large companies

Consultants try harder to be CIOs

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

If you are a consultant with the ambition of one day becoming a CIO, take notice: it's not an easy transition. You may want the job, but big companies may not want you. Large companies tend to shy away from candidates with consulting backgrounds. They worry that consultants do not have the political savvy to operate with an existing IT staff or within a limited budget, according to Steve Kendrick, an executive recruiter with Spencer Stuart's global information officers practice. Kendrick says it's better to avoid recruiting firms and to market yourself to small and midsize companies if you want to become a CIO. It may be a big plus for smaller companies seeking to grow and wanting your experience working with different industries or even with other companies in the same industry.

But don't despair if you've hit a wall. There are consultants out there who have made the transition, and their stories are good ones to follow. Brian O'Connell, for example, the CIO at Hartford Life, showed that he was qualified for the job when he consulted on a project for The Hartford Financial Services Group while he worked for Accenture. A page out of any success story is one that can be an inspiration and evidence that you, too, can become a CIO.

For more on becoming a CIO:
- See this CIO Magazine story. Article

Collaboration coming to the enterprise

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Let's face it. Work is changing. First off, there's more of it. Secondly, we're expected to access the office at any time from anywhere and everywhere-- while on vacation, from home. When you combine this with the fact that companies are becoming more decentralized, you get a rising case for deploying collaboration tools. That is why we are seeing large companies and government agencies adopt new Web-based procedures and workflow strategies to maintain high levels of operational efficiency. The FAA recently implemented IBM Lotus Connections, a new Web-based tool that combines record-keeping, blogging, bookmarking and more. The FAA is using the technology as part of its Disaster Response Team, which allows employees to quickly file receipts, voicemail and instant messages to a central archive in case there is an emergency and employees have to buy items quickly. Analysts at Gartner expect to see organizations in the public and private sectors continue using tools like this. By 2009, approximately 30 percent of all Fortune 1000 companies will have enterprise social software platforms in place.

For all the details on collaboration tools:
- read the article in CIO Insight

The wild world of wireless

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

As wide-area wireless network technology becomes a standard element in just about every enterprise network these days, a growing number of companies are exploring new ways to wrench out more speed and quality out of their mobile links. Such technologies include Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) and other 3G technologies. These wireless apps are helping IT administrators move beyond simply offering email to implementing business applications like salesforce automation that are optimized for wireless delivery. The hope is that early adopters will secure a competitive edge or build better efficiencies into their business processes. The sales force of large companies is a natural beneficiary of these sorts of technologies and industries like pharmaceuticals, financial services, insurance and media are buying into the technology at a rapid pace. The technologies can help companies and their sales staff reach rural areas, and can bring an end to the search for hotspots that support your network configurations. Cost has also come down and in most cases is no longer an issue for CIOs. The market potential for this technology is huge: "There's probably around three million EV-DO cards out there today, and there's somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 million users of wireless," Tim Donahue, vice president of business marketing at Sprint, told Networkworld. "We are still on the front end of this curve."

For more on 3G and EV-DO:
- look for the article in Networkworld

Study: Senior execs approve of Web 2.0

Wed, 09 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The vast majority of C-level executives view the sharing and collaboration inherent in Web 2.0 technologies to be an excellent way to increase revenue or margins. The study, sponsored by FAST, found that large companies have begun using Web 2.0 tools and methods to create online communities to help with product marketing and development. They are also creating blogs or wikis to communicate better with customers and share knowledge both inside and outside of the company. The study's authors expect to see a rapid acceleration in the Web 2.0 adoption curve as business leaders recognize the value of community-sourced information made accessible and actionable via search technology. Eventually, they expect to see Web 2.0 principles change how organizations innovate and execute.

Read more about how enterprises are using Web 2.0:
- read the article at Social Computing

ALSO:
- read this about Web 2.0 as a competitive maneuver
- this about Web 2.0 for the enterprise
- this for reasons to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon
- this on wikis entering the corporate consciousness
- and this on tapping into the world of social networking

Web analytics: The brains behind online marketing

Sun, 06 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Many large companies are integrating Web analytics tools into applications like email campaign software and keyword bid-management tools in the hopes of using them to plan, run and adjust Internet marketing activities, according to a new report. For example, some companies are using Web analytics tools to import results into an email campaign application that will kick off the next campaign automatically using rules based on results from the first campaign. But the report also noted that many workers involved in such efforts lack the expertise and training to use the tools effectively, and as a result, can't take full advantage of the tools. To avoid this problem, companies should decide which users will access Web analytics tools and should provide training and guidance to them. Also, evaluate the tools carefully, especially those they want to integrate with Web analytics tools, to determine their relative difficulty.

