business side

Banish the 'business side'

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

CIOs know that their IT departments are an integral part of their company's business, but some executives inadvertently talk about the "business side'' as if it were some foreign unit disconnected from the tasks at hand. This week, CIO Magazine suggests that IT professionals who are serious about alignment need to ban the phrase "the business side" from their vocabulary since it implies that IT has a different agenda, is working toward different goals and fosters an "us vs. them" attitude. "For as long as you and others see 'the business side' as a separate entity, it most certainly will be treated as a separate entity, and true alignment will elude your most vigorous efforts.'' the magazine reports.

For more on this new kind of strategy:
- See this CIO Magazine article

HP brings Penryn to business laptops

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Intel's Penryn is no stranger to an HP laptop's innards, having already made its way inside a few consumer-oriented Pavilions. But now, the company is bringing some of that 45nm lovin' to the business side of its portable lineup. Intel's 2.1Ghz T8100 is now available on the 6720s and 6820s machines while the 6510b and 6710b will get the slightly beefier 2.4Ghz T8300. Word on the street is that the 8700 line also will get the Penryn bump during the next two weeks, so stay tuned.

For more on the upgrades:
- see this Engadget article

Forrester: 20 ways to make IT work

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Sometimes the CIO has to convince the boss that he's on the right path. To help him do that, Forester Research put together a list of best practices that can offer some help in making IT work well. That includes developing new metrics, rescuing outdated processes and making sure your company's business side knows that IT is pulling its weight. All this may help CIOs and their IT managers show superiors their value. Sometimes the business side has to become invested in the IT struggle, and it's the CIO's job to make sure business colleagues are up to speed.

The Forrester list includes plenty of easy solutions, along with some complicated ones. Nothing is every easy in this arena, as most CIOs know. It is important to break down legacy habits and get everyone on board to get IT right. Some days, it seems like a snail crawling, and other days, there are plenty of triumphs. A CIO must know how to roll with the punches.

"There's a ton of these things out there," said Forrester research analyst Phil Murphy. "At least take an inventory of what you're doing and what you're not doing and be aware there are this many things and rate yourself on what you're doing and what you're not doing because changing that could help you."

Forrester's ideas include: Using IT systems performance management audits and software to increase application throughput and managing costs and implementing data center automation to reduce operating costs.

For more ideas to make IT work:
- check out this CIOUpdate article

The expanding role of the CIO

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

More midmarket CIOs are taking on other parts of the business, including finance, facilities management, sales and human resources. That's because today, CIOs are viewed as people who are running a shared service, so executives are looking at other shared services in the company and asking why CIOs can't handle them. There is plenty of logic to the additional roles assigned to IT and CIOs--such outside roles can mainstream IT in the eyes of the rest of the business, and can help legitimize IT as a critical component of the business. Experts believe that the expanding role of the CIO is a good thing, as long as those new roles fit strategically with the overall goals and responsibilities of the CIO. For example, CIOs with responsibility for business process outsourcing may think more about how can IT help the business side of the house.

Learn more about the changing role of the CIO:
- read the article at SearchCIO

ALSO:
- read this on how the CIO role is expanding beyond technology
- this on moving beyond the CIO role
- this on the changing role of the modern CIO
- and this on CIOs managing business and IT

How to teach tech to execs

Mon, 07 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Many CEOs are confused about technology--more confused than CIOs are about business. CIOs must educate their business counterparts about technology, but that's not easy, partly because CEOs tend to resist the idea. Here's how to teach the business side about technology: First, don't use jargon. Techno-talk creates another language and a set of barriers between you and your business partners. Second, use the budget planning period to help drill in what the business side needs to know about technology. Third, start education at the top of the organization. Once senior executives get it, others will follow. Fourth, plan offsites to set up temporary laboratories with equipment and software to show businesspeople how things actually work. Finally, use a subtle approach. For example, point out that a specific unit has lower customer satisfaction levels or higher people costs and suggest a technology that might help. If that fails, a similar conversation with the CEO might help.

