wal mart

ALSO NOTED: Yahoo turned down Microsoft's $40 a share offer; IT hiring expected to pick up in 3Q;

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

> Yahoo turned down Microsoft's $40 a share offer. Article
> IT hiring to pick up in 3Q. Article
> Heavy Internet users targeted. Article
> Wal-Mart tests free Internet classified ads. Article
> How to handle data management. Article

And Finally… Free Wi-Fi at Starbucks! Article

Dell pulls AMD machines from website

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Dell's on-again-off-again relationship with AMD has always seemed rather tenuous, so this news doesn't exactly come as a surprise: from the looks of it, the company is pulling AMD machines from its website, relegating AMD-based Dell boxes to retail outlets like Best Buy, Staples and Wal-Mart. Whether or not this is permanent or only temporary remains to be seen but judging by the looks of it, we'd say that Dell is gearing up to return to Intel exclusivity. Hopefully the company will see fit to shed some light on this topic in the coming days but if you absolutely need some AMD-based Dell boxes, you had better run out and grab them while you still can.

For more on the disappearance of the AMD machines:
- see this Engadget 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

Will Wal-Mart get its tech groove back?

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

Wal-Mart is largely credited with pioneering the role of IT as a means for streamlining global retail industry supply chains. Not too long ago, the company was garnering headlines in all of the business and technology publications for these efforts. But in more recent years, IT has played less than a starring role in the firm's operations. The company's once vaulted international expansion plans have not yielded the expected results, and have prompted the company to close facilities in Korea and Germany (The German withdrawal resulted in a $1 billion loss). The reason: an inability to adapt to the local cultures and unseat established players. Analysts also point to poor customer service systems in the U.S., merchandising missteps and setbacks in the company's online initiative. Investments in the deployment of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags throughout its supply chain have also failed to pan out.

For all the details:
- read the hard-hitting article in CIO

PCI Data Security Standard gets more oversight

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

Fourteen merchant organizations, including retailers like Wal-Mart and U.K.-based Tesco and large financial institutions such as Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, were elected last week to the board of advisors of the newly-created PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). The Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standard was originally formed by the five major credit card agencies. This new group will solicit feedback from the industry and will influence changes to the standard, which until now, has been the sole jurisdiction of five credit card companies: Visa International, MasterCard Worldwide, American Express, Discover and the Japan Credit Bureau.

For more on PCI and the newly formed group:
- see this article at ComputerWorld

Report: The top 100 most influential CIOs

Thu, 17 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Baseline, Insight and eWeek have come out with a list of top 100 CIOs in the United States. CIOs were ranked on their tangible track records for IT success, scope of influence beyond the organization, ability to effect change, level of engagement in developing today's emerging technologies, and the return on technology investment within the company. Those making the list include Wal-Mart's Rollin Ford, who spearheads the company's RFID efforts; Lynne Ellyn of DTE Energy, a leader in working with open-source; GE's Gary Reiner, who also functions as the company's chief strategy officer; and John Glaser of Partners Healthcare System, noted for inspiring and cooperating with other CIOs in the industry. The top ten included two women: Patricia Hewlett of ExxonMobile and Barbra Cooper of Toyota Motor Sales North America.

Read more about the most influential CIOs:
- read the article at Baseline

ALSO NOTED: Even if Vista is on a future to-do list, it's time to get ready now; New smartphones bring better features, lower p

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:01:33 -0500

> Even if Vista is on a future to-do list, it's time to get ready now. Article

> New smartphones bring better features, lower price. Article

> The shift toward centralized IT in the U.K. Article

> Wal-Mart, Intel looking to push e-health records ahead. Article

> Cingular jumps on BlackBerry Pearl wagon with a few unique features. Article

And Finally... Scientists uncover ancient computer. Article

Why one retailer is taking RFID baby steps

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:01:37 -0400

There's no argument that radio frequency identification technology (RFID) can be a huge asset to business--one just has to look at the continuing benefits that Wal-Mart has experienced since its adoption of the technology. But some other retailers are taking a more measured approach and smaller steps towards deployment. One is Global Gillette, which is piloting RFID in its store placement and marketing efforts. While the effort has yielded some good data that the company believes will pay off and has also helped boost sales a bit, the cost and management issues involved will require further review before any larger steps can be taken.

For more on one retailers RFID strategy:
-check out this CIO Insight article

A daunting, but doable, task for HP's CIO

Wed, 17 May 2006 20:01:33 -0400

HP's CIO has a huge task ahead of him--consolidating the vendor's database sprawl and building one company-wide data warehouse. It's not going to be easy, quick or painless given the business transformation necessary to revamp the internal data system and infrastructure. But Randy Mott has the tech expertise, sharply honed management experience from his days running Wal-Mart's technology efforts and the full support of CEO Mark Hurd. The three-year project is estimated to cost $1 billion at least.

For more on HP's data overhaul:
- read this article at BusinessWeek

ALSO NOTED: Asia top spam-generating region; Security agency recommends upgrading Firefox, Thunderbird; and much more...

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Asia is the top spam-generating region. Article

> U.S. security agency recommends upgrading Firefox, Thunderbird. Article

> Why some oppose expanding the H1-B visa program cap. Article

> Using speech analysis to assess customer service response. Article

> Wal-Mart RFID commitment stronger than ever. Article

And Finally... Mars could have been home to something at one time. Article