asia

Has the U.S. lost its tech edge?

Judi Hasson — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:26:35 -0400

American dominance over technology and electronics is slipping, the product of a complacent federal government and misguided business practices. At least that's the thesis of a new book, "Winner Take All: How Competitiveness Shapes the Fate of Nations," by Silicon Valley executive Richard J. Elkus Jr.

Elkus maintains that the United States has given up its leadership in numerous markets and technologies, and has lost its competitive edge. The biggest threat, he says, is Asia. He calls for a national competitiveness strategy singling certain technologies as crucial to the nation's future, and championed by the President and by industry. His model is former President John F. Kennedy's 1960s pledge to put a man on the moon. BusinessWeek calls the book "timely," and adds, "The next President must envision a better future and inspire the nation to make the sacrifices and investments to achieve it. Elkus' book provides a blueprint for getting started." The book raises some important issues, and there is no doubt that leadership and innovation in technology is certainly crucial to America's economic future.The book may well be worth the read. - Judi

For the more on this book:
- see this businessweek.com article

The changing face of IT

Tue, 27 May 2008 07:00:00 -0400

The U.S. has powerful information technology companies--Apple, Google, Microsoft and IBM, to name a few. But globalization and new competition are having an impact on the American industry, with U.S. dominance on the decline.

That's the picture provided by Business Week's latest rankings of the top 100 IT companies in the world, which shows U.S. firms losing clout as others innovate, take advantage of cheaper operating costs and gain market share.

It's an unsettling development, and one that needs to be turned around given the importance of technology to the growth of the U.S. economy. When Business Week began its rankings in 1998, 75 of the top companies were from the U.S. Today, the number is down to 33, with the list now including 37 from Asia. - Judi

Recession fears hit IT

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

A survey by Baseline in the fourth quarter of 2007 found that 46 percent of respondents believe their companies would cut IT spending and staff if a recession hit. And the survey also found that one-third believe their job would be in jeopardy in the event of an economic downturn. This does not bode well for the IT community. "Companies will do what they have to do to maintain cash flow and profitability," says John von Stein, the chief information officer of The Options Clearing Corp. in Chicago. "IT typically is an area where a delay in projects and initiatives allows the company to spend money later-or not at all-if the business value is no longer there to justify the project."

The survey found other bad signs popping up, too. The respondents believe that more work will be outsourced to Asia and Latin America. But the news isn't all bad. More than 70 percent of respondents believe that more work will shift to the Internet if energy prices keep rising. Stay tuned. This issue is definitely growing and will compel IT executives to use technology to help save unnecessary costs.

For more about the IT world and recession:
- See this Baseline article

Climbing up the CIO food chain

Thu, 03 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

If you're a midmarket CIO who feels ready to move to a larger company, prepare to be questioned about your ability to scale. Focus on points of relevance between your experience and the new role. Show how much more important these points are than sheer numbers. Sharpen your influencing skills. Be aware of the technologies available in the market and how to use them to improve efficiency or profitability. Also, make sure you've created allies in other departments in your current company; in smaller companies, your relationship with your boss is the key to gaining approval for a big IT decision; in larger organizations, you rely on your circle of influence. Adapt to a new management style. In many smaller companies, the original owners are still running the show, but in larger companies, most members of the executive team gained their experience elsewhere. Also, upgrade your communication abilities; they are key in larger companies.

Learn more about moving to a larger company:
- read the article at CIO Asia

Women in IT: Speak up, get ahead

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Women in IT have it a little harder when it comes to advancement, not to mention, being taken seriously. To break down the barriers, don't be afraid to speak up and promote yourself. Be ambitious. Only by doing so will you rise in the ranks and be taken seriously by other C-level officials.

Read more about speaking up to get ahead:
- read the article in CIO Asia

PowerPoint virus worthy of attention

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 20:01:38 -0400

It hasn't done much damage as yet, but a new PowerPoint virus does hold promise to cause some big headaches within organizations that rely on the Microsoft applications for business operations. Hackers have attached a virus to a PowerPoint file that installs key logging software once the file is opened by a user. Right now the virus is swarming in Asia and comes from a Google address. Security experts are warning tech leaders to caution users from opening PowerPoint files from unknown sources as Microsoft has made it clear it likely won't have a fix until its next security patch release in early August.

For more on the PowerPoint bug:
- check out this article at the BBCNews

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