Learn more about teaching tech to executives:
- read the article at CIO

ALSO: read this on teaching tech to your CEO

Disaster recovery: Satisfying both sides

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Often, IT leaders and business leaders are at odds on the importance of business continuity and disaster recovery technology. That's partially because IT managers think that their job is to make sure that every system is perfect, while the business side takes IT, the computing infrastructure and disaster recovery for granted. It's best to actively seek input from business leaders on what they need and to use the results to help develop a corporate disaster recovery and system availability program. Regular communication also helps.

Read more on the struggle for a meeting of the minds:
- read the article at ComputerWorld

ALSO:
- read this on disaster recovery being put on the back burner
- this on why disaster recovery isn't enough
- and this on current trends in disaster recovery

Driving revenue with price optimization software

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Price optimization software can help CIOs drive revenue. Vendors including Zilliant, PROS, Vendavo and Rapt offer this software, typically based on statistical modeling techniques, which slices and dices historical data to maximize prices for margin, using factors like the uniqueness of an item, or the fact that customers in a particular geography will pay more. Margin gains of 10 percent and profit enhancements of 15 percent or more are typical, according to Gartner data. Most successful deployments of price optimization software start with a desire from the business side, not from the CIO.

Learn more about price optimization software:
- read the blog at CIO

IT: Splitting the "I" from the "T"

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

For people in the IT field, it may be more beneficial to think in terms of whether you are more "I" or more "T", because the two are diverging into separate career paths. Traditionally, the best IT professionals have had the perfect blend of the two components: understanding the needs and goals of the business side (I), while still having a good handle on the bits and bytes of technology (T). But as IT workers take on more management responsibility, it is not unusual to start losing some "T" while growing stronger in the "I". That's because increasing management responsibilities take IT staff away from the hands-on aspect of technology and forces them to maintain their "T" through reading, not doing. Experts say that soon, IT professionals will need to "I" and "T". Those who choose "T" had better be extremely competent, because much of that type of work is being offshored or given to employees who will work for less. Those who focus on "I" (information design and management, process design and management, and relationship management) will have it much easier.

For more about the diverging paths of "I" versus "T":
- read the blog at TechRepublic

Finding the right employees

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Today's IT department requires a diverse group of professionals with solid business skills, but often, the skill sets of those hired don't fit the bill. To make sure you are hiring employees with the right skills, look beyond IT certifications and programming language capabilities. Consider bringing employees over from the business side and teaching them IT skills. Other options include college recruiting and investing in a well-structured and closely managed internship program. Attracting the best and the brightest also means offering non-cash benefits such as flexible work schedules, family benefits, job training and supplemental insurance. And don't forget about promoting from within. Determining appropriate compensation can also be tough. In general, starting salaries for project managers are $72,750 to $106,250, application architects from $80,000 to $112,750, and IT auditors from $69,250 to $97,000. Tie base pay to the dominant skills or role and incorporate additional compensation for other skills.

Learn more about successful IT recruiting:
- read the article at CIO

ALSO:
- read this on keeping employees happy
- this about recent grads offering good bang for the buck
- this about thinking outside the box when it comes to recruiting
- this on demand for IT talent overwhelming supply
- and this on the fierce competition for IT staff

A realistic approach to IT

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

IT should not view itself as a 'controls and standards' group that tells the business what to do. Instead, it should get others excited about using technology to drive business goals--and this requires a change of mindset and culture. At the same time, the business side should take responsibility for IT. One idea is for the business and tech sides to share a service score card, providing metrics that can be tied directly back to the IT department. That means that decisions regarding which projects should receive priority, in terms of spending, are set by the business, not by IT. And when it comes to security, instead of putting a fortress outside your firewall and not letting anyone in, IT departments should develop their application layer assuming that people are going to get inside the network. But once they are inside, make it difficult for them to access applications. Use something called the "sticky pudding approach" to help resolve the security versus open access dilemma.

To get more about a realistic approach to IT:
- read the article at IT World Canada