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  • Big data - Part 2

    A second technology making a significant impact on solving Big Data problems is in-memory computing, which takes workloads that were traditionally resident on disk-based storage and moves them into main memory. This delivers a performance improvement many times above that which has been possible previously.

  • Big data - Part 1

    According to IDC’s Digital Universe report the data created globally on an annual basis will leap from 1.2 zettabytes this year to 35 zettabytes in 2020 (one zettabyte is equal to one billion terabytes).

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    In-memory computing

    The massive explosion in data volumes collected by many organisations has brought with it an accompanying headache in terms of putting it to gainful use. Businesses increasingly need to make quick decisions, and pressure is mounting on IT departments to provide solutions that deliver quality data much faster than has been possible before. The days of trapping information in a data warehouse for retrospective analysis are fading in favour of event-driven systems that can provide data and enable decisions in real time.

  • 5 open source BI projects to watch

    Business intelligence (BI) is frequently among the top prioroties for CIOs and finding the right software to do the job is always a challenge. Cloud-based software may be all the rage, but CIOs must still manage in-house information and make better use of it through analytics and reporting tools. The big four software companies have all made strategic investments in the BI space over recent years and the options have dimnished, but there are alternative tools popping up and snatching a lot of customers in the process. This installment of '5 open source things to watch' is all about BI that doesn't scar the annual report.

  • Five Advantages of Unified Information Access (UIA)

    The first wave of enterprise search helped companies tap into the world of text+, sometimes referred to as "unstructured" or "semi-structured" information. Primary drivers included the need to monetize digital content, reduce risk through compliance, or increase employee, customer and partner productivity. These early implementations provided significant value and solved important problems; they also demonstrated limitations that have lead to demand for the next generation -- Unified Information Access (UIA).

  • Apocalypse: 52 percent of CIOs plan to blow up IT groups

    The saying goes something like this: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The statement is, of course, embraced as dogma by those fearful of change and by automobile owners praying for a reasonable bill of charge while waiting at the mechanic's garage.

  • An IT department's crucial role in a new product launch

    In late 2008, Monsanto licensed a seed coating that helps corn, soybean and other seeds fight insects and disease during the tricky germination stage. By early 2009, company scientists had finished work on that cocktail of fungicides and insecticides, dubbed Acceleron, and the company wanted to get the coating to market in time for the 2010 planting season. "We were going after that opportunity very aggressively. If we don't hit season, that opportunity is another 12 months away," says CIO Shirley Cunningham.

  • Inside the CIO's 'Big Four' Application Priorities

    Every company or organization has a wide range of software in its application portfolios-some enterprises, of course, carry a little more software bloat than others.

  • BI's Dirty Secret: Better Tools No Match for Bad Strategy

    The pressure on CIOs to deliver business intelligence tools and analytic applications--on the cheap and ASAP--has been building steadily for years. In 2010, survey results point out that that demand has reached a fever pitch with which CIOs are very familiar.

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    Mind Your Own Business Intelligence

    When I saw in IDC’s latest Forecast for Management Survey that business intelligence and security were no longer in the list of top 10 CIO priorities, I almost spilled my coffee. Have we learned nothing from the last 12 months?

  • CIOs highlight BI, virtualisation and cloud computing as key to competitiveness

    An IBM survey of 2500 international and 129 local CIOs suggests business intelligence and centralisation of IT systems through virtualisation and cloud computing will be crucial to remaining competitive in the coming months.

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    Raiders of the Lost Archive: SaaS, Disaster Recovery

    Backup, archival, recovery, and redundant operations for business continuity are key success factors for industrial strength IT. But how do the rules of the game change with multi-tenant SaaS applications?

  • Large Data Set Analysis in the Cloud: Hadoop Gets a boost

    The changing nature of IT, as well as the rapid evolution of business processes, means that you'll likely face the need for an analytical tool like Hadoop in the very near future.

  • Oracle pushes compression as cheaper database scale-up method

    Oracle's powerful new HP Oracle Database Machine comes with 168TB of storage, a new method of retrieving data more quickly and intelligently, and -- wait for it -- a US$2.33 million price tag.

  • Man Behind MasterCard's 100-Terabyte Data Warehouse

    Rob Reeg took over as president of MasterCard's Global Technology and Operations in May 2008, the de facto chief of IT at the US$4 billion credit-card and electronic payment provider.

  • Indian Oil uses BI to fuel growth

    From a basic BI system that was started in 2001, Indian Oil Corporation has come a long way and is now changing gears to move to a structured BI platform.

  • More on How to Build Your Own Wikipedia

    The technology popularized by Wikipedia can help companies gather and manage their own collective knowledge. Here's how to get started

  • Being an Effective CIO Means Focusing on Business Just as Much as Technology

    When I started in IT at insurance company MetLife in 1970, my background was as far away from insurance as you could possibly imagine. I was an engineer, and I had studied towards a doctorate in solid-state physics.

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    Are CIOs losing their mojo?

    A recent SIM International study finds that fewer CIOs are reporting directly to the CEO. Instead, they're answering to less strategic executives, such as the chief operating officer or chief financial officer.

  • IT and the Business: Sharing a Common Language

    Today's CIOs are moving IT away from its traditional back office role, towards becoming a central part of the business. But to integrate IT departments into the organisation requires a fundamental change in the culture of the organisation.

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