut costs by jointly purchasing handsets" with its new big brother (à la SK Telecom's partnership with Helio). Sprint had better hope, for their sake, that a sweeter deal comes along soon--SK's offer might not be so generous the next time around.

For more on the proposed deal:
- see this New York Times article

Sprint and Clearwire end partnership

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Well, it was fun while it lasted, eh? It seems that Sprint and Clearwire, those two young lovers who were seen doing the WiMAX courtship dance not too long ago, have decided to part ways. The reasons given for the split were the "complexities of the transaction" and the recent outing of Sprint CEO Gary Forsee, both of which made it difficult for the two companies to reach a final agreement for the partnership. While we can understand the logistical difficulties that the two companies must have faced, this still comes as a shock, given the fact that we were discussing merger rumors this time last week. While Sprint has been hurting as of late, the news probably comes as a bigger blow to Clearwire, which will now have to face the harsh financial realities of building a WiMAX network alone. No word yet on how this might affect Sprint's ambitious WiMAX deployment plans, though the outlook doesn't look too good.

For more on the severed alliance:
- see this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)