Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Budgeting » Features »

  • The six million dollar vendor

    Between 2005 and 2010, Gartner estimated IT managers and executive decision makers have gone from dealing with an average of 3.7 vendors to 10. The onset of Cloud computing as well as the revival of service outsourcing in wake of the economic downturn have only exacerbated this as companies increasingly look to multi-source their services to obtain the functionality they need at a cost they can afford.

    Written by James Hutchinson • 14 July 11 07:00

  • Not-for-profit - Part 2

    Within any organisation, however — below the its culture and style of management — there are similarities between not-for-profit and commercial organisations.

    Written by Tim Mendham • 18 April 11 11:35

  • How to measure your IT vendor management office

    Over the past few years, many companies have taken the first steps in setting up an IT Vendor Management Office (VMO), but many are still very much in the early stages of refining what exactly the role of the VMO is within the organization. And the definition of a VMO can vary widely across companies - ranging from a broad marketing term used to describe the process or a specific term used to refer to a dedicated group of staff who oversee and manage suppliers.

    Written by Patrick Connaughton • 06 April 10 05:00

  • Portfolio Management Back in Style

    Portfolio management is poised to go "retro." As organizations are preparing to come out of the recession, they are thinking more broadly about the types of investments that will be required to support business growth. As a result, some organizations are revisiting the idea of portfolio management as a way to organize and evaluate.

    Written by Chris Curran • 09 March 10 07:53

  • IT Budgets: It's Time to Rethink Your Chargebacks

    Let's face it: Your department is a cost center without a revenue stream to offset your cost structure. Hence, you are totally reliant on the revenue-producing units within the company to pay your way.

    Written by Albert Eng • 26 Feb. 10 06:56

  • Experience Base: Vendor Negotiation

    If there's one skill that usually gets short shrift in giving up-and-coming leaders valuable on-the job-experience, it's negotiating contracts with external partners. In some large corporations there are so many parties involved in forging vendor relationships--from internal purchasing organizations and general counsel to outside consultants and advisors--that it's difficult for budding IT leaders to get any experience in edgewise. In smaller organizations, top IT brass may cleave so closely to the contracting and management process for fear of losing money or putting the company at risk that they lock their next generation out of the process.

    Written by Stephanie Overby • 01 Feb. 10 07:54
  • 2

    The 27 great universal lies of IT

    We asked our hardy band of cynical, battle-scarred CIOs to nominate their favourite fictions, furphies and fables about IT that just keep on keeping on.

    Written by Darren Horrigan • 18 Jan. 10 10:04

  • How to Improve Your IT Planning in 2010

    Since we're nearing the end of the 2010 planning cycle, it's as good a time as any to review how we plan projects and whether our processes are as effective as they could be. IT planning never truly ends and tends to eat up more time than we think. As a result, CIOs and their teams have an opportunity to lead the charge to get leaner in planning.

    Written by Chris Curran • 08 Dec. 09 07:23
  • 1

    Sounding Board: IDC's Forecast for Management Survey 2009

    Australian CIOs respond to the latest Forecast for Management Survey from IDC

    Written by CIO Staff • 19 Nov. 09 08:31

  • Customers can gain from being a vendor reference

    No IT vendor's news announcement is truly complete without a couple of glowing quotes from customers; nor is any vendor conference really a success unless the company has lined up a few satisfied CIOs to talk up their strategy and products.

    Written by Chris Kanaracus • 10 Nov. 09 08:20
  • 1

    CRM Tips: The Fixed Price is Not Right

    Imagine a CRM consulting project with inadequately specified requirements, no clear internal project manager, and ill-defined success criteria. Your consultant bids it on a time and materials (T&M) basis. You're in a rush, no time for a detailed RFP - you know the consultant can do the job, but you need a budgetary number to get approval. We've all been through this drill: somebody brilliant suggests that this has to be fixed price, it'll be easier to get project approval and manage to conclusion that way. You know, just like it would be when buying servers.

    Written by David Taber • 03 Nov. 09 08:33

  • 6 things that should be in the CFO's budget -- not mine!

    CIOs are from Venus. CFOs are from Mars. And nowhere is this more obvious than at budget time.

    Written by Darren Horrigan • 14 Sept. 09 07:16
  • 1

    5 free project management applications you must try

    Project management applications are usually centered around Gantt charts, where each step in a project is represented as a bar in the chart. These visuals are linked to lists of the resources tied to each task

    Written by Howard Wen • 08 Sept. 09 14:19

  • Print: the last bastion of cost cutting?

    Print management services provide a major opportunity for CIOs to slash cost at their organisation according to Andrew Rowsell-Jones, research vice president at Gartner’s CIO Research Group.

    Written by Tim Lohman • 19 Aug. 09 10:28

  • Tech vendors: ignore those dollar signs behind the curtain

    As is the case with selling McMansions, Mercedes SUVs and 63-inch HDTVs, pushing expensive technology products and services during a global recession isn't an enviable task. Late last year, when the economic meltdown began and corporate IT budgets went under the CFO's knife, tech vendors had to hastily reevaluate their marketing messages and overhaul their sales tactics.

    Written by Thomas Wailgum • 22 July 09 02:50

  • IT spending will fall by 6 per cent in 2009 say Gartner

    Worldwide IT spending is expected to decline by a further six percent this year, according to analyst firm Gartner.

    Written by Siobhan Chapman • 10 July 09 00:04

  • GFC Dampens CIO IT Budget Optimism: Gartner

    The global financial crisis is beginning to negatively impact the optimism of CIOs across Australia and New Zealand, Gartner has found.

    Written by Tim Lohman • 19 May 09 12:08

  • 5 Tips on Getting Your Customers to Pay Their Bills

    Getting customers to pay up quickly is a critical part of business. Here are 5 ways to ensure that your customers don’t turn into payment laggards

    Written by CIO Staff • 15 May 09 15:50

  • Special Report: The New Economics of IT

    The Australian CIO Executive Council polled 121 top local IT executives and found that the current economic crisis is taking its toll on Australian IT departments. Find out more in our special report “The New Economics of IT”.

    Written by A CIO Executive Council Report • 24 March 09 16:37

  • Retail IT: Alignment Woes, Legacy Costs Mean Trouble

    An exclusive look at a new RSR Research survey of retailers shows serious problems mounting inside today's retail IT shops -- including a vicious cycle with legacy apps that's hurting businesses at a particularly bad time.

    Written by Thomas Wailgum • 14 April 09 06:26
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments

HP and IDG news, product videos and resources