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Spam is everywhere--even on your cell phone

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:00:00 -0400

Spam is everywhere--even on your cell phone

You thought you had wrestled spam to the ground, and maybe you have on your computer system. But now comes a new trend reported by the New York Times that spam is increasing greatly on cell phones, too.

It's just a little headache, you think. But now that many cell phones are used for email and integrated into office systems, they could provide a backdoor for new viruses. And while it's not part of your job description, it may soon be part of your problem. Spam in the form of text messages also could increase costs for your company because these messages are charged to the receiving cell.

So it's important to stay at attention. Perhaps CIOs need to survey company departments and check with accounting to see if there has been a rise text charges that may be related to spam. If so, it may be time to contact your telecommunications carrier and take necessary precautions. - Judi

When an actor gets hacked

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0400

Like many CIOs these days, actor George Clooney found out the hard way that databases can get hacked and information can be leaked. Clooney's medical records were grabbed out of the system at a New Jersey hospital where he was taken following a recent motorcycle accident. More than two dozen members of the hospital staff, including doctors, were suspended without pay following an investigation.

Tough luck, you might say. But this is a problem everywhere, not just at hospitals or even at financial centers that handle large amounts of money. Every CIO must make sure that databases are as tight as a drum and cannot be breached. "We conduct audits on a regular basis to make sure our systems are protecting individuals' rights," Eurice Rojas, the hospital's vice president of external affairs, told The Associated Press.

Do you? Is your staff well-trained in preventing intrusions? And more importantly, does the staff of your company know there are consequences to violating a person's privacy? While securing data is probably the most important job you have--and the most difficult--letting insiders know that security violations will not be tolerated is just as important, even if it is for a peek at a Hollywood hunk's medical chart. -Judi

Customer relationships are for people, not technologies

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Next time someone tells you they are implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to improve customer relationships, nod, smile politely and then change the subject. That, it seems, is one of Jeffrey Pfeffer's conclusions in his upcoming book What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management. While CRM has garnered a lot of headlines--and cash--the truth is that while these technologies can cut the operational costs associated with serving customers, it is far from established that the actual relationship is enhanced. "Before you can manage a customer relationship, you first need to build or create that relationship. And customer relationships are not really built by fancy data-mining and statistical analysis packages that track people's behavior -- Rather, relationships and their quality are determined by what happens to customers when they actually make contact with the organizations that have so avidly sought their businesses and of all things, real live human beings."

For the excerpt from this book:
- read the article in CIOInsight

Welcome to the new FierceCIO

Mon, 28 May 2007 20:01:40 -0400

Publisher's Note:

As you might recall, we recently asked you for your thoughts on how we could improve FierceCIO to better suit your needs. Well, you told us what you wanted and we listened. Today, I'm proud to introduce several key changes to FierceCIO. First, I am thrilled to introduce our new editor. Patricia Brown, formerly executive editor of Optimize, brings more than 20 years of experience to the table along with an intimate knowledge of what CIOs need to know. I'm confident that you'll like her.

Second, FierceCIO will now publish twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, delivering all of the week's news in two easy-to-read issues. The "Technology Toolbox" section in the Thursday issue will focus on a particular topic or theme, allowing you to explore various topics in depth, while gaining a broader perspective on trends and technologies in the marketplace. Finally, we will orient more of our content toward the needs of CIOs in small and medium-sized organizations, not just the Fortune 500 folks. I hope you enjoy these changes and find them useful. As always, feel free to contact me with any feedback. --Jeff Giesea - Publisher, FierceCIO

Welcome to the new FierceCIO
Hello, FierceCIO readers. My name is Patricia Brown and I'm happy to be taking over the FierceCIO newsletter. In the twenty years that I have covered the business of technology and the expanding role of CIOs, I have never seen a time of greater opportunity for technologists to have a more robust impact both in their specific organizations and in the general economy. This shift toward greater responsibility is changing the language of IT. As organizations stop simply talking about business alignment and start implementing initiatives that directly advance critical corporate objectives, CIOs are finding that it is no longer good enough to just manage IT metrics. They are focusing instead on business performance and the customer--both internal and external. In FierceCIO, we will provide you with news analysis and links to resources that will help you navigate the latest developments in technology and enable cutting edge business strategies. If you ever have any suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know how we can do better. -Patricia Brown

Communication overload

Thu, 10 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Modern communications includes multiple phone numbers, inboxes and contact routes, and it's difficult to discern which of these messages are important or urgent. What's more, all of these communication mechanisms cause significant distractions, which slow productivity. The problem is that there is nothing to control the sequencing or interaction between different channels. That can be potentially disastrous from an auditing perspective, where actions triggered by one message are not countermanded by another message through an alternative route. This situation requires policies that define suitable and unsuitable paths for different types of communication. The environment, both management and technology, must also provide support. Defining 'urgent' and 'important' should be an integral part of the management process, just like setting and measuring objectives.

