Business Strategy

Developing a wise technology strategy

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:55:55 -0400

A technology strategy is just not about determining what servers or networks should be deployed. It requires a framework to deploy a set of business applications. CIOupdate.com advises that there are three things CIOs need to know when developing a technology strategy: An in-depth understanding of the business strategies the company is pursuing; a vision of how technology will add value to business processes; and technology use principles.

Business strategy is key, with the publication noting that "building a technology strategy without understanding the business strategy is like building a dam in a dry gully and hoping it will rain. You might get a lake, but more likely you'll get a muddy pond.''

It is important to choose technology that is efficient, meets the needs of the user and provides a competitive advantage. And the technology principles chosen must be understood by technical and non-technical users, and focused on reliability, consistency, and maintainability.

For more advice:
- see this CIOupdate.com article

How to be an IT survivor

Judi Hasson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:28:17 -0400

IT has been changing right before our eyes, with outsourcing and offshoring, advances in communications and security, and the growing role of technology in business strategy. So what do all these changes mean for the typical IT employee? And what skills should an IT staffer be nurturing to enhance his or her career?

InfoWorld.com says several technologies stand out as enticing career opportunities: virtualization, unified communications, wireless, and modern application development.

Experts also say it helps to have multiple skills to be marketable. While training and certification programs exist for virtualization management, experts say the best way to enhance your virtualization career is to get real-world training on the job, especially through a large virtualization project. As for unified communications--the merging of voice and data networks through technologies such as VoIP--the best bet may be knowing how to set up the right controls, policies, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms.

Demand has exploded for wireless networking and related security issues, and getting smart in these areas can only be a plus. Experts also suggest there is a high demand for those with know-how in web application development, with Java skills, Oracle or SAP's development app, and C# and ASP.Net skills a must.

For more on job skills:
- see this InfoWorld.com article

IBM's CIO not just an IT manager

Judi Hasson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:36:54 -0400

For IBM CIO Mark Hennessy, technology leadership is not just about understanding business strategy, but setting that strategy and executing it on a global basis. As CIO of a worldwide company, Hennessy said he cannot just be a utility manager. "I think once you make that leap, and you are very much aligned with the execution of the company's strategy, it is a lot easier to justify the investments because they are in line with the strategy and they do return real value whether it be revenue growth, or productivity improvement, or increased customer satisfaction," he told Wisconsin Technology Network.

One key component of his plan is the firm's workforce management initiative, which is designed to create common processes, tools, skills and capabilities that can be deployed depending on client need. "A big part of this is how well we are capturing the requirements and planning to either bring on board the skills we need or develop the people we already have on board to meet ongoing requirements of our clients," Hennessy said. He also stressed the need to make sure every person in the IT organization understands how his or her work supports the business strategy.

For more on managing a global IT operation:
- see this Wisconsin Technology Network article

Why women leave tech careers

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, the founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York, said her research shows women are excelling in science, engineering and technology. But she said many women often don't survive the educational process, and if they do, they end up dropping out of the workforce at a very high rate.

Hewlett said women--discouraged by the male-dominated work culture, long hours, a lack of mentors, a feeling of isolation and a lack of support--reach the "fight-or-flight moment," and often vote with their feet. Computerworld reports that a number of companies are experimenting with programs to alter the female exodus from IT, including Cisco Systems, Intel, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric.

To get more details on female IT flight:
- check out this Computerworld.com article

Data center engineers command big bucks

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

In years past, the engineers who designed and ran computer data centers were often viewed as an afterthought, especially compared to software developers and others stars of the digital age.

Today it's different, with data center experts in high demand and no longer taken for granted. The New York Times reports that with the rapid growth of data centers and all of the new environmental, energy and economic challenges, those with skills to design, build and run data centers are getting new attention and commanding ever-increasing salaries in the six figure range. The newspaper said that "five-figure signing bonuses, retention bonuses and generous stock grants have become ingredients in the compensation packages of data center experts today.''

For more on this salary bump:
- check out The New York Times article

Paying attention to the next generation

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:00 -0400

An article at Networkworld.com tells how IBM is trying to close the IT skills gap, launching a web-based resource to better help prepare college students for job opportunities. IBM says it no longer can afford to spend as much time and money with on-the-job training as it has in the past, and expects young workers to be productive sooner. It hopes that increased collaboration with the university community and making a direct connection with students will help. All this makes a good deal of sense, and the article is worth a close read because it offers insight into the types of skills companies like Big Blue are looking for in their hires. These include service science management and engineering, database technology, Web 2.0 development, web server technology and enterprise systems. Are you prepared for the present, and the future? - Judi

IT workers would take pay cut to telecommute

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

A new survey by Dice Holding has found that IT workers don't like commuting and in fact, 37 percent would be willing to take up to a 10 percent pay cut to work from home full time. With the high cost of gasoline, the time lost getting to and from work, and the flexibility it offers, telecommuting is beginning to look better every day.

And with improvements in personal computers, videoconferencing, and Internet speeds, many telecommuters can deal with virtually all of their tasks from a home office.

For more on telecommuting:
- see this InformationWeek.com article

Oil companies use BI to adjust prices

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Crude oil prices, gasoline at the pump and oil company profits are at all-time highs due to a wide range of economic and market forces. And it is those forces, or the data behind them, that are constantly being analyzed by the oil companies so that they can take advantage of the trends.

So it's the IT systems--the sophisticated business intelligence operations--that are crucial to these companies. David Knapp, a senior editor at the Energy Intelligence Group, said that without good business intelligence, oil companies risk their livelihoods.

Gary Lensing, VP and CIO for global exploration and production at Hess Corp., said, "Data drives what we do, always quantifying where that value is." At Exxon, officials said, the company even wants its geophysicists to know Fortran, C and Java so they can code their own, quick analysis.

For more on oil company BI:
- check out this CIO.com article

Google loses H-1B visa sweepstakes

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Apparently not even Google can always get its way, at least when it comes to hiring foreign nationals and having them stay in the U.S. Like so many others in the IT field, Google claims to be constrained by the congressionally-mandated yearly cap on H-1B visas, complaining publicly that 90 of its 300 H-1B applications were rejected in the recent government visa lottery. That's still a winning percentage, but not good enough for Google.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency held a lottery after receiving 163,000 applications for 85,000 visa slots. A disappointed Google spokesperson said some of the individuals who did not get visas can still work for the company in other countries, but added that "worker satisfaction is higher when employees can work in the location they prefer."

For more on Google's H-1B headaches:
- check out this Computerworld article

IT execs overconfident about e-discovery

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:59:59 -0400

A new research report has found that IT executives are confident they can respond to e-discovery litigation requests given their significant investments in records management, archiving and information retention. But the report by IDC suggested that the CIOs may need to take another look, and may not be as prepared as they think.

The survey found organizations lacking in standardized policies and IT practices for activities related to the identification, preservation and collection of potentially responsive data.

For more detail on e-discovery gaps:
- see this CIO.com article