Read more about Web analytics:
- read the article at ComputerWorld

ALSO:
- read this on giving business intelligence and analytics their due
- and this on getting the maximum value from web site statistics

Laptop tracking is for SMBs, too

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

Many enterprises use laptop tracking software or third-party tracking companies to ensure the safety of employees' laptops, which tend to get stolen more than any other type of work tool. These products and services install a software agent on laptops that call in to a company's IT help desk via an Internet connection. If the laptop is reported stolen, the system can begin tracking down the laptop. The products also often include technology users can use to destroy data remotely if necessary. This laptop-tracking technology is used often in large companies because it's sold as a feature by manufacturers. Smaller companies are less aware of the tracing technology because they purchase products through resellers that are less likely to play up the feature as a selling point, experts said. Cost pressure is another inhibitor for smaller companies.

Read more about laptop tracking:
- read the article at Computer Weekly

ALSO:
- read this on mobile security tools for SMBs
- this about balancing mobile functionality with security
- this on the importance of mobile security
- and this on best practices in managing mobile devices

Online role-playing comes to the boardroom

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

You may soon find yourself attending a virtual meeting, staring at an avatar representing you on screen. Using state-of-the-art technology from companies such as Second Life, Qwaq, Tixeo and Multiverse, companies now can conduct online meetings and collaborate online using three-dimensional graphic characters, or avatars, standing in for actual employees. And it's not just cutting-edge Silicon Valley companies taking the plunge; even large companies like Raytheon, BP and Hewlett-Packard are experimenting with the technology. It's viewed as an effective and efficient way to interact in ways that aren't possible over the phone or via video conference. But meetings and conferences are just the beginning. Although it's too early to gauge the effectiveness of virtual technology on business, software vendors say businesses are showing a lot of interest.

Learn more about virtual meetings:
- read the article at BusinessWeek

Study: Web 2.0 as a competitive maneuver

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

A recent survey of CIOs by Forrester Research found that many large companies are using one or more Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS, social networking and content tagging. Using these collaborative tools is the best way to compete in today's business world and can increase internal efficiency, the survey found. Many CIOs noted that they accepted the use of these tools because they were afraid that their companies would lose market share if they didn't keep up with their competitors' use of the technologies. Of all of these tools, CIOs found wikis, RSS and tagging the most useful and social networking and blogs less useful. But with time, the report noted that all of these tools will make even greater headway into the enterprise.

Read more about Web 2.0 in the enterprise:
- read the article at ComputerWorld

ALSO:
- read this about Web 2.0 for the enterprise
- this on reasons to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon
- this on wikis entering the corporate consciousness
- this on wikis bringing some business tools into play
- this on making the most of RSS
- this on a new data delivery stream via RSS
- this on tapping into the world of social networking
- and this on corporate blogging

Shortage of CIOs on the horizon

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The demand for CIOs is growing fast, thanks in part to large companies now requiring CIOs at the strategic business unit level as well as the enterprise level. What's more, at some smaller firms, first CIOs are being appointed, and there is an increased demand for people with CIO-type expertise among IT service vendors. All of that adds up to a looming CIO shortage. Although it's certainly possible to recruit a CIO from outside of the company, it's far more effective for the corporation if companies must groom future leaders from within. To develop the next generation of technology leaders, it's important to first understand that the CIO role is changing, with an increasing focus on business knowledge and skills, the ability to manage relationships, and overall leadership capability. Companies must proactively develop the attributes they need in their CIO candidates. When grooming from within, make sure to focus on these skills, all of which will be part of the 2010 CIO: strategist, relationship architect, leader, information steward, integrator, educator and utility provider.

To learn more about the role of the 2010 CIO and how to groom from within:
- read the CIO Insight article

2007: More of the same for CIOs

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

CIOs this year will continue to struggle with how to make their IT shops run more smoothly and how to make better use of existing resources while satisfying business objectives. These findings, from a recent Gartner Executive Programs survey focusing on large companies, found that CIOs will have to pit their top technology priorities--business intelligence applications; enterprise applications; legacy applications; modernization and networking; and voice and data communication--against the top business priorities. Top business priorities include business process improvement; controlling enterprise-wide operating costs; attracting, retaining and growing customer relationships; improving the effectiveness of the enterprise workforce; and revenue growth. To do this, CIOs can't rely on traditional methods, such as improving operational efficiency and reducing IT costs, to meet executive expectations, but must broaden their resources to improve the enterprise in ways that attract and retain customers.

Read more about pitting technology priorities against business goals:
- read the article at ITJungle