landscape

Lawsuit tries to block HP-EDS merger

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

There are many questions regarding the announced sale of EDS to HP, including what it means for their respective tech staffs, the direction of the new merged company and the new shape of global IT services landscape. But some people are trying to put a stop to this marriage before it is even consummated.

The Utah-based Intermountain Ironworkers Trust Fund has filed suit alleging the sale is unfair to EDS shareholders. A similar suit by an EDS shareholder has been filed in Delaware. It remains unclear how the lawsuits will develop or whether they will slow or impact the merger in any way.

For more on this merger:
- see this silicon.com article

Bridging the generation gap

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0400

Bridging the generation gap

Today's CIO may be the most senior--and oldest--person in the office. This puts CIOs in the position of being the "old guard," while the much younger generation are seen as "newbies." This mix of talent and experience is essential these days. The younger tech personnel may not have worked with Atex or COBOL, but they may have their own ideas--often better ones--about how to tackle a problem.

Bridging the generation gap may be one of the most important issues facing a CIO. It is no easy challenge for either side. Just remember that the IT industry is only about 40 years old, young enough for many top executives to have started their professional careers someplace else before they moved on to IT. Generation Y is bringing important new ideas to the table. It is an ever-changing landscape for everyone. Today's CIO must make sure to be up-to-date on the current times and culture as much as Gen Y needs to know about IT legacies. - Judi

Keeping your finger on the pulse

Tue, 01 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A successful CIO should know as much as possible about the market in which the company operates. That means knowing who your customers are by company, division and line of business, and how your customers are segmented within each division. You should know what touchpoints you have with your prospective, current and past customers; what your customers value about your products, services and interactions compared with your competitors, and what choices besides your offerings your customers have. You should know your key performance indicators (KPIs) and how they match with your customers' KPIs; how globalization and increased regulation will affect your markets and your market strategy, and what your potential disruptive market forces are and how quickly you can respond. You should know how the customer profile and business profile are expected to evolve over the next decade. And most importantly, you should know how your competitive landscape is expected to evolve and how you would deal with irrational competitive behavior.

Read more about knowing your market:
- read the blog at CIO

ALSO NOTED: Impressing the boss; The coming of the virtual Web

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> Impressing the boss. Blog
> The coming of the virtual Web. Article
> Surveying the dual-core processor landscape. Article
> Top IT priorities at the Defense Department. Article
> There's wisdom in granting time off. Article

And Finally… Technology spending trends. Graph

Protecting your intellectual property

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:01:38 -0500

When it comes down to it, a company's intellectual property is the only thing that distinguishes it from rivals. Without it, your company doesn't have a leg to stand on, at least competitively. But in today's collaborative environment, it's easier than ever before for competitors to grab some of that valuable IP. And if your company is involved in an outsourcing relationship, your IP is particularly vulnerable, especially if you're outsourcing work to countries with limited IP laws and weak enforcement systems. Laws are tightening up in many countries, however, so the IP landscape is showing signs of improvement. But we're not there yet. To make sure that your company's IP is safe, first identify the IP in your technology and operations and then secure patent protection, register copyrights and trademarks and institute measures to protect trade secrets. If doing business abroad, make sure you understand patent and IP rules.

Learn more about protecting your company's IP:
- read the article at Optimize

ALSO: read this on defending against IP theft

The next generation of IT

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:01:38 -0500

The next generation of IT will be much more flexible and scalable than today's technology, focused more on serving the business side of the enterprise. It's the only way to remain competitive going forward, especially with the growing push for IT organizations to add value and the reality of the mobile and decentralized workforce. Recognizing these challenges is the first step toward change. One possible change is having some of your applications and systems hosted by an outside entity or virtualizing your environment as much as possible in-house. The increase in mobile and remote office staff is one argument in favor of software-as-a-service, which makes it easier and cheaper to deliver business support wherever your users happen to be. To do that, companies will consider services like Salesforce, NetSuite, Webex and CrowPeak, which simplify the enterprise IT landscape.

Learn more about the IT landscape of tomorrow:
- read the article at BPM Today

Insight on what browsers offer today

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:01:38 -0500

One of the greatest things about IT is the constant evolution of technology. A great example is the number of browsers available today. There's Internet Explorer, Safari for the Mac, Firefox and Opera. Where browser choice may have had a clear answer a few years ago, many tech leaders are now surveying the landscape, due to security concerns and new functionalities being built into the all-important browsing tool. Find out what the experts have to say about all of the most popular choices before making a decision.

For more on browser options:
- check out this expert review at Computerworld

How to foster CIO/CSO collaboration

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:01:35 -0400

Defining the relationship between a CIO and a CSO (Chief Security Officer) can be difficult as lines of responsibility blur when it comes to dealing with all the technology and security tasks facing both roles. But as the CIO and CSO of TriWest Healthcare Alliance explain, if you take the time to collaborate and map out specific duties regarding how the security team fits into the overall tech landscape, it's not too hard. Understanding each other's views and agreeing to definitions of tasks is a huge part of making the CIO/CSO roles work well together. For example, while one big security task at TriWest is auditing the IT effort and operations, its CSO says he prefers the term, and the concept, of assessment rather than auditing. Collaboration is key.

For more on CIO/CSO relations:
- read this interview at CIO

Linux grabs traction in Unix space

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:01:35 -0400

One of the most interesting technology trends happening today is how open source computing, specifically Linux, is impacting the world of Unix. Just look at the market share stats to get a good glimpse of how Linux is taking root: Linux-based servers have boasted double-digit growth for the past 15 consecutive quarters and that revenue spiked 17 percent in the first quarter of this year when compared to 2005's first quarter. At the same time Unix server revenue dropped 7.1 percent. Yet, as some industry experts are quick to note, Unix isn't going to drop off the scientific and research computing landscape anytime soon thanks to its continuing good security and reliability.

For more on the Linux-Unix battle for marketshare:
-check out this CIO Today article.

Software as a service comes of age

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 20:01:35 -0400

We've been hearing about Software as a Service (SaaS) for years now, but until recently there haven't been solid offerings to back up the hype. Early SaaS products died out because they couldn't scale and were not supported by a sound business model. But cheap, plentiful broadband access and reduced licensing fees for server software are changing the landscape. According to IDC, SaaS is one of the fastest growing segments of the software industry, with sales of $10 billion expected in 2009.

There are some potential pitfalls for SaaS, however. This approach is not well-suited to truly mission critical software. Even three-nines (99.9 percent) uptime can be difficult to achieve with SaaS. Additionally, it is difficult to ensure security with software running as a service.

For more about SaaS:
- read this article in Optimize