Read more about reducing communication overload:
- read the article at IT-Director.com

Using technology to court talent

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

It takes more than intuition and newspaper ads to keep a your employee coffers full these days, and technology can help. Relationship databases are a good way to keep track of interested candidates and to stay in continual contact until you need them. Instead of a static database or an applicant tracking system, it is a repository of comprehensive personal information that contains an element of interactivity that keeps people engaged with the company. The technology is similar to customer relationship management (CRM) database tools, but these tools allow companies to communicate regularly, highlight job openings, nurture candidate interest and collect data on skills and capabilities over time. With these systems, however, it is often the candidates themselves who contribute much of the information to the database. When contact is made with an individual and an e-mail address is collected, the system can kick out an e-mail with a link inviting the individual to visit the company's recruiting web site to complete a questionnaire that can gather any type of information the recruiter desires. This creates a pool of proprietary talent for the company.

Learn more about relationship databases for recruiting talent:
- read the article at CIO Today

ALSO:
- read this on using coaches to hire IT staff
- this on hiring as a CIO focus
- and this on unique hiring strategies

Recovering from a cyber attack

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Even though it might have been devastating to your systems, employee morale and customer confidence, if your company is hit by a cyber attack, how you approach your recovery can make all of the difference. First, don't panic. Instead, focus your energy on taking back control of your network and protecting the business from loss. This is important because rash, random decisions could be irreversible, and could actually help the attacker. Secondly, seek guidance from legal counsel, business managers, human resources, public relations and the IT department. Third, make an investigative plan that includes points of contact, identification of the assets you most want to protect, business goals, and the detailed technical steps you plan to use to reclaim your compromised network. Your response plan should be provide guidance and structure around your actual response to minimize mistakes and costly downtime. This involves investigating the incidence, making a remediation plan, remediating the incident, and following up on the remediation plan to make sure it was implemented properly. And keep your goal right in front of you. Don't continue to spin your wheels on investigative steps, such as trying to identify the attacker, if it does not further your primary goals. Afterwards, fine-tune your response policy for future incidences.

Read more about recovering from a cyber attack:
- read the article at Optimize

Get ready for widgets in the workplace

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Widgets, downloadable applications that display data from the Internet on websites or a desktop, may have started in the consumer world but they are quickly making their way into the enterprise. Widgets offer many benefits to corporate users; unlike the reams of software, passwords and security layers users must go through to access corporate applications, widgets downloaded to the desktop are simple. They are designed for a single purpose, such as entering a new contact into a customer database or tracking sales quotas. The IT department also wins. No data is stored locally, so if a laptop is stolen, IT administrators can just turn off the widget's network access. Major vendors are getting into the game. SAP, for example, is actively looking at using desktop widgets at work, while Windows Vista and Mac OS X both support widgets. Yahoo and Google are also on board. But adoption will take time.

For more about widgets in the workplace:
- read the article at Business 2.0

Overcoming major IT issues

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

CIOs and IT managers have a lot on their plate these days, but three thorny issues in particular need to be fully addressed. The first issue is the fact that information often flows irregularly and can fluctuate significantly. The fix is to control the information by analyzing and evaluating the importance attached to it. Start by making employees aware of the importance of the data they help to gather. Encourage accuracy and demonstrate to employees how their active participation in the process can reap rewards they might not have thought of.

The second problem is rising costs. To increase ROI using existing resources, find out what each department's primary challenges are with existing systems; often, solutions lie within untapped features of those systems. Also, look for ways to integrate existing systems.

Finally insufficient sensitivity concerning data security is a major IT issue. Take steps not only to stress the importance of security to those in your company, but instill the necessary protective measures. Create a memo to explain what security measures are currently in place, why those measures exist, the consequences of not following security procedures and who to contact with security issues or questions.

To read more about how to overcome major IT issues:
- check out the blog at Article Journal

Who is in charge of the user experience?

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

In many organizations, taking responsibility for integrating the customer into every step of the organization isn't anyone's clearcut role. A few years ago, some companies created a new C-level executive--the Chief eXperience Officer (CXO)--whose job it is to keep the entire organization focused on the user and the points of contact with the user. That didn't take off, but instead, some companies have created the role of director or vice president of user experience. By tapping someone to take responsibility for disparate interfaces and touchpoints, companies can ensure continuity in customer response, marketing and communication. Some, however, call the role critical to a company's success, and again are calling for the role of Chief eXperience Officer.

Read more about the idea of a CXO:
- read the blog